Traditional belly dancers are finding it increasingly difficult to make a living in Turkey. Every year, the country grows more conservative and the rate of inflation is officially higher than 60 percent.
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00:00 Belly dancing is Gul's primary source of income.
00:07 Every evening the belly dancer performs in bars and restaurants in Istanbul.
00:12 The art form has been entertaining people on the Bosporus for centuries.
00:17 But Gul has noticed it's becoming increasingly difficult for guests to kick back and enjoy
00:22 the show.
00:28 These days they really think about exactly how many meals and what drinks and how much
00:32 they'll order.
00:33 It was different before.
00:35 On the weekend they'd really let loose.
00:37 But those days are over.
00:40 Traditionally, dancers are paid solely by the guests, putting money into their outfits.
00:46 This evening, most are giving 100 lira notes, the equivalent of about 3 euros each.
00:52 Gul, who prefers we use her stage name, knows that many can't afford to give more, but there
00:57 are other problems too.
01:02 They've banned belly dancing on television.
01:06 Everything's getting more and more conservative.
01:12 Landlords no longer want to rent to me because I earn my money as a belly dancer.
01:17 They say why should I rent to someone like that?
01:22 After dancing through the night and appearing in five bars, Gul can relax a bit when she
01:27 gets home.
01:31 With a colleague, she looks back to a time when Turkey was more liberal and business
01:36 was better.
01:38 Belly dancing, she says, was at one time a respected profession.
01:45 When I was little, the whole family spent New Year's Eve in front of the TV, fascinated,
01:51 and watched the belly dancers.
01:57 These attitudes have an impact on us all in the end.
02:01 Not just us dancers, but all the women in Turkey.
02:07 The country is becoming more conservative with each year that passes, and at the same
02:12 time the economy is slumping.
02:14 The Turkish lira continues to lose more of its value against the dollar and the euro.
02:19 And with inflation sitting at an official rate of 62 percent, hardly anyone can afford
02:24 to go out in the evening anymore.
02:26 So there are more and more empty tables in the pubs, bars and entertainment venues.
02:33 We usually check out a few places first and then pick the cheapest.
02:38 I used to go out once a week.
02:40 These days it's once a month.
02:43 The continual price increases for alcohol have hit the entertainment sector particularly
02:47 hard.
02:48 The prices have led to more and more people making their own alcohol at home.
02:57 Gul needs to start getting ready for the evening shows.
03:00 She doesn't know how long she'll be able to continue earning a living dancing.
03:05 She gets fewer tips and has more expenses.
03:13 My costumes get more expensive every month.
03:21 The tailor tells me.
03:23 The dollar's stronger.
03:25 The material and the sequence are more expensive.
03:29 If I were able, I would buy a head and just stock up.
03:32 But I can't.
03:35 So the only thing left for Gul to do is wait for better times in the entertainment sector.
03:42 For more recognition and above all, for better pay.
03:45 [music]
03:52 (door slams)