Contempo - flight of the soul. Let them play more

Working with young children (3-6 years old) has a lot of difficulties, especially for beginning choreographers. These include absent-minded attention, fatigue, and behavioral problems. All this is natural for this age. Therefore, you should not be upset and think that you are a bad teacher, unable to cope with children.

After college, my first group were five-year-olds. And at my very first lesson, one girl peed herself (sorry for the details!) and, standing in this puddle, calmly continued to study. I didn’t even immediately understand where this puddle came from. The other children told the story of her appearance in unison. What to do? It's autumn outside, but it's not hot in the classroom. Fortunately, this girl’s mother was nearby and was waiting for the child downstairs. So I was able to pick her up from class. Otherwise I don’t know what I would do with her. This was my first lesson.

I must say that at the school they teach us performance techniques and other choreographic wisdom, but they don’t teach us at all how to work with young children. Therefore, you have to figure everything out on your own. I think that my now 15 years of experience working with children allows me to give some advice to young choreographers.

1. Prepare children for a choreography lesson

It may seem that the first point has nothing to do with choreography at all, but this is at first glance. I myself have stepped on this rake more than once. At this age, children still have a herd mentality, so it’s worth asking to leave alone during class. Everyone will start asking in turn, regardless of whether they really need it or not. It is impossible not to let a child go at this age; the result may be the same as in the story I told at the very beginning. And if you start letting everyone go, the lesson will turn into an endless wandering, the children will be constantly distracted and the lesson will go down the drain.

Therefore, before class, I either take everyone to the toilet in an organized manner, or ask my parents to do so. Then, during the lesson, I already know that if someone asks, he may well be patient. Sometimes children ask to go out simply because they are tired or lazy. So you shouldn’t always take their requests at face value.

2. Accompany movements with words

Well, now directly to the choreography. At this age, children have very developed imaginative thinking Therefore, it is not enough to show something several times; you must accompany your movement with words. It is very good if each movement is accompanied by images or symbolically called something. And if you come up with a small entertaining story about movement, then the children will generally be delighted. This is child psychology.

Firstly, this way children understand movement better, and secondly, they remember faster. Well, for example, when my children and I are going to do ground gymnastics on mats. We travel with them on carpeted airplanes through a fairyland. We sit on the mats, close our eyes, count “One, two, three! Let's fly!" Of course, it’s great when there is an appropriate musical accompaniment. We also have our own names for each movement on the floor. And it even happens that if I missed something, the children remind me that we haven’t been there yet today.

3. Change your occupation more often

A common mistake novice teachers make when working with young children is that they spend a lot of time on one activity. Those. learn movements, do ground gymnastics. Children at this age get tired quickly. And when they get tired, they lose interest, and, accordingly, their attention becomes scattered. Therefore, change your activity more often during classes. Approximately every 5-7 minutes.

Plan more actions so that at any moment, as soon as you feel that your attention is being lost, you can change one action to another. For example, if you are studying with children in a circle and you see that they are tired, play with them. I play birds with the children, I ask who is which bird, they name it, and then the birds fly in a circle, as soon as the music stopped the birds sat down and hid in the houses. You can come up with a lot of options. The children relax and then you can continue with the lesson.

4. Play with children

Play is the main activity of children at this age, so you need to play with them. Moreover, it is desirable to bring play into work, so that when performing some pedagogical task, children think that it is just a game. On my blog I want to devote a separate section to various musical and dance games. Since it's very important element in working with children.

5. Be part of what's happening

Remember that young children often copy the people with whom their parents and educators communicate. You are no exception. They repeat your lines, your movements. Therefore, when you show movement, you must show it exactly as it should look. And if you ask children to imagine that they are in a dark forest, then you must be in this forest with them. Children fly on carpeted airplanes fairyland, You are also flying with them. Show with movements and emotions how they should behave in a given situation. If you want them to perform with 100% dedication in the future, then give them 150% of your energy and attention now.

Here are some basic tips for working with children: preschool age. I want to say that working with children requires much, much greater mental and physical strength. At least, after classes with preschoolers, I feel like a squeezed lemon and am much more tired than after classes with older children. And finally, one more piece of advice: be patient, because everything that you put into these children now will come back to you later, when they grow up, and they will delight you with their successes!

