Who Did What Now, Episode 169: The Mystery of Little Egypt
Host: Katie Charlwood
Date: November 25, 2025
Overview
In this episode, Katie Charlwood dives deep into the enigmatic legacy of "Little Egypt," the legendary belly dancers who set the American stage ablaze at the turn of the 20th century. By unraveling layers of myth, appropriation, and historical erasure, Katie explores the origin story of “Little Egypt,” her influence on burlesque, and the colonial lens through which Eastern dance traditions were filtered for Western audiences.
The episode is rich with storytelling, critique of Orientalism, personal insights, and a celebration of women's history—delivered in Katie’s signature irreverent, witty, and warmly conversational tone.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Why Burlesque, Why Now? (09:16–11:22)
- Katie declares her intention to make burlesque a recurring focus on the podcast:
"Burlesque is an art form, one predominantly performed by women and as such isn’t as well documented as we would like. And as a direct result of the patriarchal viewpoint, it can easily be dismissed or misrepresented. Are we surprised? No, we are not." (10:59)
- She invites educators and enthusiasts to get in touch and promote burlesque history and culture.
2. The Ancient Roots of Belly Dance (11:22–13:27)
- Origins across civilizations:
- Belly dance traces back to Ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers).
- It is also found in the Iberian Peninsula, Algeria, and among Romani cultures.
- Critique of how Western fashion for “the exotic” leads to selective amplification or silencing of original sources.
3. The Chicago World’s Fair & Little Egypt’s Debut (13:27–20:49)
- World’s Fairs as sites of Colonial Spectacle:
- The Great Exhibition in London (1851) marked the start, with expositions happening across Europe before coming to the U.S.
- The 1893 Chicago World’s Fair (Columbian Exposition) is pinpointed as Little Egypt’s headline moment.
- Scandal and Sensation:
- The “Streets of Cairo” exhibit organized by Saul Bloom hosted Algerian/Moroccan dancers, costumed to titillate but not overtly reveal.
- Bloom denied that a dancer named Little Egypt performed; the name may have come from a fair camel.
- Public outcry from “the Karen du jour” only increased fame:
"The board of lady managers protested the performances and demanded... the streets of Cairo exhibit be shut down for indecency. Now this, I know you're going to be surprised, backfired..." (18:50)
- Media coverage led to packed audiences.
4. The “Hoochie Coochie” and the Linguistic Origins (20:49–23:49)
- Etymologies discussed:
- Possibly from the Kuch Bihar region of India, or the French "rocher" (to shake the tail).
- Associated through American South with "wagtail" birds and Afro-diasporic dance forms.
"So, yeah, basically non white women shaking their hips. And also the inspiration for, I'm going to assume, the 'Shake Your Tail Feather' song..." (23:30)
5. The Three Little Egypts: Biographies & Scandal (24:52–39:23)
A. Ashiya Wabi (aka Catherine Devine, Canadian of Algerian descent)
- Scandalous Stardom:
- Starred at Chicago World’s Fair, then at the infamous Seeley Dinner (1896) in NYC:
"Herbert... had hired Ashiya to jump out of a cake completely nude, which, I'll be honest with you, seems fairly tame." (27:17)
- Police raid led to notoriety, skyrocketing her fame.
- Oscar Hammerstein hired her for a parody of the scandal, paying $1,000/week (1890s money!).
- Starred at Chicago World’s Fair, then at the infamous Seeley Dinner (1896) in NYC:
- Savvy Financier:
- Owned a dance troupe and invested in real estate; amassed a sizable estate.
- Tragic End:
- Died of gas asphyxiation at 36/37 (1908); her estranged husband claimed her wealth.
B. Farida Mazar Spiropoulos (born in Damascus, Syrian)
- Early Career:
- Performed at World’s Fair as “Fatima.”
- Stage Name Origins:
- Petite build led to backstage nickname “Little Egypt.”
