Little Egypt (dancer)
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Little Egypt was the
stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
for at least three popular belly dancers from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. With countless imitators, the name became synonymous with belly dancers.


Fahreda Mazar Spyropoulos

Fahreda Mazar Spyropoulos, (c. 1871 – April 5, 1937), also performing under the stage name Fatima, had her start at the Bird Cage Theatre in
Tombstone, Arizona Tombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by Prospecting, prospector Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona, Pima County, Arizona Territory. It became one of the last ...
in 1881. In the reopened saloon's lobby hangs a larger-than-life sized painting she donated entitled "Fatima". It bears six patched bullet holes; one can be seen above the belly button and a knife gash in the canvas below the knee. In 1893, Spyropoulos went to Chicago to appear at the
World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...
. Raqs dancers performed for the first time in the
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at the Egyptian Theater on the fair's Midway. Sol Bloom presented the show "The Algerian Dancers of Morocco" at the attraction "A Street in Cairo" produced by Gaston Akoun, which included Spyropoulos, though she was neither Egyptian nor Algerian, but Syrian. The melody that accompanied her dance became famous as the Snake Charmer song. Spyropoulos, the wife of a Chicago restaurateur and businessman who was a native of
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, was billed as Fatima, but because of her size, she had been called "Little Egypt" as a backstage
nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
. Her husband's name was Alexander Spyropoulos. His restaurant's name was The America and it was located at 705 S. Halsted, in Chicago. They lived together at 1338 s Fairfield Ave. They married in 1906. They had no children. hicago Tribune, February 2nd, 1983 Spyropoulos gained wide attention, and popularized this form of dancing, which came to be referred to as the "Hoochee-Coochee", or the "shimmy and shake". At that time the word "belly dance" had not yet entered the American vocabulary, as Spyropoulos was the first in the U.S. to demonstrate the "danse du ventre" (literally "dance of the belly") first seen by the French during Napoleon's incursions into Egypt at the end of the 18th century. Some time after Spyropoulos went to Europe, she performed under the stage name "Little Egypt." Subsequently, several female dancers adopted the name Little Egypt and toured the United States performing some variation of this dance, until the name became somewhat synonymous with exotic dancers, and was often associated with the Dance of the Seven Veils. Spyropoulos then claimed to be original Little Egypt from the Chicago Fair. Recognized as the true Little Egypt, she disliked being confused with Ashea Wabe, after Wabe's performance at the Seeley banquet in 1896 ended up in her arrest and a full-scale New York City scandal. Spyropoulos danced as Little Egypt at the 1933
Century of Progress A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, from 1933 to 1934. The fair, registered under the Bureau International des Exposit ...
in Chicago at the age of 62. At the time of her death, she had filed suit against
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
for the use of her name in the motion picture ''
The Great Ziegfeld ''The Great Ziegfeld'' is a 1936 American musical film, musical drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and produced by Hunt Stromberg. It stars William Powell as the theatrical impresario Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., Florenz "Flo" Ziegfeld Jr., Lui ...
'', claiming that the producers of the movie failed to ask for her consent.


Ashea Wabe

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
-born Ashea Wabe (1871 – January 3, 1908) became front-page news in 1896 after she danced at the swank
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for Herbert Seeley. A rival promoter reported that Wabe planned to dance nude and the party was raided by the vice squad. Though the raid precluded Wabe from completing her act, she nonetheless admitted to local authorities that she had been paid to dance and pose "in the all-together", a euphemism for having no clothes on.
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
, then a New York City Police Commissioner, supported the police captain who conducted the raid and was subsequently vilified by the city media for interfering with a party held by upstanding gentlemen. Only later was it revealed that Wabe (a.k.a. Little India) had every intention of performing in the nude and would have done so had the police raid not occurred. The raid brought some amount of fame to Wabe. In fact, she was hired by
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
impresario
Oscar Hammerstein I Oscar Hammerstein I (8 May 1846 – 1 August 1919) was a German-born businessman, theater impresario, and composer in New York City. His passion for opera led him to open several opera houses, and he rekindled opera's popularity in America. He ...
to appear as herself in a humorous parody of the Seeley dinner. On January 5, 1908, she was found dead in her apartment at 236 West 37th Street,
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, by her sister, having most likely died from gas
asphyxiation Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects all the tissues and organs, some more rapidly than others. There are ...
. She was said to have left an estate of over $200,000.