Music and dance contain the mysterious harmony of life, which heals the soul and makes people more balanced. A child should be accustomed to music early on (listen to beautiful melodies during pregnancy), and after birth, lull him to sleep with measured lullabies. But when can you start learning? simple dances? At what age can a baby feel the beat and begin to move in the same rhythm with the music?

It turns out that it’s too late to teach a child to dance at the age of 5, sending him even to the most professional studio cities: learning should begin from the moment the child stood on his feet and clapped his hands for the first time, smiling at the flow sounding music. And he needs to be accustomed to the rhythm of the dance even earlier:

6 months-1.5 years: take the baby in your arms (don’t forget to read: ), turn on beautiful music and begin to dance carefully, measuredly, smoothly, shaking your head and smiling at him; soon you will notice that the child likes it: he himself will ask you to repeat it again and again;
1.5-3 years: the baby is already standing on his own legs, so you can take him by the hand and do simple dance steps with him;
3-5 years: even if you have already given the baby to dance school, organize some kind of dance “parties” for him at home, where he will be relaxed, will not be constrained by the rules and will create more natural, his own movements in a free dance.

Let your child from the very early age learn to feel the music and develop the harmony of his movements: the more successful he will be in dancing in the future.

Teaching children to dance: what music to?

What music should you choose for your first dance lessons at home?

Firstly, the music should be cheerful and fiery, and for this, children's songs from cartoons, which can be bought on disk or downloaded from the Internet, or Russian folk dances are ideal.
Secondly, it wouldn’t hurt to accustom your baby to the classics, which will calm him down before bed, which is especially important for parents who don’t know how, and will instill in him a sense of beauty.
Thirdly, you should not play modern heavy melodies for dancing: he will not learn any harmony from it, but will only be overexcited.
Fourthly, make sure that the music is not too loud: it should not damage the baby’s hearing.

The last thing you need to learn for home dance lessons is a set of simple movements that you will learn with your little dancer.

Dance training: first movements

The movements that you will teach your baby should be elementary, because the main task is to teach the child to feel the music, and not to perform the most complex steps. Teach him:

bob your head to the beat of the music;
clap your hands without disturbing the sounding rhythm;
jumping up and down - this will be his first “little sparrow” dance;
remember the simplest sequence of movements: 2 steps forward, 2 steps back, 2 steps to the side;
gradually complicate the movements: combine steps, claps, shoulder movements;
move in a round dance;
dance in pairs with you, your favorite toy or another child (brother, sister).

Make sure that the child does not get too dizzy while dancing: he may become dizzy and disoriented in space, which can lead to impaired coordination of movements.

By following these simple recommendations, you will soon see for yourself how the child’s movements become more and more harmonious, smooth, beautiful, and most importantly - in time with the music. You will give your child great pleasure and very soon you will be able to send him to dance training in one of the professional children's studios.

Parents often think about how to prepare their son or daughter for school. What skills should children have who will sit at a desk for the first time in a year?

What are they?

Every year of life for children is a certain stage. It's the adults who don't change as quickly as they do. After all, childhood is the time of the most intense human development. In no other years does he acquire as much as as a preschooler.

During its first 5-6 years, a child turns from an absolutely helpless newborn into a fully developed person. He has his own interests and character traits, individual views on life. This speed of success and the manifestation of ever new abilities is simply amazing.

The child turned 5 years old. It is growing rapidly - right before our eyes. Such a boy or girl needs energy. Therefore, the quality of food is important.

The child's behavior also changes. He develops an evaluative attitude towards himself and other people. He is quite often interested in what is good and bad, and really wants to live by the rules. He condemns those who violate this. For him, his parents are an ideal, an object to be emulated in every detail. So try to make your example positive.

"I understand everything"

As for the psychological component, at 5 years old a child already understands a lot. He listens to your explanations and responds adequately to all requests from adults. He can occupy himself if his parents are not yet able to be with him.

Psychologists say: 90% of personality is formed between 5 and 7 years. And for these two in general short years Moms and dads can “put” into their child the very qualities that they consider necessary, and cultivate exactly those habits that, in their opinion, cannot be done without.

All this is not difficult. Children these years easily copy those whom they love, respect, and appreciate. Their behavior is the best, the most correct, the only possible. So control your actions and words. After all, if you say one thing and act completely differently, then don’t expect anything good from your child!

Write and read

Communicating with five-year-old boys and girls is a pleasure. At 5 years old, a child is interested in everything. He is unusually open to all new information, knowledge, as well as to various skills. He wants to do everything at once, try everything: dance, draw, and play tennis. It’s interesting that he actually has an easy time with both mental and physical skills.

