History & Culture

1960s Counterculture  The 1950s were a time of conformity for many women in the United States. After World War II, […]

While American audiences might have sought out the nightclubs to see women dance, there were many men who became involved

Just as Jamila observed Middle Eastern dancers in the nightclubs of California, the dancers in New York were doing the

The Veil as Dance Prop The veil as we know it in belly dance—a three-to-four yard of lightweight fabric used

Jamila was very much against the Hollywood image of the belly dancer; she felt American films took the stereotype entirely

The term “Orientalism” holds within it a multitude of meanings from benign to controversial. Many scholars have dedicated insightful papers,

In addition to the hugely influential Ballets Russes, individual early modern dancers between 1890 and 1920 interpreted the Middle East

“Little Egypt” was not so much a dancer, but the idea of a dancer, a name used to describe any

The Ballets Russes, considered one of the most innovative dance companies of the 20th century, was an itinerant ballet company

French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s Egyptian Campaign (1798-1801) spurred a lasting interest in all things Egyptian surged throughout Europe and the