Fatima Djamile

Fatima Djemille (d. March 14, 1921) appeared at the
1893 Chicago World's Fair The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ce ...
. Fatima was the subject of two early films, Edison's ''Coochee Coochee Dance'' (1896) and ''Fatima'' (1897).


Lorraine Shalhoub

Lorraine Shalhoub (born December 20, 1931, in Brooklyn) used the name Little Egypt for her acting career.


Legacy


Film and television

*The
American Mutoscope and Biograph Company The Biograph Company, also known as the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1916. It was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to film production and exhibition ...
released three short reels in 1897 with a dancer billed as Little Egypt. *In the 1940
Mae West Mary Jane "Mae" West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned more than seven decades. Recognized as a prominent sex symbol of her time, she was known ...
movie '' My Little Chickadee'' there is a humorous reference to Little Egypt in the dialogue between West's character "Flower Belle", substituting as a teacher, and an elderly pupil called "Pop". *'' Little Egypt'' is a highly fictionalized 1951 film about the legendary World's Fair dancer, produced by Universal International, and starring
Rhonda Fleming Rhonda Fleming (born Marilyn Louis, August 10, 1923 – October 14, 2020) was an American film and television actress and singer. She acted in more than 40 films, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, and became renowned as one of the most glamor ...
in the title role. *In the second episode of the TV series ''
The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural mountainous Western Virginia of the Appalachian Mountains / Allegheny Mountains / Blue Ridge Mountains chain, during the economic hardships and mass unemp ...
'', Grandpa Walton says he saw Little Egypt at the Chicago World's Fair. *In a 1966 episode of the TV show ''
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
'', "Hizzoner the Penguin" , dancer character Little Egypt is credited "as Herself". *In the season 7 episode of the TV show ''
M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richa ...
'', "They Call the Wind Korea" , Colonel Sherman comments that the camps water tower, "sways in the wind like Little Egypt".


Music

*Rock and Roll tunesmiths
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Leiber and Stoller were an American songwriting and record production duo, consisting of lyricist Jerome Leiber (; April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and composer Michael Stoller (born March 13, 1933). As well as many R&B and pop hits, they wr ...
penned a song entitled " Little Egypt (Ying-Yang)" that was a 1961 hit for
The Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. With hits including "Searchin'", "Young Blood (The Coasters song), Young Blood", "Charlie Brown (The Coasters song), Charlie Bro ...
. In the song, Little Egypt is depicted as a burlesque dancer/stripper, "wearing nothing but a button and a bow". The song has been covered by other artists including
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
. *
Hank Williams Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style has been described as a blend of rock, blues, and country. He is the son of count ...
mentions Little Egypt in his song "Naked Women and Beer". *
Ray Wylie Hubbard Ray Wylie Hubbard (born November 13, 1946) is an American singer and songwriter. Early life Hubbard was born on November 13, 1946, in Soper, Oklahoma. His family moved to Oak Cliff in southwest Dallas, Texas, in 1954. He attended W.  ...
mentions both
Tempest Storm Tempest Storm (born Annie Blanche Banks; February 29, 1928 – April 20, 2021), also dubbed "The Queen Of Exotic Dancers," was an American American burlesque, burlesque star and motion picture actress. Along with Lili St. Cyr, Sally Rand and Bla ...
and Little Egypt in the title track of his album ''Snake Farm'' when discussing the singer's girlfriend Ramona who works at a reptile house. :''Well a woman I love is named Ramona'' ::''She kinda looks like Tempest Storm'' ''And she can dance like Little Egypt'' ::''She works down at the snake farm''


Literature

''Loving Little Egypt'' is the title of a Thomas McMahon novel, set in the late 19th century.


Sports

*Angelina Altishin wrestled at GLOW Glorious Ladies of Wrestling as the Little Egypt character in the 80's.


See also

*" The Streets of Cairo, or the Poor Little Country Maid"


Notes


References

* *


External links

* * * {{Authority control American vedettes Little Egypt American belly dancers