It also surprises no one that even before first grade, many children already know letters, can write them, and some also read quite fluently. Children usually also master the simplest arithmetic operations; they can add and subtract. In a word, now is the most favorable time to “shove” more valuable and useful things into your child. Very little time will pass - and this wonderful, passionate interest in the world around us, which pleases mom and dad, will slowly fade away. So don't miss such a good time.

At the desk

Research by psychologists provides such interesting data. Of all the six-year-olds who go to school, only 30% have learned to hear what the teacher says, remember, do what he tells them to do, and then analyze their actions.

But 70% do not know how to do this, 25% require that the task be repeated to them twice or even three times. 30% of children hear, understand, remember, but do not know how to act independently. This boy sits and moves his pen across the table. It doesn't work, so to speak. The teacher should come up to him and say: “Come on, write the numbers.” Otherwise, he will not do anything until the end of the lesson and, therefore, will not learn.

This is where all the difficulties of a first-grader stem. And the reluctance to go to classes after a week. However, when a child has lived correctly for five years, all these skills have been formed.

Let them play more

A child is not an adult. He masters the world through play. All the rules of life, its laws and norms - only in game form, and not through lectures or notations. Therefore, it is necessary to teach him the same alphabet, reading, and arithmetic only in this way.

At this time, the kids begin to ask rather difficult questions, which makes some adults nervous. And in vain. You can’t brush off your son or daughter! For example, how do you answer this: “Why are the leaves green, but the sky is not, it’s blue?” Moms and dads, no matter how busy they are in the evenings, must answer all this truthfully and clearly. And here educational games for children 4 - 5 years old are very good helpers, simply irreplaceable. They have no competitors yet.

Tests and puzzles

True, the kids will have to think very carefully. After all, the tasks are not so simple. But it will be an excellent training - for the development of memory, also imagination with attention, also counting, and other properties necessary for a preschooler.

For example, there are many crossword puzzles designed for this age. You can also put together sentences from different words, mixed. How fascinated children are by tests! The ones where you need to choose only the correct answers.

Children love to look for all sorts of differences in the pictures. This is where attentiveness, perseverance, and perseverance develop.

There are many other types of pastime from the “educational games for children 4-5 years old” series. The same assembling puzzles is not just an activity to keep the child quiet at home and not bother anyone. No, this is a great way to develop his creative abilities.

All familiar letters

There will be nothing wrong if adults tell the child what letters are. This will be interesting for 5 year old children. But how to learn them with a child?

Usually girls and boys themselves begin to ask: “What are these badges?” - when someone at home reads a book to them. There is also a special alphabet for children 5 years old. This colorfully published alphabet - wonderful book. She is still unfamiliar to the kids. So it's time to buy it right now and start practicing.

The main thing is not to demand that the baby firmly understand everything. It is more important to maintain interest in learning. It is enough to conduct such classes for children 4 - 5 years old for 10 - 15 minutes a day. It's good to learn letters with short words. But the form of the game is strictly required!

Guessing game

Folklore is more useful now than ever - riddles for children 5 years old. They are very figurative, concise, and easy to remember. This is a kind of mental gymnastics. And how beautifully it develops at the same time creative thinking, the same ingenuity and intelligence. And what is important for our time is the gift of solving simple problems in a very non-standard way. If you want to develop your child mentally, do not neglect guessing games. Moreover, kids love them very much. And compiled in poetic form, they are much more curious.

But in poetry they force children to pay attention to little things that previously remained unnoticeable, and broaden their horizons.

And what joy and pride comes over the child when he finds the correct answer! Moreover, children can play this way without adults, on their own, which gives them the ability to communicate with each other, live in a team and take into account others. All this will be useful not only at school, but in life in general. Contact people, as noted, are easier to advance in their careers, and their leisure time is more meaningful.

Another tip. Solve riddles with your children. Or try to come up with them yourself. Even on your everyday, vital material. It's a lot of fun! Not to mention the benefits for the whole family, for the good atmosphere in it.

New idea

Praise your children more for success in any activity. Don't scold for mistakes. Is everything going smoothly at work for you? And don’t get tired of maintaining a keen interest in learning in your child, and not only in the area of reading.

There is no great chance that you will be invited to a social ball; you are much more likely to end up at a club or at a party of friends in another democratic setting.

