Dance of the Seven Veils: The Real History, Myths Busted and Choreography Ideas
The Dance of the Seven Veils: What's Fact, What's Theatre, and How to Make the Most of It
If you've been in the belly dance world for any length of time, you've probably heard the story: the Dance of the Seven Veils is an ancient, sacred ritual, descended from the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, and Salome performed it to seduce King Herod. It's a gorgeous story.
It's also not quite how things happened.
I'm not here to tell anyone off. Many of us (me included, early in my teaching) have repeated this origin story in good faith because it was handed to us by teachers we respected. But once I looked at the sources, I found the real history is more interesting than the myth, and it gives us plenty to work with as dancers.
What the Bible actually says
The story appears in two Gospels, Mark 6:17–29 and Matthew 14:3–12. At Herod Antipas's birthday feast, the daughter of Herodias dances, Herod is so pleased that he promises her anything she likes, and at her mother's urging she asks for the head of John the Baptist.
Notice what's missing?
There's no name for the girl, no description of the dance, no veils, and no striptease. The Greek word used for her in Mark can describe a young girl, which sits oddly with the glamorous seductress we picture today.
The name "Salome" comes from the historian Josephus, writing around 93–94 CE, who identifies her as the daughter of Herodias from her first marriage. That also makes her Herod Antipas's niece as well as his stepdaughter, which helps explain why the family situation caused such a scandal.
Where the seven veils really came from
The veils are a 19th-century invention. In 1891, Oscar Wilde wrote *Salomé* in French, with a stage direction calling for the "Dance of the Seven Veils" (the dance itself is never described). The play was famously banned from the British stage, partly because portraying biblical characters in performance was prohibited at the time. Richard Strauss then turned it into his 1905 opera "Salome", whose orchestral dance is what most people picture when they think of this piece.
The women who built the legend
Here's the part I love, and where I think we should be generous. After Wilde and Strauss, a wave of female performers made Salome their own. American Loïe Fuller was among the first to present a Salome dance in Paris in 1895, and Canadian-born Maud Allan introduced her fifteen-minute solo "The Vision of Salome" in December 1906. Allan's version is fascinating because it opens after the biblical princess's royal performance, when she has retreated from the court to be alone with her thoughts, so it didn't include the famous veils at all. She danced barefoot in a halter of beads and a long, flowing translucent skirt. By 1908 the craze was so big it was nicknamed "Salomania", with imitators on stages across Europe and America.
These dancers were artists and businesswomen who found, in a single biblical cameo, a stage on which to build careers at a time when few options existed for women. Their Salomes were theatrical creations, not ancient reconstructions, and we can admire them as exactly that.
What about the Ishtar connection?
This is the link most often repeated in dance circles, and it's an understandable one. The Sumerian poem "Inanna's Descent to the Underworld" (with a later Akkadian version featuring Ishtar) describes the goddess passing through seven gates, losing an item of regalia at each. In the Sumerian version these include her crown, lapis beads, a necklace, her breastplate, a gold ring, her lapis measuring rod and line, and finally her royal robe. The Akkadian version differs slightly, listing items such as a crown, earrings, a necklace, breast ornaments, a girdle of birthstones, bangles and a loincloth.
It's a powerful story, but it contains no veils and no dance, and there's no evidence it influenced the Gospel writers, Josephus, or any dance tradition. The connection appears to have been drawn much later, after the "seven veils" idea became famous, probably because the parallel of seven stages and progressive unveiling is so tempting. Many readers, both psychological and mythological, have found the descent deeply meaningful as a story of shedding ego and layers of identity, but that's a modern reading of an ancient text, not evidence of a lineage.
So how do we use this information and dance legacy to continue to make brilliant choreography?
The accurate history is a gift, because it gives you several authentic paths, each with its own story. Here are a few ideas:
1. The biblical retelling. Tell the story from the girl's perspective. A young dancer, a scheming mother, a room full of powerful men. This can be quietly devastating, and it flips the "seductress" trope on its head.
2. The Wilde/Strauss "theatre piece". Embrace it as early 20th-century Orientalist theatre. You could even use Strauss's score (it moves through distinct sections, which suit seven veils beautifully), use veils and style the piece as a deliberate nod to the Salomania era.
3. The Maud Allan approach. Skip the veils and focus on emotion. A solo set after the dance, exploring consequence, regret or revulsion, is very much in her tradition.
4. A "descent" piece inspired by Inanna. Build seven sections around the gates, with each layer or prop removed representing a shift in mood or identity (power, adornment, protection, authority, vulnerability). Consider an ascent in the second half as the layers return, mirroring her revival. Name it honestly as *inspired by* the Sumerian myth, not as an ancient dance.
Some other thoughts...
- Use your program notes. A short line such as "Inspired by Oscar Wilde's *Salomé* (1891)" or "Inspired by the Sumerian *Descent of Inanna*" educates your audience and sets you apart as a thoughtful performer.
- Credit it as theatre. Veil work and the Salome dance are Western stage traditions, so avoid presenting them as traditional Middle Eastern folk dance.
- Make the veils meaningful. Give each one a colour, texture or emotion, rather than treating them as seven things to take off.
- Removal is optional. Gathering, folding, releasing or draping a veil can be just as powerful (and suits dancers and venues that prefer more coverage).
The Dance of the Seven Veils may not be ancient, but it has a rich, fascinating and very human history, built by creative women, famous playwrights and a few great composers. Which is just as interesting a lineage to draw inspiration from.
Happy creating!
Jade
Have you ever choreographed a Salome or veil piece? Which story would you tell?
References:
The Bible. Gospel of Mark 6:17–29; Gospel of Matthew 14:3–12.
Dalley, S. (1989). *Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others.* Oxford University Press.
Ellmann, R. (1987). *Oscar Wilde.* Hamish Hamilton.
Josephus. *Antiquities of the Jews*, Book 18, 5.4 (c. 93–94 CE).
Koritz, A. (1994). Dancing the Orient for England: Maud Allan's "The Vision of Salome". *Theatre Journal*, 46(1), 63–78.
Perera, S. B. (1981). *Descent to the Goddess: A Way of Initiation for Women.* Inner City Books.
Strauss, R. (1905). *Salome*, Op. 54 [opera]. Premiered Dresden, 9 December 1905.
Walkowitz, J. R. (2003). The "Vision of Salome": Cosmopolitanism and erotic dancing in central London, 1908–1918. *American Historical Review*, 108(2), 337–376.
Wilde, O. (1891). *Salomé.* Paris: Librairie de l'Art Indépendant. (English translation by Lord Alfred Douglas, 1894.)
Wolkstein, D., & Kramer, S. N. (1983). *Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth.* Harper & Row.
Disclaimer: I researched this topic over a few weeks, searching for different perspectives on various websites (of which I have not supplied a list of).
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