Meanwhile , Egypt ’ s popular Cairo Street featured traditional Ghawazee style from Egypt . Here ’ s a photo of three of the Egyptian Theatre dancers , the one on the left looks familiar , is that Fatima Djemille ? The film “ Fatima ’ s Coochee Coochee Dance ( 1896 )” aka “ Fatima , Muscle Dancer ( Edison )” aka “ Little Egypt 1896 ”, was produced and directed by James A . White . Video :
https :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = 3-g13hJ8NdI
The dancer Fatima , well-known for her dancing shows at the World ’ s Exhibition in 1893 , was filmed by William Heise for the Edison Manufacturing Co . in 1896 , a full two years since the Kinetoscope was a commercial success , with public parlors established around the world . Because this film was most likely for the Kinetographic Theater , note censoring towards the end ! In this historic film , in addition to spins , we can recognize shoulder shimmies and hip articulation as well as what looks like a quick traveling small hip circle or camel walk before the film is censored , one of the first films to receive that distinction . We can compare this to more recent dancer Nabaweya Mustafa , observe the footwork that articulate the hips . Video :
https :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = ptCuZvyJS6Q
This film is titled “ Little Egypt ( Fatima Djemille ) 1896 Edison ”. I believe it is actually a re-issue of “ Dolorita ’ s Passion Dance ”, filmed before 1896 : a filmed performance from “ The Streets of Cairo ” display on the Midway of the Chicago World ’ s Fair 1893 , re-issued in 1896 to play in kinescope parlors . This is known by reason of the Edison catalog summary : “ Musicians are seated , playing , while the graceful Dolorita dances . It is the Danse-du-Ventre , the famous Oriental muscle dance .” Admittedly , because her outstretched arms frame her pelvis during the hip circles , the viewers focus is brought to the lifted front of the hip circle , however because she rotates the step we can discern that these are hip circles , not forward pelvic thrusts .
It is remarkable to take account of the tremendous commotion these Streets of Cairo presentations caused . These performances were vastly popular , perhaps because polite society deemed them bawdy , voluptuous and wanton . Because the Streets of Cairo dance presentations made
money “ hand over fist ,” they were immediately duplicated by other dancers wanting to cash in on the notoriety . In seeing those imitations , whether the inexperienced audience believed they were witnessing authentic Middle Eastern stylings was perhaps secondary to the salacious delight in observing something taboo .
( Thomas A . Edison , I . & Paper Print Collection . ( 1898 ) Turkish dance , Ella Lola . Lola , E ., performer United States : Thomas A . Edison , Inc . [ Video ] Retrieved from the Library of Congress ,
https :// www . loc . gov / item / 96509503 /.)
Filmed in September 1898 in Edison ’ s “ Black Maria ” studio in West Orange , New Jersey , this was most likely aimed at the Kinetoscope market . We see her in another vivacious performance filmed one month later in an early modern
22 The Belly Dance Chronicles � May 2022