The ability to dance will come in handy everywhere. Having mastered the technique, you will feel confident, increase self-esteem, improve your posture and figure, change internally, and feel incomparable pleasure. Find out which modern dances for girls are most popular and where to learn fashionable ones dance moves.

Dance as a useful hobby

Control of one's body in dance is given to almost all people, but many are prevented from realizing themselves by excessive modesty. If you are shy in company and refuse men who invite you to dance, restructure yourself internally. Especially modest girls can try to learn how to dance modern dances at home by turning on their favorite music and improvising in front of a mirror.

This hobby is suitable for women of all ages, weights and body types. Don't be shy if you have a non-standard figure, curvy hips, big breasts or protruding tummy.

Dancing is good not only for your mood and beauty, but also for health. Thanks to dance movements, blood flow increases, lung function improves, and the heart strengthens. After regular exercises, posture improves, coordination of movements and work are normalized vestibular apparatus.

For every girl and woman there is suitable look modern dance, in which it is easy to turn disadvantages into advantages. By dancing regularly, girls become more feminine, their gait and facial movements change. Choreography teaches the art of seduction and coquetry, playfulness and a confident look. At the same time, dancers know how to keep their distance and are never toys in the hands of a man.

Where to learn to dance quickly and beautifully

Eat two ways to learn to dance– independently and under the guidance of a teacher. The first option is ideal for those who once studied choreography, and now just want to master new style. The second guarantees success for everyone.

Homeschooling and its features

For self-study Girls can use video lessons on modern dance, read books on choreography, watch films, study theory in magazines.

It is important not to neglect the recommendations of the virtual choreographer, but to strictly follow them. Even more important is to find good courses and materials for self-study. It’s better to choose a few, and only then weed out the extra ones, understanding the nuances.

To begin with, of course, you can do without a suit, but a suit helps you get in the right mood and immediately accustoms you to movements taking into account clothing. You definitely need suitable music; training lessons and a description of the dance will help you choose it.

For beginners, it is better to choose directions in which improvisation is allowed. As a rule, these are “natives” from street styles, they do not require special preparation, costumes or a partner. Having mastered the technique of free dance styles, you will feel confident on the dance floor.

More difficult to master classic styles, in which you need to learn the position of the body, head, arms, basic positions and steps. Such areas require classes with a teacher at home or at school.

Training in schools and studios

If you are used to taking everything seriously and want to be not only a participant, but also the central link of the dance floor, then it is better to enroll in a modern dance school.

Advantages of studying in the studio:

Experienced teachers in good schools– professional choreographers.
No need to think about where to find a partner or team for pairs and group dances.
Professional dance hall with mirrors, the right music.
A special atmosphere and new friends with similar interests.
For girls, this is an opportunity to find a partner not only for a waltz, but for life.

To find out what services such schools provide, we called the studio Fashion Dance, working in Moscow, and asked a few questions.

What dance styles can you teach a beginner?

We have a lot of styles, ranging from waltz and tango, including ballroom and modern, fashionable Latin American and oriental dances, to go-go and erotic styles for special occasions.

So what, you can teach any girl to dance?

For each client we find the most suitable style for him, taking into account personal data and wishes. There are no people who do not know how to dance, this is given to man by nature, the main thing is to open up correctly.

What wishes do people come to you with most often?

The most popular trend among boys and young girls is modern dancing, older women want to learn belly dancing, and ladies who have free time retired, drawn to the waltz.

The global problem of modern youth is wedding. We have opened a course especially for newlyweds pre-wedding preparation, in which we stage a dance of the bride and groom, father and daughter, friends and girlfriends.

What do you need to start training and how much does it cost?

First you need to come to us and express your wishes. We help you navigate names and styles, and together we select a group and teacher. Everything else is individual, including prices. We have a lot of discount programs. Better go to the dance school website Fashion Dance, and if it’s not clear, call us, we’ll be happy to tell you everything!

Types of modern dances for beginners

It is easiest for beginners to master modern dance styles, which do not have clear rules of choreography. Small flaws here are practically unnoticeable; they are taken for improvisation and the girl’s personal highlights.

Free dance - the choice of dreamers

Free, also known as rhythmic or plastic dance, appeared at the beginning of the last century. The basis of this dance style is ballet, diluted free movements from ordinary life. The main point This direction is emancipation, energy, interaction with the environment.

