Köçek: Encyclopedia II - Köçek - Modern offshoots

Köçek - Modern offshoots

At the present time, the same-sex love and sexuality aspect of köçek culture is considered to have been "a privilege of the powerful economic classes or the world of the arts." Though no new compositions or performances have taken place in the last hundred years, male dancers dressed as women still perform in some areas of Turkey, though their art is no longer primarily of a sensual nature and is seen primarily as folkloric.

The style however continues to inspire modern musicians. Ulvi Cemal Erkin,(1906-1972), is a Turkish classical composer whose most popular masterpiece is Köçekçe a dance rhapsody composed in 1943, and perhaps the best known single piece of Turkish music abroad. It was first introduced to the public in 1943 with E. Praetorius conducting the Presidential Symphony Orchestra.

Another modern interpretation is the movie Kocek (1975) by director Nejat Saydam. It is probably the first Turkish movie to deal with the topic of homosexuality and change of gender role.

At the same time, young male dancers dressed in sparkling costumes are again finding favor, despite the objections of conservative commentators. Known as rakkas they have become a common feature of dance halls and night clubs. They perform seductive belly dances, and are reputed to be "as sexual and popular as any of the best Turkish female belly dancers."

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Modern offshoots", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki