Asli Rakkas and getting to know Turkish Oryantal dance
Interviewee: Asli Rakkas Interviewer: Setsuna
S: I'd like to start off by talking about elements of Turkish oryantal dance. If I were, say, in the dance community, how would I be able to know what Turkish oryantal dance?
A: That's a good question because I keep asking myself the same thing. When I grew up in Turkey, we didn't make that distinction—we just called it Oryantal. I never heard about different styles until I moved to Canada. For us, it's simply Oryantal—that's the dance.
I see belly dance more as a personal style rather than strictly Egyptian, Turkish, or Lebanese. For example, when you watch Dina, Fifi Abdo, or Sahar Samara, they each have their own unique style, and they're all different from one another.
I like to think of belly dance as a flower, with each petal representing a different culture—Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iran. We all bring something from our culture to the dance, which makes it truly beautiful. So I don’t necessarily focus on just one part of it but I see it as a whole.
S: What's it been like from the perspective that you held when you were, you know, living life in Turkey and then you even come to Canada, right? And experiencing those two contrasts in the way the dance is done.
A: In Turkey, I’d say we have a love-hate relationship with belly dance. I think it’s the same in Egypt. I remember telling my Turkish friends in Canada that I was taking Belly dance classes, and their reaction was, "You're Turkish—why are you taking belly dance classes? You're supposed to know how to dance!" Everyone expects you to dance, but not professionally.
In Canada, I think belly dance is often seen more as a hobby—something exotic at times. But in Turkey, it's more ingrained in the culture. However, even in Turkish culture, it’s important to emphasize that belly dance is an Arabic dance. You’ll see dancers like Didem performing to Arabic music as well; they do not just dance strictly to Turkish music set.
S: That's right. That's a really good point to note. Like for anybody who's just getting to know Turkish oryantal dance. In Turkey, you will see dancers dancing, just like Asli said, to Turkish music as well as Arabic rhythms, Arabic songs. And sometimes you can hear it like a blending. [For example] you hear Turkish instruments playing Arabic songs.
A: We also have songs where Turkish lyrics are set to Arabic music. And then there’s arabesque, a uniquely Turkish music style that was heavily influenced by Arabic music.
The story behind this is interesting - there was a time when Turkish radio was banned in certain areas, especially near the Syrian and Iraqi borders. People in those regions couldn’t listen to Turkish radio, so they picked up Arabic stations instead. They grew to love Arabic music and started creating their own music with that influence, which led to the development of arabesque. It’s a fascinating and fun genre that people should definitely explore.
(Click here to learn more about the 1934 state-imposed ban of Turkish music on radio in Turkey)
S: Next I'm going to ask you a couple of questions. Short or long answers are totally fine. And the goal is both to introduce dancers and their names to anybody reading, and also to understand why you want to look at this dancer. So the first question I want to ask is: What dancer from the past or even in the present day, would you say really embodies the powerful side of Turkish oryantal?
A: In the past, she was considered the queen of Turkish Oryantal—Nesrin Topkapı. I even had the chance to take a class with her—finally, my dream came true! I was so excited and so nervous.
Her story is fascinating. She learned from her mother, who, in turn, taught herself by watching videos. Apparently, her mother traveled to Lebanon, saw dancers perform, and fell in love with belly dance. When she returned to Turkey, she taught herself and then passed it on to Nesrin. Nesrin started dancing at an incredibly young age—so young, in fact, that she even caused a couple of nightclubs to shut down because she was too young to legally perform.
Nesrin was also known for breaking the TV ban on belly dancing. She was one of the first belly dancers to perform on television.
S: She’s the new year’s dancer.
A: Yeah, and my mom says that everyone would gather in front of their TVs, eagerly waiting for her to dance. She had such an elegant style.
You can find her videos on YouTube by searching her name. Unfortunately, back then, TV broadcasts used a lot of special effects—maybe a little too much—but she’s still there, shining through it all.
S: She’s like over there now over here!
A: Yeah it’s like, just focus on her!
S: I do remember watching. It was one of the new year's videos and I wanted to see what her hips were doing and they just kept showing like her upper body.
A: Yeah, she uses a lot of hip movements. I think you could say that we, as Turkish people, are very hip-focused—we love strong hip work and lots of leg movements. She embodies that, along with incredibly elegant hands. Her hand waves are amazing, and she does this thing with her arms that I’m just not flexible enough to do!
Taking classes with her was such an interesting experience. If you ever get the chance to learn from her, don’t miss it—she’s the one!
S: Check her out.
A: Yeah. See Nesrin Topkapi dance (see the arm movement Asli talks about at the 3:15 min mark)
S: And how about for a dancer that really shows off the beautiful layers of music in Turkish music? Who's very musical?
A: I would say, I think Azad Kaan is a male dancer who teaches and performs in Istanbul. I actually had the pleasure of hosting him this summer in Toronto—he’s an amazing teacher. One thing that distinguishes Turkish Oryantal from Egyptian belly dance is that Turkey is more open to male dancers. As far as I know, in Egypt, it’s actually illegal for men to perform belly dance. In Turkey, there’s no such ban. Especially in recent years, male belly dancers—who are called Zenne—have become very popular.
S: What can you tell me about the influence of different dances on Turkish oryantal? Such as Roman Havasi?
A: When I grew up, the majority of the dancers who performed professionally or danced in restaurants were often Romanis. So, there is a lot of Romani influence in the Turkish style because of that. They bring something unique to the table from their culture.
S: And finally what would you say is the origin story of Turkish oryantal dance?
A: Well, I’m not an expert in its history, so I’ll be frank about that. But I assume it probably comes from the Ottoman Empire, since our countries were once part of the same empire. That interaction likely sparked the interest, and they [the Turkish people] absorbed the dance. They liked it, they liked the music. We have similarities and differences in our cultures, but I believe that interaction is what brought the dance to Turkey. And we loved it so much that it became a part of our culture.
Note from the interviewer: Some names of great Turkish dancers have been mentioned in this interview, but we also can’t forget Asli herself! To learn more from Asli, go to