Belly dancing, show and dinner at Sultana's
About 2.5 hours on land near Taksim Square: belly dancers, traditional folk dances and theatre with a three-course dinner, in packages by drinks and an optional shuttle.
Belly dance in Turkey
Belly dance in Turkey
Oryantal dans, Turkey's own style
Wikipedia describes Turkish oryantal dans as a style that grew from Ottoman court traditions, Romani culture and Middle Eastern dance forms, and became popular in the nightclub and cabaret scenes of twentieth-century Istanbul. It calls the Turkish style faster and more theatrical than the Egyptian one, so an Istanbul show has its own rhythm.
A tradition carried by Romani musicians
Wikipedia says Romani dancers and musicians remain prominent among Turkish professionals, and that the Roma of Turkey have shaped the Turkish style strongly. A 2014 article in Romani Studies says Romani dance was long stigmatised before being presented as one of the colours of Turkish culture.
Folk dances in the same room
The ticket lists traditional folk dances beside the belly dancing without naming them. Wikipedia says Turkish folk dance is mostly line dance, with zeybek, halay and horon among the best known, so a circle or a line may join the stage.
On land, near Taksim
The venue stands on land in central Istanbul, close to Taksim Square, which Wikipedia calls a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops and hotels. It warns that lookalike names have taken customers onto boats.
How the night runs
The night in order
The ticket gives the length as about 2.5 hours and leaves the start time to the booking calendar. The night follows a loose outline, because programmes change.
- Before
Find the venue and your table
Go directly to Sultana's, on the stretch between the Divan and Hilton hotels, and look for the street sign. Your table is reserved. If you chose the shuttle option, the transfer replaces the walk.
- During
Dinner, dancers and folk dances
The ticket describes a three-course dinner, belly dancers, traditional folk dances and theatre in an Ottoman cabaret setting. Reviewers mention laughter, audience participation and folk dances alongside the belly dancing.
- After
Getting back
A reviewer who took the optional transfer mentions it running after the show. Otherwise Taksim has the central station of the Istanbul Metro, according to Wikipedia, which makes the square a sensible starting point for the ride home.
Six words for the stage
Six words for the stage
A few terms turn up in any account of Turkish belly dance and folk dance. Knowing them makes the music and the costumes easier to follow, even if you never learn a step.
- Oryantal
The Turkish name
Turks call belly dance oryantal dansı, from the French for oriental, or göbek dansı, the belly dance. Wikipedia says Turkish oryantal is faster and more theatrical than the Egyptian style.
- 9/8
The driving rhythm
Wikipedia says Turkish oryantal music often uses 9/8 time, called the karsilama rhythm, with Romani rhythms and Anatolian folk melodies behind it. Count in nines and the pulse makes sense.
- Darbuka
The drum and the pipes
Instruments typical of the music, Wikipedia says, include the darbuka goblet drum, the zurna reed pipe, the kanun, clarinet, violin and sometimes accordion. Listen for the drum under the dancer.
- Zills
Finger cymbals
Wikipedia lists the veil, zills and the tambourine as props. Zills are small finger cymbals the dancer plays during the music, so the rhythm is partly hers.
- Halay
The circle and the line
Halay is the national dance of Turkey, in Wikipedia's words: the name for traditional circular and line dances, danced at weddings and festive gatherings, usually beginning slowly and speeding up.
- Zeybek
The slow solo
Wikipedia describes zeybek as a folk dance from the Aegean region, with a slow, solemn form and a livelier one, historically danced by men. Horon, from the Black Sea, is the fast one.
The programme changes, so this is a listening and watching aid, not a running order.
On the ticket
What the ticket lists
Six points to settle before you pick a date and a package.
- The show
- Belly dancers, traditional folk dances and theatre in an Ottoman cabaret setting, at a reserved table.
- Dinner
- A three-course dinner is part of the evening described. The ticket lists dinner as included if that option is selected, so check the option you pick.
- Drinks
- Unlimited soft drinks and alcoholic drinks are each listed as included if that option is selected. The packages are built around your drink preference.
- Shuttle
- Optional. Pickup and drop-off come with the shuttle option when it is selected.
- Access
- Mobility impairments are on the ticket's not-suitable list.
- Meeting point
- Go directly to Sultana's, on the stretch between the Divan and Hilton hotels, and look for the street sign.
The dances, the music and Taksim
The dances, the music and Taksim
None of these photographs shows Sultana's. They show a folk dancer in Antalya, folk costume at a festival, Romani musicians from Istanbul, and Taksim Square with its nostalgic tram, to give a feel for the dances and the neighbourhood. The belly dance photographs above, in the hero and the wide stage band, are general photographs too, not taken at this venue.
