Salimpour Compendium

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...

The tale of Sheherezade is part of the collection of folktales from the Middle East and Western Asia compiled in...

Like Jamila herself, many people were first exposed to the “exotic Orient” through accounts of travelers, military officers, and family...

In general, female entertainers, specifically dancers, in the Middle East are perceived there as immoral, fallen, and without honor. Modern...

Sohair Zaki (1944 – ) Sohair Zaki was born in Mansoura, Egypt, in 1944 into a conservative family. Like many...