Princess Rajah dance - vaudeville film

"An Oriental dance which was one of the features of "Mysterious Asia," a Concession on the Pike, St. Louis Exposition. Length 72 feet"--Kleine Optical Co. catalog.

Princess Rajah performs an "Oriental" or belly dance, and a balancing chair act in her teeth like that often found in folk performances in various cultures from Northern Africa to Greece. Shot outdoors in a street scene at the St. Louis Exposition, the film captures her act in an extreme long shot. She wears a dark, sleeveless dress to mid-calf, with a fringed, low-cut bodice and fringed belt worn at the waist, over multiple petticoats, bloomers, stockings, and heeled shoes. While playing finger cymbals, Princess Rajah performs a variety of dance movements that include spins, traveling movements, shoulder and hip shimmies, a frontal hip lock, other hip movements, and pirouettes. She then grabs a decorated chair in her teeth and swings it above her head, playing the finger cymbals and performing traveling foot movements, followed by floor work with the chair. Returning to a standing position still with the chair in her mouth, she performs shimmies and hip movements while playing the finger cymbals, then lowers the chair in front of her face and spins. She puts the chair down with a flourish, makes a closing gesture to the camera, and starts to exit the frame.

H46819 U.S. Copyright Office

Copyright: American Mutoscope & Biograph Co.; 3June1904; H46819.

Original main title lacking.

Camera, A.E. Weed.

Performer: Princess Rajah.

Duration: 1:11 at 16 fps.

Summary description provided by dance ethnologist Michelle Forner, September 25, 1996.

Biograph catalog no. 2924.

Kleine catalog no. 3207G.

Paper print shelf number (LC 1821) was changed when the paper prints were re-housed.

Additional holdings for this title may be available. Contact reference librarian.

Filmed May 23, 1904, at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis.

Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as digital files.

Sources used: Copyright catalog, motion pictures, 1894-1912; Niver, K. Early motion pictures, 1985; AFI cat.: film beginnings, 1893-1910; Biograph photo catalog, v. 6 [MI]; Kleine Optical Co. catalog, Nov. 1905, p. 348; Laurie, J. Vaudeville, p. 40-41, 392; Gilbert, D. American vaudeville, p. 246-47.

Early motion pictures : the Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress / by Kemp R. Niver. Library of Congress. 1985.

35 mm viewing print renumbered: FEC 2186 to FYA 3350.

belly dance missouri saint louis dancers louisiana purchase exposition saint louis mo filmed vaudeville acts peep shows motion pictures silent films short films nonfiction films variety stage sound recordings and motion pictures motion picture broadcasting and recorded sound division american mutoscope and biograph company paper print collection library of congress princess rajah a e weed film video princess rajah dance stockphoto raw image free stock photos photo online free free no copyright images louisiana purchase exposition 1904 saint louis mo library of congress

01/01/1904

Library of Congress

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Public Domain