Theköçek (pluralköçekler inTurkish) was typically a young, male, and physically attractiveenslaved dancer[1] (rakkas), who usually cross-dressed in feminine attire, and was employed as anentertainer.[2]
Turkishköçek derives from Persian kūçak کوچک[3] .The culture of theköçek, which flourished from the 18th to the 19th century, had its origin in the customs inOttoman palaces, and in particular in theharems. Its genres enriched both the music and the dance of the Ottomans.[2]
The support of theSultans was a key factor in its development, as the early stages of the art form was confined to palace circles.[4] From there the practice dispersed throughout the Empire by means of independent troupes.[2]
Aköçek would begin training around the age of seven or eight after he wascircumcised and would be considered accomplished after about six years of study and practice. A dancer's career would last as long as he was clean shaven and retained his youthful appearance.[5]
The dances, collectively known asköçek oyunu, blended elements from throughout the empire, most importantlyTurkish (likeKarsilamas andKaşık Havası) andoriental elements. They performed to a particular genre of music known asköçekçe, which was performed in the form of suites in a given melody. It too was a mix ofSufi, Balkan andclassical Anatolian influences, some of which survives inpopular Turkish music today. The accompaniment included various percussion instruments, such as thedavul-köçek, thedavul being a large drum, one side covered with goat skin and the other in sheep skin, producing different tones. Aköçek's skill would be judged not only on his dancing abilities but also on his proficiency with percussion instruments, especially a type ofcastagnette known as theçarpare.[2] The dancers were accompanied by an orchestra, featuring four to five eachkaba kemençe andlaouto as principal instruments, used exclusively forköçek suites.[6] There were also two singers. Aköçek dance in the Ottomanseraglio (palace harem) involved one or two dozenköçeks and many musicians.[2] The occasions of their performances were wedding or circumcision celebrations, feasts and festivals, as well as the pleasure of the sultans and the aristocracy.
The youths, often wearing heavy makeup, would curl their hair and wear it in long tresses under a small black or red velvet hat decorated with coins, jewels and gold. Their usual garb consisted of a tiny red embroidered velvet jacket with a gold-embroidered silk shirt,shalvar (baggy trousers), a long skirt and a gilt belt, knotted at the back. They were said to be "sensuous, attractive, effeminate", and their dancing "sexually provocative". Dancers minced and gyrated their hips in slow vertical and horizontal figure eights, rhythmically snapping their fingers and making suggestive gestures. Often acrobatics, tumbling and mockwrestling were part of the act.[7][8]
Famous poets, such asEnderûnlu Fâzıl, wrote poems, and classical composers, such as the court musicianHammamizade İsmail Dede Efendi (1778–1846), composedköçekçes for celebratedköçeks. Many Istanbulmeyhanes (nighttime taverns servingmeze,rakı or wine) hiredköçeks. Before starting their performance, theköçek danced among the spectators, to make them more excited. In the audience, competition for their attention often caused commotions and altercations. Men would allegedly go wild, breaking their glasses, shouting themselves voiceless, or fighting and sometimes killing each other vying for the opportunity to rape, molest, or otherwise force the children into sexual servitude.[9] This resulted in suppression of the practice under SultanAbdulmejid I.[2]In 1805, there were approximately 600köçek dancers working in the taverns of the Turkish capital. They were outlawed in 1837 due to fighting among audience members over the dancers.[10] With the suppression ofharem culture under SultanAbdulaziz (1861–1876) and SultanAbdul Hamid II (1876–1908),köçek dance and music lost the support of its imperial patrons and gradually disappeared.[11]
Köçeks were much more sought after than theçengi ("belly dancers"), their female counterparts. Some youths were known to have been killed by theçengi, who were extremely jealous of men's attention toward the boys.[9][12]
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[13]. 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"[1], 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.[2]
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 movieKöçek (1975) by directorNejat Saydam. The movie follows the life of Caniko, an androgynousRoma, who struggles with his gender identity.[14] A more recent film called theZenne Dancer (2011), directed by Caner Alper and Mehmet Binay, and this film touches on the discrimination that the LGBTQ youths still face in Turkey.
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 was 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.[3]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 21 century. This place can be found inTaksim Square where the intersection of different walks of life meet. The tourist aroundIstikal, the people from the upper class neighborhood ofCihangir, and the people from the lower income neighborhood ofTarlabasi all come to Takism Square to see or be a part of the zenne dancers.[15] It allowed young gay men to have a safe space and to even learn from more experienced zenne dancers on how to perform.
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