Sentence:  The shows claimed legitimacy as depictions of Middle Eastern and Asian cultures that were still regarded as savage... But these dances never were authentic rituals or ethnographic displays; instead they became known as “<WSD>hootchy-kootchy</WSD>” or “cooch” dances designed to please and excite male patrons. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A kind of erotic dance similar to a belly dance, formerly performed at carnivals.