Authentic Spectacle: The “Exotic” Dancer Who Almost Thrilled the Ziegfeld Follies
During the early 20th century, Western audiences wanted spectacle. They couldn’t get enough of so-called “exotic” performances—female dancers with bare flesh draped in jewels, moving with sensuous rhythms. But it wasn’t just about the dance. It was about the story, the illusion, the fantasy. Audiences craved the escape, the thrill of something different, the titillating…