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PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

Scenes From Turkey:

Oriental Dance at
Kervanseray, Istanbul

by Shira

 

This is Part 3 in a series of photo galleries showing pictures of Oriental dance performances I saw while I was in Turkey in July, 2000. This gallery features the three dancers who appeared in the show at the Kervansaray, a nightclub that caters to the tourist audiences, in Istanbul. See the Related Articles section at the end of this article for links to the other photo galleries of dance highlights from my trip to Turkey.

On our third night in Istanbul, our group went to a dinner show at Kervansaray. Unlike the two previous shows at Orient House and Gar Gazinosu, this club featured a live band for the Oriental dancers.

Throughout this photo gallery, click on any image to see it in more detail. All photos by Shira. Copyright 2000. In other words, please don't steal them and put them on your own web site!

 

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First Dancer

First Dancer at Kervanseray

These photos depict the first dancer to appear in the show at Kervansaray on July 13, 2000.

This dancer committed one of the same errors that many dancers in the U.S. make: she completely ignored the women in the audience. After her performance, she did the same thing we saw the opening dancers at Orient House and Gar Gazinosu do: she and her photographer went from table to table and posed for pictures with the guests, with the understanding that the finished pictures could be purchased later.

First Dancer at Kervanseray
First Dancer at Kervanseray But unlike the dancers at the other two places, she went only to the men. Our group had 22 people, 2 of whom were male. Therefore, when she came to our table, she offered to pose for only two pictures: one with each man. What were the rest of us — chopped liver? This dancer clearly didn't understand that it's rude to ignore the women in your audience.
First Dancer at Kervanseray

At Kervansaray, as at the clubs we went to our first two evenings, the Oriental dancers used primarily Egyptian music instead of Turkish music.

As you can see from these pictures, her costume was very elegant.

The club where she danced, Kervansaray, was one of the few that had a live band play for the Oriental dancers. At most of the clubs, live bands were available to play for the folk dance performances but pre-recorded music was used for the Oriental dancers.

First Dancer at Kervanseray in Istanbul

 

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Second Dancer

Second Dancer at Kervanseray in Istanbul The second dancer at Kervansaray had a beautiful, sparkly costume. Note the way her arms are crossed as she goes into her backbend. This was an arm movement that we saw a number of Oriental dancers use for kneeling backbends throughout our visit to Turkey.
Second Dancer at Kervanseray in Istanbul
Second Dancer at Kervanseray in Istanbul

A shimmering drape in the front extended from the bra down over the abdomen, attaching to the belt at the sides.

The skirt for this costume was asymmetric, with a slit on only one side.

Second Dancer at Kervanseray in Istanbul

 

 

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Third Dancer

This dancer was the third Oriental dance performer to appear in the show at Kervansaray in Istanbul on July 13, 2000. Because she was the final Oriental dancer, I expected her to be the headliner, so I was very disappointed by her poor posture and sullen attitude.

This costume was intriguing because of the daring cutouts across the front and one side of the belt. Also note the slits in the skirt in both the front and the back.

Third Dancer at Kervanseray in Istanbul
Third Dancer at Kervanseray in Istanbul

As the photo to the left illustrates, the cutouts on the belt extended up across the right hip and into the back.

In the photo to the right, note her high-heeled platform shoes. Many of the dancers we saw in Turkey in 2000 wore this style.

Third Dancer at Kervanseray in Istanbul
Third Dancer at Kervanseray in Istanbul

In this photo to the right, note that the dancer has a veil. Like many other dancers that we saw in Turkey, she copied the Egyptian style of carrying a veil when she made her entrance.

Note the cutout section of the belt across the top of the thighs. Oh my!

As shown in the photo to the left, the cutout in the belt revealed a glimpse of the dancer's right cheek.

Third Dancer at Kervanseray in Istanbul

 

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Related Articles

These photo galleries contain photographs taken by Shira in July, 2000.

Oriental Dance

Other Images

 

 

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