WHO WANTS TO BE AN ORYANTAL STAR?

Last night we watched the final round of the latest reality show to hit Turkey. It’s not a repackaged, localized version of Big Brother or Survivor or American Idol. This reality program has a very local twist to it.

What do you get when you take 11 young women with various levels of talent, stick them in a hotel and give them dance lessons all week, then dress them up in exotic costumes so they can strut their stuff on stage? Oryantal Star is a home-grown reality program where contestants learn a new style of belly dancing (known as ‘oryantal’ or oriental in Turkish) every week, then perform it on Saturday night during a live broadcast all over Turkey (and Germany via satellite). The dancers have learned styles such as Romani (Gypsy), North African, Balkan, Arabic, Techno and of course Turkish. The home audience votes via SMS for their favorite dancer.

Which begs the question – Who wants to be an Oryantal Star? Not in the ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ sense, but really – after winning the title what’s next?

Turkey is one of several countries around these parts famous for belly dancing. On many a tourist’s top 10 things to do while in Turkey, going to a belly dance show is one of them. I was taught that belly dance is an art, a celebration of womanhood, and that the dancer is not some street tart, but somebody to be respected. And this argument can hold true in certain countries where belly dancing doesn’t have a long history, and where women are on more equal standing with men. But shimmying, scantily-clothed women are not seen as artists in a country where men from all walks of life, as if hungry wolves, look at women like innocent lambs just waiting to be devoured. The dancer is an object to be ogled and leered at, not somebody to be revered. On top of that, belly dancing is seen as being related to prostitution, as some dancers offer dancing and more. So while Turks like to watch the belly dancer perform, they don’t want their girlfriends, wives or sisters to be the belly dancer.

And unlike singing or acting contests, there’s not an obvious next step for the winner of Oryantal Star. Dancers may perform at private parties, cultural shows, on women’s daytime programs and evening variety shows on TV. But unlike singers or actors, there’s no recording contract to land, no film role to act in, no guarantee of regular work.

When asked what their next step would be after winning, the finalists were not even sure what they would do. ‘Keep practicing’ ‘Improve my Turkish’ ‘Help poor people’ . Nobody had a clear idea of where their career as a belly dance star would lead them in 10 years.

I think the producers of this show are to blame for not explaining what the contestants can expect from a life of belly dancing. If the show is meant to improve the image of belly dancing in the public's eye, then there should also be a clear career path spelled out. Indeed, Tanyeli, the belly dancer judge of the show, and Asena (another very famous Turkish dancer) – are even changing their tune and seem to be working on their singing careers at the moment to be able to branch out from dancing alone.

It takes courage to break down stereotypes, and for that I tip my hat to all the contestants who went on stage every week to be judged by thousands. And the concept has caught attention elsewhere, with other countries wanting to run local versions of the program. I personally feel it’s a great way to showcase the rich variety of dancing that there is, and I hope that the show succeeds in raising the status of belly dancing to an art form so it can pave the way for other women wanting to carry on this ancient tradition.

MARDI GRAS COMES TO ISTANBUL

On 5 May, while most of the world is eating triangular corn chips and sipping alcoholic slurpees, and on May 6 when most folks are recovering from the events of the 5th, people all over Turkey are celebrating spring and the coming of summer. The festival is called Hidrellez, and has been taking place in these parts since ancient times. Just as this festival has touched many cultures, there are many different takes on what the festival represents.

Pagan Hidrellez: That last chill of winter is leaving, signaling the advent of summer, so why not skip around a maypole and roll in the clover with your neighbor?

Muslim Hidrellez: The day when the prophets Hizir (Khidir) and Ilyas (Elias) met on earth to awaken spring, which is where the name comes from (Hizir+Ilyas=Hidrellez)

Ahirkapi Hidrellez: A great excuse for a neighborhood party! The neighborhood I work in is full of gypsies. So of course the festival that they celebrate has a flare to it like no other. Combining music, food and folklore, Ahirkapi’s Hidrellez festival is becoming something of a mini Mardi Gras in Istanbul.

The prophet Hizir is a symbol of spring and is believed to pay us an earthly visit every year at this time, increasing people’s prosperity and helping people out in general. I think he visited us on the 5th-there were a couple knocks at our door, but when we went to open it, we couldn’t see anybody. Around the neighborhood there are loads of symbols of luck and hope-sidewalk stones painted like ladybugs, ‘wishes’ (pieces of cloth) tied on strings hanging from buildings, and in the center of it all a nahil tree where people stick their wishes that they’ve written on paper.

We could hear the neighborhood Romani (gypsy) band practicing in the café across the street a few days before the festival, and I instinctively found my feet tapping and my hips swaying to the music. Luckily they don’t play more often or I would never get any work done!

During the festival our neighborhood band, along with several other local and international groups, play on stages set up around the neighborhood. And when you think you’ve found a great back street that’s a short cut, you will no doubt stumble across some of these musicians who, after playing on stage, are jamming impromptu for neighbors and passers-by. We even saw a mini percussion party with a guy playing his davul, his 3 year old son echoing his beats on his junior davul while the neighbors sat around outside their front door clapping and dancing to the rhythm.

If you’re in Istanbul at the beginning of May, you shouldn’t miss this unique festival. It's a great chance to see a diiferent side of Turkish life and truly mix with the locals.