Moroccan Chikkat Malaya Costume
All photos on this page by Dana Myers.
The malaya is a very simple costume element for Mococcan chikkat dancing. It's made of three to four yards of fabric. The malaya is tied like a toga and belted at the hips. Dancers twirl a scarf or mouzuna rope over their heads in a flirtatious way. (At Ren Faire, I've done this with a tape measure stolen from a cute kilt salesman when he came to wach the troupe perform.) Chikkat dance is also called the "chicken dance" because of the dancers' head slide movements, strutting and jumping. It's also known as the "Learned Women's Dance." Married women teach this dance to a young bride to show her how to move her hips in bed with her new husband on their wedding night.
