Music & Dance

In the Ottoman empire, female dancers (rakkase) would play music and perform belly dance in the palace harems for the women who lived there. This was a very exclusive role, and these dancers would almost never perform for the public.

To bring liveliness and music to public celebrations, male entertainers (rakkas) would perform at events such festivals and weddings. (That's right, even young men could belly dance!)

Turkish dancers are very lively and energetic - using finger cymbals (zils), Isis wings and rhythmic floorwork to project their spontaneous energy into the audience.

The music of the Ottoman empire was traditionally a single vocalist with a small musical accompaniment. The bağlama (also called saz in modern Turkey) - a long-necked lute - is the primary traditional musical instrument of Turkic people. It is used in all Turkic cultures across Europe and Asia, from the Uyghur in China to the Gagauz people of Moldova and Ukraine.

The musical instruments typically used in an ensemble of Turkish classical music were most often a zither (kanun), flute (ney), small drums (kudüm), and a long necked lute (either bağlama or the tambur). These were traditionally played to a 9/8 rhythm for a belly dancer, but would slow to a 9/4 rhythm for other styles such as Zeybek.

If dance or music are skills you would like to learn or demonstrate, we would love to hear from you. Visit our memberships page and get in touch.