- Signature:
- Introduced the “Shimmy and Sheikh” to American audiences, performed to the “Snake Charmer Song.”
- Toured US and Europe, bristled at comparisons to Ashiya Wabi.
- Personal Life & Lawsuit:
- Married Greek restaurateur Alexander Spiropoulos.
- Sued MGM over her name’s use in “The Great Ziegfeld,” but died (1937) before resolution.
“At the age of 62, she performs the Little Egypt dance at the Century of Progression in Chicago, right? I love her, right? Like, do it, lady.” (36:18)
C. Fatima Jamila (Bulgarian origin)
- Vaudeville Circuit:
- Performed in Coney Island in the 1890s; possibly began in her teens.
- Her act staged as “ethnography” but was mainly for titillation.
- Sometimes speculated to be either conflated with Farida or a female impersonator.
- Colorful Publicity:
- Noted barker's call for "150 oriental beauties... see her prance, see her wriggle, see her dance the hoochie coochie" (45:56).
- On Film:
- Danced "hoochie coochie" for Thomas Edison’s early films—ironically censored despite being fully clothed.
"It's almost as if, right, that they, like, covered her with a picket fence, like. Or a ladder." (48:02)
- Death & Obscurity:
- Died of a heart attack at 51. Like many performers, records of her life faded quickly.
6. Mythmaking, Appropriation, and Ongoing Legacy (54:00–58:40)
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Proliferation of the “Little Egypt” Persona:
- The name became a burlesque staple, performed by many—often white or ethnically ambiguous dancers (even Mae West).
- Critique of how Western burlesque adopted and diluted Eastern dance, feeding Orientalist fantasies.
- As colonial world order faded, explicit “Middle Eastern” routines receded from sideshows but left an indelible mark on burlesque.
“Appropriation and fetishizing... We see it all the time... You can create traditions in your culture without stealing them from other fucking people.” (57:50)
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On Historical Erasure:
- Katie laments how marginalized women’s histories are so often buried or lost, especially in cases deemed “shameful.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On the persistence of burlesque as history:
"Burlesque... can easily be dismissed or misrepresented. Are we surprised? No, we are not." (10:59)
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On World’s Fair scandal:
"The board of lady managers protested the performances... This, I know you're going to be surprised, backfired." (18:50)
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On exotification:
"You cannot be from a colonial nation and then get mad that, you know, parts of the culture of the very place that you stripped bare are on your doorstep..." (57:23)
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On the fleeting fame of Little Egypt performers:
“A lot of these performers, their lives were seen as somewhat shameful. And so a lot of this information is just like buried over the years... It's so upsetting to me that information about these people's lives were just lost.” (53:35)
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On life and social history:
"That's the thing about life, right? All you can do is love it. We're all skin suits and we're all gonna die... If people didn't exist, neither would your fucking tank, right? Get over it." (54:18)
Important Timestamps
- Burlesque history mission & sources: 09:16–11:22
- Belly dance cultural roots: 11:22–13:27
- World’s Fair context: 13:27–20:49
- Hoochie Coochie origins: 20:49–23:49
- The three Little Egypts’ histories: 24:52–39:23
- Orientalism & barker’s call: 45:56–47:34
- Cultural appropriation critique: 54:00–58:40
Recommendations (58:40–59:30)
- Music: “Shake Your Tail Feather” by Ray Charles.
- Film: East is East (British-Indian comedy-drama).
- Book: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty.
Tone & Takeaways
Katie delivers a lively, empathic, and unapologetically opinionated journey through lost feminist performance history—mixing wit, personal asides, and sharp critique of appropriation and erasure. She makes a passionate case for social history and elevating women’s stories from the margins, all while relishing the messiness and mythmaking of Little Egypt’s legend.
Listeners will come away with a nuanced view of how “Little Egypt” was as much a product of colonial spectacle and Western fantasies as of authentic dance heritage—and how these stories illuminate the politics of performance, representation, and cultural legacy.