IN free dancing under modern music improvisation, spontaneity, and creativity are encouraged. Perhaps this best choice for beginners, since there are no strict rules of choreography and technique, but there is the possibility of self-expression.

Girls can perform free dances either alone or in pairs with a man. The absence of strict boundaries is a guarantee that you will not look like a bad dancer, because everyone can come up with their own moves.

Modernity as the choice of the free

Modernism arose against the backdrop of the denial of traditional ballet techniques. His credo is the rejection of canons and conventions, the embodiment new choreography . Modernity came to modern girls from the twentieth century. One of the founders of the movement was Isadora Duncan. Another dancer who contributed to the development and popularity of the style is Mary Wigman, who abandoned traditional beautiful movements in favor of the unusual and even shocking.

Modern dance is danced barefoot, its main choreographer is nature. The technique cannot be called complex; the main component of success is the dancer’s emotionality. Sensuality in every movement is a guarantee of your own pleasure and the delight of others.

Electro - youth direction

Electro is one of the most popular directions on the list modern dance for girls, accessible for beginners. Essentially this is street dance, born in the middle of the last century to club music. Electro dance more with your hands than the body, so it is ideal for beginner dancers and people with poor physical fitness.

There are two directions:

Milky Way – calm movements, somewhat similar to the performance of an actor on stage. Each dancer's appearance - small performance with a beginning and an ending. It is better to start learning to dance electro with this type, then moving on to a more complex direction.
Electro – active movements that smoothly transform into each other at high speed. The main thing here is to feel the music and understand what they are singing about in the song, so that the movements do not contradict the meaning.

Tectonics – dynamics and energy

Tectonic is another modern dance direction for girls and boys. Tectonic combines dance elements of techno, hip-hop, popping, and locking. True fans adhere to a certain style of clothing - skinny jeans, tight T-shirts, basketball-style sneakers. They are distinguished by futuristic hairstyles with gothic elements.

However strict requirements no, you can dance tectonics in any clothes and with any hairstyle. Not only tight-fitting, but also loose clothing is allowed - hoodies, shorts, tops. Best suited for movement flat shoes.

It is customary to distinguish two groups of tectonics – hard and soft. Each group includes several types of dance. Learn on your own dance elements difficult, it is better to do it in a group or with a teacher.

Breakdancing is a favorite of the flexible ones

Breakdancing is a dance for modern girls, skilled in acrobatics, which originated in the seventies of the last century. Breakdancing literally hit the masses with a wave in 1984 after the release of the film Beat Street. They began to dance it at discos, clubs and even at school parties.

Break is divided into two large groups– lower and upper:

The top break is similar to a popular disco dance. It is characterized by sharp clutching movements of the arms, legs and the whole body. The top break group includes many stylistic trends.
Lower breakdancing is more complex and filled with acrobatic tricks. It is danced on the floor and requires physical fitness and strength to hold the body up. This type of modern dance is more suitable for boys than girls.

Break clothes need to be as comfortable and convenient as possible. Girls - b-girls, breakdancing in beautiful sportswear famous brands to look stylish and attractive. WITH short hair no problem, but for the owners long hair care must be taken that hair does not interfere with movements.

Hip-Hop – mischievous and rhythmic

Hip-Hop originated among the working class of New York in the mid-seventies. Within a few years he became part of youth culture in many countries. In the late nineties, Hip-Hop turned out to be a full-fledged component music industry. Nowadays, this trend is highlighted as a fashionable subculture, it is popular style which has become a lifestyle for some.

Hip-hop dances to rhythmic music, including rap. The rhythm, as a rule, is set by DJs, and dancers need to have time to hear the music and think through movements to it.

Contempo - flight of the soul

Contempo successfully combines several dance styles. It attracts girls with its simplicity of movements and the ability to improvise. The founders of contemporary dance, including Isadora Duncan, did everything so that everyone could master this dance.

Contempo training should begin with the preparation of muscles, joints and ligaments. The essence is alternating tense muscles with sharp relaxation. Contempo is built on the contrast of falls and rises, characterizing contradiction and balance. It is better to dance barefoot, so that nothing interferes with freedom.

Hakka - the choice of modern girls

Hakka appeared in the eighties of the twentieth century, thanks to musical direction hardcore The energetic movements of this distinctively named modern dance are driven by bass beats hard rock. This is one of the most emotional dance styles, requiring endurance and athletic training from girls.

