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by Ishtar
Bayside, New York
August 16, 2001
The belly dancer is the highlight of the festivities, even though the dance itself is not Turkish in origin. Also the dancers wear high heels which is a no-no in traditional belly dancing. This was also the first time that I saw 2 women belly dancers on the same stage, which is unheard of. If a woman is to be accompanied, in the classical sense of the dance, it is usually by a man, as the belly dance evokes a love story most times. However, in settings such as these, they do take a bit of poetic license.
There were men folk dancers who were formidable with steps quite reminiscent of the Greek style of dancing with a bit of Russian mixed in. At one point during the dance, there is a crescendo where you feel that the stage will give out under their boots. Puppetry is very popular in Turkey, and we were entertained by giant puppets that were quite humourous. Unfortunately, there was a child very close to the stage (what the hell is that kid doing up so late anyway?) who got frightened by the puppet and started bawling.
Then came the interactive part of the evening; a multinational singer came out and really made me nostalgic as he started belting out songs in French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, even English...This is very common in melting pot countries such as Turkey. He delighted an entire group of German tourists with a danke schuen rendition; his voice was strong and he most definitely had a presence. At one point in the evening, he had the ladies get up and belly dance. I was more than happy to oblige!
The lead belly dancer took pictures with every single couple in the hall; she also had to smile for every shot and naturally, she collected a few dollars in her costume that way. The photos were given to us upon leaving free of charge, which is unusual. The dinner and show is a prix fixe; you can make reservations usually through your hotel, at the reception desk where they will have several choices of places which have the typical Anatolian menu for tourists. $40 per person included a typical continental dinner (chicken, meat or fish), salad, vegetables, rice or potato, plenty of bread and dessert with tea. And the show. And the pick up and return from the hotel for us which was provided by the night club. Wonderful entertainment and really inexpensive for what you get.
From journal The Wait for Turkey - Finally!