4.6MB

Turkish Dance, Ella Lola. Video taken by Thomas Edison Oct 7, 1898

A young, dark-haired woman performs a period "Oriental" dance (commonly known as a belly dance) with some Turkish styling. She performs distinctive dance movements that include shoulder shimmies with pelvic movements and several foot patterns, side traveling movements with pelvic circles, a slow pelvic circle and a front pelvic lock, and paddle turns with various arm gestures. Her dance costume consists of a two-layered skirt to the knee, a hip belt with fringe, a chemise-like shirt under a fitted vest, several layers of necklaces and front decoration, white stockings, white--perhaps ballet--shoes, and a glittering fitted cap.

From the New York clipper, 4/19/02, p. 167: Ella Lola was born Sept. 2, 1883, in Boston, and made her first appearance as a dancer at the age of eleven years, and by her clever work has steadily come to the fore, until now she takes rank among the best in her class. She has been featured at various times with road companies, and has met with success at the leading vaudeville houses through the country.

2.1 MB

Filmed May 9, 1895, in Edison's Black Maria studio, while Princess Ali was performing with Barnum & Bailey's circus in Orange, New Jersey.

Old Belly Dancer Doll

578KB

This is a movie clip of one of those old dolls that are mechanical.