"A Question of Köçek - Men in Skirts
August 31, 2008 at 11:13 pm (Belly Dancing) (Belly Dancing, bellydance, belly dancer, Belly Dance, Bellydancer, bellydancing, Köçek, Kochek)
Köçek Dancers, miniature from the Surname
I came across some excellent video of Köçek dancers in Turkey recently, thought I’d post a bit about them. Köçek (say Kocheck, sometimes spelled Kocek, Kojek, Kochek) are male dancers dancing in essentially female costumes - although not exactly in drag. The style dates from Ottoman Turkey when Köçek (male) and Çengi (female) dancers were kept as part of the court entertainers. Both Köçek and Çengi danced in feminine style. Beautiful young children were chosen mostly from among the non-Muslim populations (Jewish, Armenian, Greek and other conquered cultures) and were trained in the court styles of dance and music. During much of that time both Köçek and Çengi were used as prostitutes as well as performers."
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