What is "dhimah"

Dhimah was a dancer of Egyptian ethnicity whose first New York City appearance was at the Guild Theatre on May 13, 1928. Often she performed to the traditional music of Bach and Chopin. In New York Dhimah included several musical pieces by Béla Bartók, one of which was arranged to verses of the Koran. She was accompanied by an ensemble of thirteen dancers and three musicians. As an exotic dancer Dhimah is important for introducing a Middle Eastern style of dance to the United States. Dhimah studied dancing in Germany under the tutelage of Mary Wigman.