{"product_id":"before-they-were-belly-dancers-european-accounts-of-female-entertainers-in-egypt-1760-1870-9780786494330","title":"Before They Were Belly Dancers: European Accounts of Female Entertainers in Egypt, 1760-1870","description":"\u003cp\u003e Focusing on Egypt during the period 1760 to 1870, this book fills in some of the historical blanks for a dance form often known today in the Middle East as \u003ci\u003eraqs sharki\u003c\/i\u003e or \u003ci\u003eraqs baladi\u003c\/i\u003e, and in Western countries as \"belly dance.\" Eyewitness accounts written by European travelers, the major primary source for modern scholars, provide most of the research material. The author shapes these numerous accounts into a coherent whole, providing a picture of Egyptian female entertainers of the period as professionals in the arts, rather than as a group of unnamed \"ethnic\" dancers and singers. Analysis is given of the contexts of this dance--that was a legitimate performing art form in Egyptian society appreciated by a wide variety of audiences--with a focus on actual performances--and a re-creation of choreography.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKathleen W. Fraser\u003c\/b\u003e has had a varied professional career encompassing magazine publishing, foreign development, human rights education, employment equity, and the teaching of essay writing and dance history at the university level. Her dance-related writing has appeared in \u003ci\u003eDance Research Journal\u003c\/i\u003e (reviews), Impulse magazine, the \u003ci\u003eUCLA Journal of Dance Ethnology\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eCanadian Dance: Visions and Stories\u003c\/i\u003e (articles), and she has presented at professional conferences held by Dance History Scholars, Conference on Research in Dance, and the International Bellydance Conferences of Canada. She lives in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"McFarland \u0026 Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50461048504594,"sku":"9780786494330","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d43b32ea-1fa6-491d-98e3-b2b6d0c5b194.jpg?v=1730054345","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/before-they-were-belly-dancers-european-accounts-of-female-entertainers-in-egypt-1760-1870-9780786494330","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}