Dance

Erotic dance is one of the arts of the odalisque. An odalisque should be trained in erotic dance and it forms a regular part of her duties for her Master. She displays herself to him through dance. The Code does not specify any particular dance – this is at the discretion and according to the tastes of each Slavekeeper. Oriental style dances – such as the belly dance – would be in keeping with the historical roots of Code d’ Odalisque, but any erotic dance, traditional or improvised, is appropriate. An odalisque is not a common stripper though. She has a high status among slaves. She is not a tramp who pole dances in bars for customers throwing loose change. The aesthetic of sleaze has no place in odalisque slavery. The appropriate style is erotic and exotic, ecstatic as well as refined – not sleazy.

As a method of ecstasis dance loosens inhibitions. It is a very valuable tool in this respect. We are all physically cramped. Modern lifestyle and cultural forces impose physical inhibitions upon us and these become built-in to our physique. Modern life is stressful, for example; that stress makes us tighten parts of our body in habitual ways until we physically store that stress in such symptoms as tight shoulders, hunched neck, the way we hold our jaw, clenched buttocks, and so on. This is why massage is so therapeutic. It helps us liberate our physical form from those imposed stresses and strains. So too does dance. It is cathartic. Dance can be used to help the odalisque become more free with her body, to break free of built-in inhibitions. Dance can help her movements become more free and more fluid and more spontaneous. Dance helps her reconnect with her body. Modern life is very cerebral. This is undesirable in an odalisque. Through dance she becomes more physical, more centred in her body. Dance is physicalising.

The simplest way to instruct an odalisque in erotic dance is to command her to show her hair. Her instructions are:

“Dance! Dance any way you like, but when you dance, show me your hair! Throw your hair around and show it to me.”

The dance itself can be free form. The slave is naked, or perhaps has a few scarves over her nakedness. Barefooted. She dances free form, spontaneous for her Master. But as she dances, her instructions are to make a show of her hair. She throws her head around so as to make a show of her hair for her Master. The slave’s hair is the focal point of the dance.

This is very effective in turning a poor dancer into a passably good one very quickly. You will notice with poor dancers that they never know what to do with their head. If you tell them to dance for you, they move their arms and legs and hips but it all seems awkward and constrained. This is because she is holding her head still and doesn’t know how to integrate the head into the rest of the dance. If you instruct her to “Make a show of your hair!” this problem is solved. She becomes more involved in the dance.