Prenses Banu
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Prenses Banu (also known as Princess Banu) is a Turkish Belly dancer and stage performer who rose to fame in the 1970s. Active in both national and international venues, she is known for her contributions to the Turkish Oriental dance scene during a period of global growth in the art form. She represented Turkey in official cultural events and was featured in Turkish cinema, television, and multiple dance documentaries.
| Name | Prenses Banu |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Occupation | Belly dancer and stage performer |
Early life
[edit]Prenses Banu was born in 1954 in İzmir, Turkey.[1] She came from a middle-class background and initially pursued acting before transitioning to dance. She studied under well-known performers Kudret Şandra and Ibrahim Akef and trained in both Turkish and Egyptian styles.
Career
[edit]Banu began performing professionally in Istanbul in the early 1970s. Her signature acts involved veil work, Turkish Drop acrobatics, and finger cymbal technique (sagat). She performed in top Istanbul venues before expanding internationally.
A Turkish national newspaper from the 1980s identified her as a “millî dansöz” (national dancer) and announced her participation in official cultural events in Arab countries including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Libya, and Qatar.[2]
She performed at the Mamounia Hotel in Marrakesh and participated in the Marrakesh Folklore Festival, organized under the patronage of King Hassan II.[3]
She also performed in London at the Gallipoli nightclub, a historic venue at Bishops Gate. The club was known for importing décor and dancers from Turkey and featured performers such as Soroya, Nesrin Topkapı, and Banu herself.[4]
Banu also appeared in Turkish cinema. She featured in the film Çılgın Arzular (transl. Crazy Desires), where she performed in a nightclub scene.[5]
In the 2010s, she appeared in televised interviews reflecting on her career, including features on Show TV and FOX TV.[6][7]
Style
[edit]Banu’s style blends Turkish Oriental cabaret with Egyptian classical elements. She emphasized musical interpretation, veil use, sagat, and expressive upper-body movement. In the anthology Best of Habibi, Eva Cernik described her performance as elegant, grounded in rhythm, and representative of mid-century Turkish stylization.[8]
Legacy
[edit]Prenses Banu is considered one of the prominent figures of Turkish dance in the 20th century. Her work has been cited in academic and cultural sources examining Oriental dance. In Giselle Rodriguez’s Spanish-language book Danza Oriental en Egipto (2023), she is mentioned as a key figure from Turkey.[9]
She was featured in the Japanese documentary Queens of Oriental (2005), profiling internationally respected dancers,[10] and appeared in *The Magical Call of Oryantal* (2007), a Turkish documentary on the historical roots of Oriental dance, directed by Umut Eğitimci.[11]
Filmography
[edit]- Çılgın Arzular (1970s) – Turkish cinema appearance
- Queens of Oriental (2005) – documentary, as herself
- The Magical Call of Oryantal (2007) – documentary, as herself
- Show TV – Saba Tümer ile Bugün (2012)
- FOX TV – news feature interview (2015)
References
[edit]- ^ "Interview with Belly Dancer Princess Banu". Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ "Prenses Banu "millî dansöz" olarak Arap ülkelerinde dans edecek" (PDF) (in Turkish). Türk Basını Arşivi. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ "Türkiye'nin Gelmiş Geçmiş En İyi 17 Oryantali". Onedio (in Turkish). Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ Asmahan (15 January 2012). "The Golden Era of the Arabic Nightclubs in London, Part 1". Gilded Serpent. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ Prenses Banu – "Çılgın Arzular" Filminde. YouTube. TRT Archive. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ Prenses Banu özel röportaj. Show TV via Dailymotion. 26 April 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ Efsanevi Prenses Banu FOX TV Haberde. FOX TV Türkiye via YouTube. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ Cernik, Eva (Spring 1993). "Turkish and Egyptian: A Personal Comparison". The Best of Habibi. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ Rodriguez, Giselle (2023). Danza Oriental en Egipto (in Spanish). Mexico City: Escuela de danza árabe Giselle Habibi. ISBN 978-969-639-246-0.
- ^ Queens of Oriental. Oriental DVD Japan. 2005.
- ^ Umut Eğitimci (2007). The Magical Call of Oryantal. Istanbul Arts Network.