Sexy Salome Dancers Disturb the Nation

What sparked the craze for barely-clad eastern dancers?

La Sylphe, a noted Salome dancer. Public domain image, Wikimedia.

In 1905, German composer Richard Strauss wrote an opera — Salome — centered on the story of King Herod’s stepdaughter. Loosely based on an Oscar Wilde play of the same name, Strauss’ opera featured the scandalous “Dance of the Seven Veils,” and closed with a horrific scene that featured the decapitated…