"Napoleon and the Reformation of Danse du Ventre " Topic

"During the Egyptian campaign, the French sought to colonize and conquer Egypt. In doing so, they were successful at westernizing aspects of Egyptian culture. In particular, Napoleon's influence on Egyptian dance and music, specifically the performances of the ghawazee, have molded the contemporary view of traditional Egyptian dance and music. In addition, his reformation of European cultures considered inferior such as Spanish Gypsies show his interest in the "other". Through the lens of French colonization and reformation of Egypt and Spain, I want to convey how Napoleon's influence impacted the movement of Orientalism and the representation of the "other" throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century.
Raks al-baldi, which means dance of the people, was the women's traditional solo dance that was popular in Egypt.1 Baladi, otherwise known as belly dancing in America, was the dance style most revered amongst Egyptians for ceremonies and celebrations. Later it was transformed into a secular entertainment by the Europeans. A professional Egyptian dancer was known as a ghaziya or as a group they were called the ghawazee. These dancers were originally Gypsies, and their name meant "invader" or "outsider".2 Although this dance was celebrated amongst the Egyptians, even to the point of dancers being bestowed with jewels, gypsies were still defined as the "other" because they lived on the fringes of society and didn't always have respectable occupations.3 Unfortunately, these cultures did not keep detailed records because tradition was passed down through the word of mouth. However, the ghawazee became an enduring…"
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