During training, you can even lose weight, as a lot of energy is spent and calories are burned. Hakka strengthens the leg muscles, pumps up the thighs and makes the lower body more toned and slender.

At the same time, Hakku is easy to learn for beginners; there is little basic elements, and everything else is improvisation that fits within the framework of the style.

Go-Go - for disco stars

Go-Go originated in the mid-sixties of the last century; initially it was one of the ways to entertain visitors in entertainment venues, festivals, clubs, and discos. Go-Go came to Russia only in the nineties; it was actively used not only in clubs and discos, but also to attract attention to any public events.

Go-Go shouldn't be considered obscene dancing woman Always remains inaccessible. At the dawn of the Go-Go, dancers were even hung in cages so that men would not even think about the possibility of approaching.

The ability to dance Go-Go is necessary for self-confident girls who love to attract attention and be in the center of events. Go-Go will be useful in a club or disco, it will teach you to catch the rhythm, control your warmth, play and improvise.

The best dance styles for women

For women who look at dance as a hobby and one of the opportunities for self-realization, there are many modern trends. You need to proceed from your existing skills and initial physical training. Gradually, the bar can be raised, moving on to more complex styles.

Oriental and Indian dances for beginners

Oriental charm will never go out of fashion, because the spirit of the East leaves no one indifferent. All are exclusively female, they are playful and light. Modern views ideal for girls and women who cannot be classified as thin - curvaceous and even a protruding belly are welcome. After just a few lessons, the plump girls forget about their complexes and present them as their advantages.

List of popular couple dances

Pair dancing, both ballroom and modern, helps girls quickly find common language with men, they are taught to be paired, dominate and submit, depending on the situation. For shy girls and women it is best way get rid of excessive modesty and awkwardness from a man’s touch.

The most popular modern couple dances:

Waltz is a slow one that does not lose popularity and is constantly evolving. The ability to dance a waltz is a sign of good form.
Tango is an ancient Argentine dance, which is still called modern. Today tango is divided into many types: Argentinean, Uruguayan, ballroom, Finnish and others.
Balboa - very close contact with the partner, the bodies should be pressed closely together so that there is no gap. There are not many movements, so this modern dance is great for beginners.
Rock and roll - rhythmic couples dance with relaxed movements. Rock and roll requires acrobatic skills and long training, it is better to train with one partner as it requires a lot of support at a fast pace.
Flamenco is a bright cocktail of Moroccan, Spanish and gypsy motifs, full of improvisation and mystery.
Paso Doble – dance style, which resembles a Spanish bullfight. The man plays a bullfighter, and the girl plays a cloak or mulet in the hands of a matador.
Rumba is a dramatic dance of love to the rhythms of African drums overlaid with clave rhythms. Modern rubma is divided into ballroom, Cuban, African and gypsy.

When choosing a dance, focus on initial training, posture, endurance, and the functioning of the vestibular apparatus. This doesn’t mean that you have to limit yourself to limits, you just need to start small. You may need to do or first, and only then move on to dance exercises.

The list and descriptions of modern dances were prepared with the participation of Fashion Dance Schools. Especially for the online magazine “Women’s Hobbies”.

Harem - (from Arabic - “forbidden place”) - a habitat or, simply put, the dwelling of women, slaves and children of the Sultan. It was called Dar-us-saadet - “House of Happiness”. The most famous are the harems of the Ottoman sultans, but the Abbasids (the second dynasty of Arab caliphs (750-1258), descended from Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (d. 653), uncle of the Prophet Muhammad) and the Seljukids (a branch of Oghuz, from the Kynyk tribe, belonging to the Western Turks. They received their name from the main leader of their horde, Seljuk, who, according to legend, settled in 955 in Jend on the Syr Darya).

At first, the harem was intended to keep slaves, because the daughters of Christian rulers from neighboring states were taken as wives. But after the reign of Bayezid II (1481−1512), this tradition changed, and the sultans began to choose their wives from the inhabitants of the harem.

Of course, the main guests of the harem were the sultans themselves. After them - the mother of the Sultan (valide). When her son ascended the throne, the Valide, accompanied by a magnificent procession, moved from the old palace to the new one and settled in special chambers. Following the valide, finally, came the wives of the Sultan - Kadyn-effendi. Without a doubt, the most colorful inhabitants of the harem were the slaves (jariye). Responsible for the security of the harem were: the heads of the Islamic hierarchy (sheikh-ul-islama), the grand vizier (sadrazam), the chief of harem security (dar-us-saadet agasy), and, of course, especially worthy of attention, a special class of harem servants - eunuchs (harem-agalars).

