Köçek

thumb|200px|right|Köçek in Ottoman miniature.

The (plural ) was typically a young, male, and physically attractive enslaved dancer (rakkas), who usually cross-dressed in feminine attire, and was employed as an entertainer.

Roots

thumb|left|250px|"Köçek troupe at a fair" at Sultan Ahmed's 1720 celebration of his son's circumcision. Miniature from the Surname-i Vehbi, [[Topkapı Palace, Istanbul.]]

Turkish köçek derives from Persian kūçak کوچک. The culture of the köçek, which flourished from the 18th to the 19th century, had its origin in the customs in Ottoman palaces, and in particular in the harems. Its genres enriched both the music and the dance of the Ottomans. From there the practice dispersed throughout the Empire by means of independent troupes.

The dances, collectively known as köçek oyunu, blended elements from throughout the empire, most importantly Turkish (like Karsilamas and Kaşık Havası) and oriental elements. They performed to a particular genre of music known as köçekçe, which was performed in the form of suites in a given melody. It too was a mix of Sufi, Balkan and classical Anatolian influences, some of which survives in popular Turkish music today. The accompaniment included various percussion instruments, such as the davul-köçek, the davul being a large drum, one side covered with goat skin and the other in sheep skin, producing different tones. A köçeks skill would be judged not only on his dancing abilities but also on his proficiency with percussion instruments, especially a type of castagnette known as the çarpare. There were also two singers. A köçek dance in the Ottoman seraglio (palace harem) involved one or two dozen köçeks and many musicians.

Famous poets, such as Enderûnlu Fâzıl, wrote poems, and classical composers, such as the court musician Hammamizade İsmail Dede Efendi (1778–1846), composed köçekçes for celebrated köçeks. Many Istanbul meyhanes (nighttime taverns serving meze, rakı or wine) hired köçeks. Before starting their performance, the köçek danced among the spectators to make them more excited. In the audience, competition for their attention often caused commotions and altercations, potentially because of their perceived sexual availability. This resulted in suppression of the practice under Sultan Abdulmejid I. With the suppression of harem culture under Sultan Abdulaziz (1861–1876) and Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1876–1908), köçek dance and music lost the support of its imperial patrons and gradually disappeared.

Köçeks were much more sought after than the çengi ("belly dancers"), their female counterparts. Some youths were known to have been killed by the çengi, who were extremely jealous of men's attention toward the boys.

Modern offshoots

Today, köçek or zenne dancing is still seen in Turkey, although it has changed form to a more folkloric and less sexualized dance done by young, hairless youths, and is now done by adult men, still in skirts, beards and all. These performances no longer takes place in a sultan's palace, but now inside bars, clubs, and cabarets to dance in front of the everyday masses. The attire that these modern zenne wear are, "loose-fitting gauzy pants (şalvar) or skirts trimmed with shimmering coins and chest pieces adorned with sequins and tassels"[https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/theatre-research-international/article/zenne-male-belly-dancers-and-queer-modernity-in-contemporary-turkey1/4DEB67C60F4B97EC6E99CCFD7069CEE4], which were made to imitate the clothing that women would wear. With the rejuvenation of the Zenne, it allows gay, lesbian, and trans people to be more visible to the Turkish public and create more spaces for them to exist and create their own communities.[https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/theatre-research-international/article/zenne-male-belly-dancers-and-queer-modernity-in-contemporary-turkey1/4DEB67C60F4B97EC6E99CCFD7069CEE4]

Turkish reaction to köçek

Turkey has once enjoyed and accepted the performances of köçeks, but even with the modern revival of an old tradition, they have not been completely welcomed. Köçeks are looked down upon for being in same sex or queer relationships which was different from how the köçeks from the 18th century were viewed. This dynamic shift was due to the Westernization of the Ottoman Empire, which demonized feminine presenting men being with masculine presenting men pushing for more heterosexual relationships.[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/inside-world-istanbuls-male-belly-dancers-180953539/] The Turkish government does not have a ban on gay or lesbian relationships, but it is still looked down on by the public.

Zenne dancers have developed a safe space for people like them to safely exist within their own country while keeping their traditions alive through the 21st century. This place can be found in Taksim Square where the intersection of different walks of life meets. The tourists around Istikal, the people from the upper-class neighborhood of Cihangir, and the people from the lower income neighborhood of Tarlabasi all come to Takism Square to see or be a part of the zenne dancers. It allowed young gay men to have a safe space and to even learn from more experienced zenne dancers on how to perform.

In film

The revival of köçeks in Turkish society has led to a growth of their presence in modern media and film. A modern interpretation is the movie Köçek (1975) by director Nejat Saydam. The movie follows the life of Caniko, an androgynous Roma, who struggles with his gender identity. A more recent film called the Zenne Dancer (2011), directed by Caner Alper and Mehmet Binay, and this film touches on the discrimination that the LGBTQ youths still face in Turkey.

References

External links

Turkish Cultural Foundation: Court dance in the Ottoman Empire
Köçek (Dancing Boy) – Homosexual Art of Turkey
The Zenne: Male Belly Dancers and Queer Modernity in Contemporary Turkey
Inside the World of Instanbul's Male Belly Dancers