It should be borne in mind that at the time London was arguably the foremost city in the world, sitting at the heart of an enormous trading empire. Not only would there have been a wide variety of people from across the world passing through the city, there would have been a lot of rich British people who had spent time living in far flung places.

Put the two together, along with a fashion for entertaining and parties, and it would seem likely that there would be a ready market for exotic entertainers who could perform something different and unusual to entertain your guests.