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Burlesque Dancer:Nejla Ates

Stage Name

Real Name

Nejla Ates (Nedjai or Nejla) Necla Batir
"The Exquisite Turkish Delight"  
"Little Miss Firecracker"  
Nejla Atesh  
   Nejla Ates was a very good Middle Eastern dancer (Belly dancer aka al raks sharqi) who did some very erotic dancing during her career. Altho not born in Turkey, it appears as if she may have grown up there with her parents, at least for a time. Danced in a few movies as well with some big name cheesecake dancers such as Lili St Cyr and is said to have been the first "Belly Dancer" to gain fame thru dancing in the movies. Did some Burlesque and Showgirl work as a dancer during her career as well.

   Danced at the Casino de Paris and the Ringside Club around 1952 and by 1953 is at LoU Walters Latin Quarter in NYC. and eventually becomes the most sensational show stopper Walter's ever had. She then travels to Las Vegas and is heralded the hottest of the Las Vegas acts along with Billy Daniels.

    It is said to have had more lovers than Valentino himself and seems to have been engaged to someone or other every six months or so from doormen to Prince's and even King's (even sued by one,) and in 1952 was briefly engaged to millionaire Shep Abdullah King but she says they were mostly publicity stunts. In 1955, Burlesque star Rose La Rose becomes enraged at Ates for supposedly stealing her wiggles in "Fanny" and says they are the same ones she did in New York a couple of seasons ago.

 

[More Photos]

    Seems Ates had some problems with overdosing, relationships, Breking up others relationships and ... spending all her money on younger men while being wooed by older ones who wanted to marry her even in her early twenties. Ates retired in the 1970's and moved to Istanbul, Turkey where she died at age 73 at an Istanbul, Turkey, hospital. ... There is a statue of her in Central Park.

Birth Place

Birth Date

Spouse

Measurements

Romania 3/7/1932-4/2005 Francis Elwood Semone (1963-64) 5' 3½"
    Özer Baysaling (1990)      
           
 

Dance Types

Dance Partners

Music Titles

Belly Dance Lou Walters Dancers $ 1957 - Mohammed El-Bakkar and
his Oriental Ensemble
(LP)
Burlesque       Music of the Near East (LP)
Erotic       Nejla Ates & Tarik Bulut: The Turkish Delight (LP)
Moorish Dance            
The Twist            
 

Night Clubs

Theaters

Stage

Casino de Paris (1952) Belesco Theatre (1954) 1952 - Latin Quarter Revue
Casino Royale (Washington 1956) Majestic Theatre (1956) 11/4/1954 - Fanny
Ciro's (Los Angeles)       Sign of the Pagan
El Rancho (Las Vegas)            
La Martinique            
Latin Quarter (NYC)            
Ringside Club (1952)            
Seville Hotel (Miami Beach)            
Thunderbird (Las Vegas)            
             
 

Clips

Films

Publications

  1947 - Kerim 'in çilesi 10/15/1953 - Tempo Mag
  $1954 - King Richard & the Crusaders 10/30/1953 - Focus Mags.
Clip Son of Sinbad 11/18/1953 - People Today mag.
  Nejla Ates: The Turkish Delight 10/54 - Fotorama.
    8/24/1955 - People mag. Cover
    10/1955 - Sir Magazine Cover
    12/1955 - Celebrity Magazine
    2/1956 - True Mag.
    1963 - People Magazine
    1965 - New York Visitor Cover
     
NOTE: sometimes spelt as Nejla Atesh
 
December 25, 2009
http://www.Streetswing.com/histburl/1index0.htm

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