Shahraman Of LebanonThe beautiful and talented Shahraman dances in the classic Lebanese style!
Her presence is elegant with a feisty edge that is accented by her gorgeous costumes, many that she designs herself!
Recently, I had a conversation with Shahraman and asked her some questions about her dancing career.
Here is a snippet of our conversation!
Little Egypt
Princesses… Great Exhibitions..Side Shows…Charmers…and…
What happens when Men get all up in our Dance….
I was fascinated when I discovered some YouTube clips from the late 1800′s and early 1900′s of Oriental Dance ( then named Belly Dance.. the English version of the French phrase ‘Danse du ventre’… Dance of the stomach)…when it was first introduced to the West…it seems that Thomas Edison not only found a way to put a ‘meter’ on electricity but through film also helped put a ‘meter’ on our lovely dance! You want to ‘Play’ you gotta ‘Pay’ !!!!!
We have all heard of ‘Little Egypt’ , The Chicago World Fair, and Promoter, Sol Bloom…if not, here is a brief rundown…from Molly Crabapple’s Blog
” Sol Bloom (Pekin, Illinois, March 9, 1870–1949), was the son of Polish Jews. He started in show biz at seven, managing theatres by his early teens. At the age of twenty-two, he talked his way into the Midway commission at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Initially conceived of as an anthropology exhibit, under Bloom’s lead the Midway became a fleshier, more sinful counterpoint to Chicago’s White City. He imported hookahs, African villages, and the belly dancer Little Egypt, who entertained in a special “men only” tent. Bloom composed his most famous tune after Little Egypt complained about not being able to dance to classical waltzes. He never trademarked it, much to his regret.”
We don’t have a film of Little Egypt…but…here are Thomas Edison Company’s silent black and white clips of ‘Belly Dance’!
This first one is Princess Ali.. circa 1895..seems this is an Algerian..Berber Scarf Dance..
Brief yet wonderful!
Then from 1898 here is a clip of a ‘Turkish Dance’ by Ella Lola….is she Turkish? Not Sure… but she gives it a whirl!
And Last but certainly NOT least is the ultimate..filmed by ‘American Mutoscope and Biograph Company…of Princess Rajah…Warning!!! “Don’t Try This At Home”!!!
Read the rest of this entry »
Powered by eShop v.6
