Mata Hari: A sensual muse of oriental dance
by Mia | 16/12/2021 | STRONG WOMEN
Unforgettable passion
There are many women who inspire and stimulate me. Be it through their courage, their creativity or their sensuality. They are all timeless muses, through whom I discover new sides of myself again and again and learn to love.
One of these women is Mata Hari. In Malay, her stage name means Eye of the Day or Sun. A fitting name, in my opinion, because their history shines through to the present day. As a sensual dancer, ecstatic seductress and possible double spy, she leaves behind an unforgettable myth that I would like to bring you a little closer.
Immerse yourself with me in 19th century Paris
It is the time of the Belle Époque belle Époque (1884–1914), the cultural bloom and industrial revolution. After the end of the Franco-Prussian War, the Parisian nightlife was shaped by the desire for exclusive pleasures and erotic adventures. Hardly any person — neither man nor woman — can resist the tingling crackling and sensual promises of the evening air. People are curious and open. Above all, the charm of the unknown and the exotic attracts many restaurants.
It is the time in which Mata Hari realizes herself with her innovative, artistic oriental dances.
Born in the Netherlands in 1876, she cast a spell over many as a child with her Indonesian appearance. Fascinated by the oriental roots that she inherited from her mother, she later wraps herself in a myth that she revives on the Parisian stages. Henceforth she is considered the daughter of an Indian ruler from Java, who teaches her ecstatic temple dances in honor of the gods. Since then she has been enchanting everyone with her dances — like a siren.
When Mata Hari takes the stage, all conversations fall silent. Only the rustling of their colorful silk scarves and veils artistically embroidered with coins can be heard. Calm but decisive, she steps into the spotlight with swaying hips. Her dark eyes look challengingly into the audience. A barely noticeable smile plays around her full lips. For a brief moment there is excruciating silence before a melody — like from A Thousand and One Nights — sounds. With gentle movements, Mata Hari begins to move to the beat of the music. The transparent fabrics sensually caress your breasts and hips — giving you a glimpse of your bare, dark skin. Their movements get faster and faster. Her game of circling hips, swaying breasts and alluring, dancing arms is becoming more and more demanding.
The air is filled with tension and desire. Admiration, astonishment and fascination flash in the eyes of the audience. Many a person has to loosen his bow tie when Mata Hari drops more and more veils in oriental ecstasy. Like a hot-blooded prayer, her body squirms to the beat of the music, both invitingly and pleadingly. And so long until in the end only sparkling gemstones adorn your feminine curves and play with the charm of the hidden …
The fact that behind this sex symbol of its time there is still another fate remains hidden for a long time. In real life, Mata Hari is a divorced woman and mother of two who not only has to mourn a dead child, but ultimately becomes a double spy. Until now she was considered an exotic artist who enchants both French and German admirers with her veil dances, but at the beginning of the First World War she fled back to her homeland in the Netherlands. Gone is the carefree luxury life, which is filled with numerous love affairs. In order to escape poverty, she is embarking on a dangerous game.
Through her affairs with high-ranking military supporters and nobles, she is hired as a double agent. So from now on she should use her erotic charms to spy for both the French and the Germans in the other country. A dangerous undertaking that ultimately became her undoing: Unmasked as a traitor, Mata Hari was executed by firing squad in France in 1917 in a forest near Paris. But instead of having her eyes blindfolded as is customary, she retains her courage and rebellion until the end.
“I’ll look the soldiers in the eye. I’m proud of my past and I’ve never been a spy, but I was Mata Hari! ”