The Ouled Nayl are a tribe living in the mountainous region of Ouled Naïl in eastern Algeria. They are mainly found in Djelfa, Bou Saâda, M'Sila, Biskra, as well as in the province of Ghardaïa. Although they may come from the Banu Hilal of Hejaz, they also have Amazigh roots, like most North Africans.
Algerian dancers from the Ouled Nayl tribe have fascinated and inspired the West for over a century and were known around the world through numerous Western stories, Orientalist paintings and a large number of colonial postcards. Over the past 50 years, their dance traditions have faded, in part because the West could not recognize that there was a difference between prostitution as a profession and the Algerian tradition that gave young Nayliyat temporary freedom.
Most of the women of the Ouled Nail tribe have been trained in the art of dance since their childhood. The practice of leaving their ancestral home and settling in a nearby desert town. This Nayli tradition began with little girls learning the dance from their mother; at puberty, the young girl left her home village to go to other oases to start a professional dancer life while traveling and performing. These dancers, being paid by jewelry, led a life of courtesans. When they had enough money, they would return to their oasis, find a husband, finish their professional career, and pass on their dancing skills to their own daughter. This was especially the case in times of disaster and famine, when a woman had relative freedom to fend for herself in order to survive, save money, and improve her future economic status.
French colonial representations of the dancers of the Ouled Naïl focused almost exclusively on women. However, none of the hill tribes to which they belonged specialized in prostitution and only some Nailiyat became dancers. Nevertheless, the exuberance of their ornaments and the exoticism of their costumes add to the general fascination.
"The dancer is not walking, she is slipping."
Their dance is ancient as all religions, unique and rooted in the earth; Amel Tafsout will share not only the movement, but also the history and culture of these extraordinary dancers and the impact that French colonialism had on their lives and their dance.
Skill Level: All Levels
Wednesday, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm CDT.