Slaves.

Where did the slaves come from? Sultan's harem? It’s very simple - the eastern princes themselves sent their daughters to the Ottoman harem in the hope that they would become the sultan’s chosen ones. Slaves were bought at the age of 5-6 and raised until full physical development. The girls were taught dancing, music, playing the musical instruments, etiquette, the art of giving pleasure to a man. Already in adolescence The girl was first shown to the Grand Vizier. If she was found physical disabilities, bad manners or some other defect, its price fell sharply, and her father, accordingly, received less money than he expected. By the way, when selling their daughter, her parents signed documents indicating that they no longer had any rights to her.

The most beautiful slaves whom the Sultan could choose as his wife had to study very carefully. The first point was the mandatory adoption of Islam, unless of course the girl was of a different faith. Then the slaves were taught to read the Koran and perform prayers together or separately. Having received the status of a wife, they founded charitable institutions and built mosques, somehow providing for Muslim traditions. The surviving letters of the Sultan's wives testify to their education.

In addition, the slaves received a daily salary, the amount of which changed with each new sultan. They were given gifts and money on the occasion of various festivals and celebrations. The slaves were well cared for, but the Sultan severely punished those who deviated from the established rules.

If a slave lived in a harem for 9 years and was never chosen as a wife, she had the right to leave the harem. The Sultan gave her a dowry, a house and helped her find a husband. The slave received a document signed by the Sultan confirming her status as a free person.

Favorites.

Slaves lived in a common or lower harem. The favorites lived in the upper harem, and the wives usually lived in palaces. Usually, if the Sultan was going to spend the night with any concubine, he would send her a gift. Then the Sultan's chosen one was sent to the bathhouse. After the bath, she was dressed in loose and clean clothes and escorted to the Sultan’s chambers. There she had to wait at the door until the Sultan went to bed. Entering the bedroom, she crawled on her knees to the bed and only then got up and lay down next to the Sultan. In the morning, the Sultan took a bath, changed clothes and sent gifts to the concubine if he liked the night spent with her. This concubine could then become his favorite.

If the favorite became pregnant, she was immediately transferred to the category of “lucky” (iqbal), but if there were several of them, then they were assigned ranks: first (main), second, third, fourth, and so on. Having given birth to a child, the Iqbal could after some time receive the status of the Sultan’s wife, but this tradition was not always observed.

Each Iqbal had a separate room in the upper harem. Their menu consisted of fifteen dishes: beef, chicken, fruit, yogurt, compote, butter, etc. In the summer, ice was served to cool drinks.

Sultans' wives.

The Sultan's new wife (kadyn-effendi) after the wedding received a written certificate, she was presented with new fabrics, jewelry, outfits, and, of course, from the lower harem she was settled in a separate room specially allocated for her on the upper floors. The chief keeper and her assistants taught her the imperial traditions. In the XVI-XVIII centuries. Kadyn-effendi who had children began to be called Haseks. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent was the first to honor his wife Hurrem (also known as Roksolana) with this title.

The sultans were obliged to spend the night from Friday to Saturday with only one of their wives; the rest of the nights they spent with whomever they wanted. This was the order sanctified by the tradition of Islam. If the wife was not with her husband for three consecutive Fridays, she had the right to appeal to the judge (qadi). By the way, the same guardian monitored the order of meetings between the wives and the Sultan.

Kadyn Effendi always called their sons “Your Highness”; when they came to visit them, they had to stand up and say: “My brave young man!” Regardless of age, the princes kissed the hand of the Kadyn Effendi as a sign of respect. The women of the harem, in order to demonstrate their respect, kissed the hem of the Kadyn-effendi's skirt. In relations with each other, the Sultan's wives observed a number of formalities. When one of the wives wanted to talk to the other, she sent a maid to her to get consent. The Sultan's wife, riding in a palanquin, was accompanied by eunuchs on foot. If all the wives left at once, then their palanquins were lined up according to the seniority of the owners.

Eunuchs.

The first eunuchs appeared in the Ottoman harem during the reign of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. At first, white eunuchs were entrusted with guarding the harem, but Murad III in 1582 appointed the Abyssinian Mehmed Agu as a eunuch. Since then, Abyssinians (Ethiopians) have almost always been selected as eunuchs.