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What is the Dance of the Seven Veils?

Niki Acker
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Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 51,734
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In popular culture, "the dance of the seven veils" is believed to be the dance that Salome performed for her stepfather, Herod, as described in the Bible in Matthew 14:6-11 and Mark 6:21-28. In the Bible, the dance is not named, and this name first appeared in print in the stage notes to Oscar Wilde's 1891 play Salome. It is not a traditional Middle Eastern dance, but more probably a Western invention steeped in Orientalist misconceptions, although some believe it to have associations to ancient Eastern religions. In the modern Western world, the dance is often associated with striptease, although some belly dancers perform more artistic interpretations.

The dance of the seven veils has appeared as a theme in art and literature since Oscar Wilde's play first appeared. It is the climax of Richard Strauss' Salome opera, based on Wilde's play. Women playing Salome through the years have performed memorable and often scandalous versions of the dance. The dancer begins the dance wearing seven veils and removes them one by one as she dances, often, but not always, ending the dance nude or nearly so.

Some have claimed that the dance of the seven veils has its roots in an ancient myth about the Sumerian goddess Inanna or the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. In this myth, the goddess descends into the underworld and must pass through seven gates on her journey, at each of which she must surrender a piece of jewelry or a symbol of her royalty. The number seven was significant to the ancients, as it is the number of heavenly bodies visible to the naked eye without a telescope: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. Therefore, there are seven major gods in many ancient religions, and the number seven appears in many myths and classification systems.

Modern day mystics see the dance and the story of Inanna's descent as a metaphor for enlightenment, shedding "veils" of illusion on the path to deeper spirituality of self-realization. The idea of "the seven veils of mystical experience" actually predates Wilde's play. These "seven veils" are, in order, Dreams, Reason, Passion, Bliss, Courage, Compassion, and Knowledge.

In his novel Skinny Legs and All, Tom Robbins offers a similar but updated interpretation of the dance of the seven veils. With each veil the dancer removes, a different worldly illusion is challenged and shattered. Memorably, the dancer in Robbin's novel removes the veil covering her groin first and saves the one covering her face and head for last, suggesting that the dance is not about titillation, but about shedding one's worldly hangups.

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Niki Acker
By Niki Acker
"In addition to her role as a WiseGeek editor, Niki Foster is passionate about educating herself on a wide range of interesting and unusual topics to gather ideas for her own articles. A graduate of UCLA with a double major in Linguistics and Anthropology, Niki's diverse academic background and curiosity make her well-suited to create engaging content for WiseGeekreaders. "
Discussion Comments
By aviva — On May 22, 2011

@goldensky – Belly dancing is considered an art just like ballet. And maybe Salome wasn’t a significant biblical character, but she did play a significant role in the death of John the Baptist.

In my opinion, if it weren’t for her mesmerizing beauty and talent she would not have danced and he might not have been killed that way.

On a lighter note, both the original play and opera version are wonderful depictions of early musical drama and literature.

By goldensky — On May 20, 2011

It amazes me how such an insignificant biblical character as Salome has gained so much recognition over a belly dance. The beheading of John the Baptist is undoubtedly a tragic story, but the author has a virgin girl steal the scene from her dance of the 7 veils.

Both Strauss and Wilde portray Salome as a promiscuous murderer even though her own mother requested the head of the Saint.

Niki Acker
Niki Acker
"In addition to her role as a WiseGeek editor, Niki Foster is passionate about educating herself on a wide range of...
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