Köçek

The köçek (plural köçekler in Turkish) was typically a very pretty young male slave effeminate dancer[1] (rakkas), who usually cross-dressed in feminine attire, and was employed as an entertainer.

Cognate with Old Turkic 𐰚𐰃𐰲𐰏 (kičig), Karakhanid (kičüg), Kazakh кіші (kışı), кішкене (kışkene), Uyghur كىچىك (kichik), Kyrgyz кичинекей (kicinekey), Shor кичиг, Yakut куччугуй (kuccuguy), etc.

[2] The support of the Sultans was a key factor in its development, as the early stages of the art form was confined to palace circles.

[2] The dancers were accompanied by an orchestra, featuring four to five each kaba kemençe and laouto as principal instruments, used exclusively for köçek suites.

Their usual garb consisted of a tiny red embroidered velvet jacket with a gold-embroidered silk shirt, shalvar (baggy trousers), a long skirt and a gilt belt, knotted at the back.

Dancers minced and gyrated their hips in slow vertical and horizontal figure eights, rhythmically snapping their fingers and making suggestive gestures.

Men would allegedly go wild, breaking their glasses, shouting themselves voiceless, or fighting and sometimes killing each other vying for the opportunity to rape, molest, or otherwise force the children into sexual servitude.