Options on the ticket
Options on the ticket
| Option | What the ticket lists | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Show and dinner | This page's ticket: about 2.5 hours of belly dancers, folk dances and theatre with a three-course dinner at a reserved table. | Anyone who wants the stage and a meal in one room |
| With soft drinks | Unlimited soft drinks, listed as included if that option is selected. | Guests who prefer not to drink alcohol |
| With alcoholic drinks | Alcoholic drinks, listed as included if that option is selected. | Guests who want wine, beer or rakı with dinner |
| With the shuttle | Pickup and drop-off, listed as included if that option is selected. | Guests who would rather not find the venue themselves |
Where to book
Belly dance and Turkish night tickets in Istanbul
The first card is the dinner show this guide covers, on land near Taksim Square. The second is a separate cruise with a Turkish night show, for readers who would rather be on the water.
Dinner cruise with a Turkish night show
A three-hour cruise on the Bosphorus with a Turkish dinner, then a belly dance group, a whirling dervish performance, folk dances, a rhythm show and a DJ.
Elsewhere in Istanbul
Plan your night
Plan your night
Where it is
On land in the centre of Istanbul, close to Taksim Square. Go to the stretch between the Divan and Hilton hotels and look for the street sign.
Getting there
Wikipedia calls Taksim the main transfer point for the municipal bus system, with the central station of the Istanbul Metro. A route planner will give the walk from the square, or you can choose the shuttle option.
Timing
The ticket gives about 2.5 hours. Every date in the calendar shows its own start, and your confirmation repeats the one you chose, so build the day around that.
Choosing a package
Packages are built from drinks and the optional shuttle. Pick the drinks you want first, then decide whether to add the shuttle.
Booking without a mix-up
Check that the provider name on your booking reads Sultana's Dinner Show Belly Dancing. The venue says it is on land, has no other branches and is not a boat tour venue.
Access
Mobility impairments are on the ticket's not-suitable list, so put any question about your own needs to the seller before you book.
Keep reading
Six short guides
- The short answer
Istanbul belly dance show
Where to see a belly dance show in Istanbul and what the evening is like: the two formats, what a dinner show on land contains, how to book the right one. Open the guide → - Planning the night
Sultana's: what to expect
What to expect at Sultana's dinner show in Istanbul: where to go, the shuttle option, the packages, the dinner, the room, the rating and who it does not suit. Open the guide → - Where the dance comes from
Oryantal dans: a history
A short history of belly dance in Turkey: köçek and çengi dancers, the taverns of Ottoman Istanbul, the cabaret years and the Romani musicians and dancers. Open the guide → - The other half of the programme
Turkish folk dances
A guide to the Turkish folk dances a belly dance dinner show may draw on: halay, zeybek, horon and the spoon dances, and what each looks and sounds like. Open the guide → - Land or water
Restaurant show or cruise?
Restaurant show or cruise for a belly dance dinner in Istanbul: how the two formats differ, what each ticket lists and which suits you. Open the guide → - Before and after the show
Around Taksim Square
Taksim Square and its surroundings for a night out: İstiklal Avenue and its nostalgic tram, the Atatürk Cultural Center and how to get to and from the square. Open the guide →
FAQ
Before you book, in short
Where can I see a belly dance show in Istanbul?
At dinner shows on land and on dinner cruises with a Turkish night show. This site covers a venue on land near Taksim Square, with belly dancers, folk dances and a three-course dinner over about 2.5 hours.
Is Sultana's on a boat?
No. The ticket says it is not a boat venue and is on land in central Istanbul. Similar names have taken customers onto boats, so check the provider name on your booking.
How long is the evening?
About 2.5 hours; the calendar pairs each date with its starting time.
Is dinner included?
A three-course dinner is part of the evening described, and dinner, drinks and the shuttle are each listed as included if that option is selected. Check your option.
Is there a shuttle?
Optionally. Pickup and drop-off come with the shuttle option when it is selected.
What do reviewers say?
The booking page shows 4.0 out of 5 from 106 reviews. Reviewers praise the dancing, the folk dances and audience participation; value for money scores 3.6.
Is it accessible?
Not for everyone: mobility impairments are on the ticket's not-suitable list.
Is this site the venue?
No. It is a separate, independent guide, and its buttons open GetYourGuide, where the dinner show is booked.
An independent guide to a belly dance and folk dance dinner show in Istanbul.
Book the belly dance dinner show ↗The fare for your date shows in the currency you have chosen.