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Middle East |
Europe |
North America |
Other |
Information |
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4000 BCE-500 BCE |
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Drawings of Ancient Egyptian dance. (These were not the ungainly "walk like an Egyptian" shtick)
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570-632 |
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Muhammad ’s lifetime 2 |
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708-759 |
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Arab conquest of Spain and southern France 2 |
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1299-1923 |
1299-1923 |
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Ottoman Empire 2 |
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1793 (USA) |
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Independence for USA |
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1798 (Egypt) |
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Napoleon occupies Egypt 2 |
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1834 (Egypt) |
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Muhammad `Ali banished female dancers from Cairo. 3 |
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1851 (UK) |
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Crystal Palace Exposition (London) included MED – eg Tunisian 4 |
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1867 (France) |
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Paris Exposition included Middle Eastern dancers and musicians. 4 |
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1871 (Egypt) |
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Aida performed in Cairo Opera house. The accompanying ballet introduced the "Pharaonic style" of dance based on misinterpretation of tomb paintings.5 |
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1876 (USA) |
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First known MED in the US – at Philadelphia (at the Centennial Celebration)5 |
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1893 (USA) |
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Colombian Trade Fair and Exposition ("Chicago World’s Fair") –
Sol Bloom is sometimes credited with coining the term "belly dance". 6, 7, 23 |
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1894 (USA) |
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Oldest known film record of MED. Oldest surviving film is 1895. Taken by Thomas Edison.8 |
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1896 (France) |
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Oscar Wilde’s Salomé opened in Paris – first connection of Salome & Seven Veils.9 |
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1901 (France) |
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Dancers wearing shamadan headgear photographed in an exhibition in Paris 10 |
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1909-1912 (France) |
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The Ballet Russe performed six "Oriental Ballets" in Paris which were to influence western fashion and perceptions of the East for decades.11 |
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1920s (Egypt) |
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Zouba el Klobatiyya and Shafiyya el Koptiyya (Shafî’a il-IbTiyya) popularized shamadan so it became de rigueur in the zeffa.3, 12 |
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1922 (Egypt) |
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Tutankhamun's tomb's official opening |
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1923 (Turkey) |
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Turkish Republic (Kemel Ataturk) 2 |
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1926 (Egypt) |
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Badîa`a Masabni opens her nightclub (Sâla)
in Cairo 14. In 1951 Badîa`a skipped to Lebanon to avoid a huge back tax bill.24
(Badîa`a is believed to be a major influence in the Westernization of the dance and the origin of the term "raqs sharqi"5) |
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1932 (Iraq) |
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Iraq independence 2 |
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1934 (Egypt) |
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First Egyptian film studio opens 14 |
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1932 (Saudi Arabia) |
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Kingdom of Saudi Arabia established 2 |
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1943 (Lebanon) |
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Lebanese independence 2 |
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1948 (Palestine) |
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Israel declares its independence 2 |
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1952 (Egypt) |
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Egyptian Revolution deposes King Faruq;
Rejection of things Turkish including pantaloons and karsilama. 13
Badîa`a Masabni’s former nightclub burned down; clamp down on "belly dancers"; folk dance elevated.14 |
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1959 (Egypt) |
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Souher Zaki was the first dancer to perform to the music of Oum Kalthoum and did so on Egyptian TV 15 |
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1959 (Egypt) |
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Ali and Mahmoud Reda form the Reda company. 16 |
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1964 (Egypt) |
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Reda Troupe is subsidized by the Egyptian government and becomes a national troupe.17 |
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1966 (Egypt) |
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Naima Akef (b.1939) dies 18 |
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1968 (USA) |
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Bal Anat formed by Jamila Salimpour19 (first troupe of what Morocco would describe as "American Tribal") |
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1969 (USA) |
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Bal Anat introduce dancing with snakes 19 |
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1971 (USA) |
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Bal Anat introduce dancing with swords 19 |
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1974 (USA) |
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Robert and Lynn Zalot found Habibi 20 |
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1980 (USA) |
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Masha Archer (ex-student of Jamila Salimpour) introduces the Indian choli as part of the costume.21 |
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1980s (USA) |
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Carolena Nericco dances with Masha Archer 21 |
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1990 (USA) |
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FCBD first performance for MED community. Numerous other ATS troupes/styles can be traced back to FCBD – eg Gypsy Caravan and Ultra Gypsy (and hence Masha Archer and Jamila Salimpour) 21 |
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1973 (Egypt) |
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Registration of dancers via muSannafât ("dance police") 14 |
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1975 (Egypt) |
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Oum Kalthoum (b.1898) – the voice of Egypt – dies and is mourned by millions 18 |
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1989 |
First Sydney Middle Eastern Festival |
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1990 (Lebanon) |
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Nadia Gamal (b.1937) dies 18 |
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1990 |
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Gulf War 2(the economic fallout was one factor in the decline of the Egyptian dance scene )13 |
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1992 (NZ) |
MEDANZ incorporated in New Zealand |
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1994 (Egypt) |
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Samia Gamal (b.1924) dies 18 |
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1998 |
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Bobby Farah dies 22 |
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1999 (Egypt) |
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Tahiya Carioca (b.1920) dies 18 |
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2003 (Egypt) |
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Nelly Mazloum dies 18 |
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2000 |
First MEDANZ Festival (held in Christchurch) |