Khaleegy and the Gulf

Women’s Dance in a Women’s World

Terms

Khaleej: The Persian Gulf area, which includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Bahrain …

Khaleegy (Khaliji, Khaleeji): “From the gulf,” commonly used of the women’s dance style, though it could be used of all the dance styles of the Persian Gulf

Raqs nasha’at: The name of the women’s hair-tossing dance style from the Khaleej

Terms

•Thobe nashal: The over-sized, transparent, highly decorated dress worn over another dress for performing the dance

•Zaghareet or zaghroot: an ululating cry used mostly in celebration but sometimes for other purposes

•Mutrib or mutribah: the male or female leader of a (music) ensemble

Characteristics of Raqs Nasha’at

•Improvised

•Typically done in all-women parties, but occasionally appropriate for public performance

•Often done in lines or pairs

•Essential footwork – a “limping” r-l or a “limping” r-l-r l-r-l

•Manipulation of the Thobe na’ashal

•Tossing of unbound hair

Debke

The Dance of the Levant

The Maghrib …

The Levant

A Closer View

Characteristics of the Debke

•Line dance, done by all male, all female, or mixed groups

•Involves stomping, leaping, hopping, kicking – also with torso articulation techniques if the dancer chooses

•Movement in close formation, in sync

•Led by a ras who adds his/her own improvised moves and sets the steps for the group

Video

• What is the movement vocabulary of the debke?  • How does it relate to the "belly dance" social

dancing also done by the people of the Levant? • Is its social message a different one from solo

improvised dance? • Does it touch a different part of the self?• The line or group formation is similar to khaleegy

raqs nasha’at. Are other elements similar, or not?

Another don’t-miss video production …