Courses / Dance in the Muslim World Online
Course · In development
Dance in the Muslim World Online
Whirling, belly dancing, and revolving around East and West
Written and taught by Ayrin Ersöz- Format
- Online and asynchronous
- Prior dance training
- None needed
- Certificate
- International Dance Certificate
About the course
Five centuries of dance in Istanbul, from the Ottoman 16th century to today, and the forces that shaped it.
Istanbul sits where East meets West, and its dance tells that story. This course follows dance in the city from the 16th century to the present and asks how modernity, gender, the state and religion have changed the way people move, perform and watch.
Students look at the long debate over the dancing body in Turkish Islamic culture, study belly dance through the lenses of Orientalism, feminism and exoticism, and explore religious and sacred dance practiced today, including whirling, through readings and video.
Part of a certificate
This is one of the regional courses in the International Dance Certificate, which studies dance in its social, cultural, political and religious context, one world region at a time.
What you'll explore
Dance across five centuries
From Ottoman court and city life to the contemporary stage.
Gender, state and religion
How power, belief and modern reform shaped who danced, where and how.
Belly dance, reconsidered
Orientalism, feminism and the exotic, and what each view reveals.
Sacred movement today
Whirling and other religious dance traditions, studied through text and video.