On a cold evening in Istanbul, one may now encounter the unexpected when entering a nightclub: male belly dancers (in Turkish referred to as zennes, rakkas or koceks), who get the most somber crowd dancing until the early morning hours. The politics of the neo-Ottoman administration has had surprising effects in the last decade, one of which is the gradual yet steady increase in the popularity and availability of zennes across Turkey.

Tarik, in his mid-20s, told Al-Monitor what it means to be a male belly dancer in Turkey. After reassuring him that his real name not be revealed and photos not be published, he said, “My family does not know I dance for a living. In their worldview, zennes are male sex workers. I'm gay but I'm not sex worker. I make a decent living through my art.” Indeed, it is a demanding job to perform on stage five times a week, in addition to performing at private parties.

Tarik explained that zennes are invited to dance at private gatherings — birthday parties, weddings, circumcision ceremonies, traditional henna nights (bridal showers) and even at get-togethers on the occasion of divorce. There are those who celebrate their divorce with a bang, according to Tarik. He added, “I have performed in several homes with only females at bridal showers. Even conservative families who may not allow go-go dancers or male strippers are comfortable with a zenne when grandma can also dance along. One young female told me, ‘I feel like I'm in the Ottoman palace when you dance.’ Belly dancing is our tradition, even the most prudish and stuck-up customers loosen up after 10 minutes with the music.”