Dance of the Seven Veils
their performance.
The Seven Veils Today
Today, the public generally believes that the "dance of the seven veils" was indeed the dance performed by Herodias' daughter for Herod, even though the Bible never says it was. Thanks to Wilde's play, Strauss' opera, and the various Hollywood movies depicting Salomé, that belief is probably here to stay.
Egyptian and Lebanese dancers never have incorporated any sort of "dance of the seven veils" into their performances, and an audience member from "over there" would be puzzled to see such a thing done in an Oriental dance performance.
In the 1950's and early 1960's, American Oriental dance artists invented their own variation of swishing sheer fabric around on stage as a way of adding interest and variety to their performances for American audiences. Not even aware of the Egyptian practice of entering with a piece of fabric, these American dancers came on-stage for their shows with their fabric draped around themselves to cover their upper bodies. After completing their opening song, they would gracefully remove these pieces of fabric and use them as a prop to soft, flowing music. American dancers came to call this "veil work" even though their sheer fabric props did not resemble real veils worn as modesty coverings by Middle Eastern women.
Over the decades that followed, American dancers have experimented with a number of creative interpretations of "veil work", and naturally various individuals over the years have been inspired by the story of Salomé and experimented with their own "dance of the seven veils" ideas.
In Conclusion
The "dance of the seven veils" has never been a part of Middle Eastern dance traditions, and is still not performed "over there" today. It was invented by European minds, and has been preserved by the entertainment industry.
Many modern-day Oriental dance artists, especially in North America, have experimented with their own seven-veils interpretations. My friend Luceen has threatened to do a dance of the seven army blankets.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with using our artistic license as dancers to do our own seven-veil dances. The creative process of looking for ways to make a seven-veil dance come across as artistic expression rather than striptease or boring repetition can be satisfying for a dancer to explore.
I too have experimented with seven-veil dancing, and I have several ideas that I plan to try in the future. Even though it's not an authentic Middle Eastern structure, I can appreciate the creative opportunities
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