Dabke the national dance of Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Jordan and Iraq.
March 30, 2009 3:50 PM Subscribe
Dabke (in Arabic the "stomping of the feet") is a folk line dance, performed by either just men, just women or both together.
A national dance of Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Jordan and Iraq the Dabke is danced with different steps and rhythms in different areas of the Middle East.
You left out the parts about how the women obviously are required to look great (!) in pants, and how, in Palestine, it owes much to the Ministry of Silly Walks. Hope this helps.
posted by Mike D at 4:12 PM on March 30, 2009
posted by Mike D at 4:12 PM on March 30, 2009
Dabke is danced with different steps and rhythms in different areas of the Middle East.
After hearing the Iraq video as 6/4, I scoured the internet for more about the music and turned up this thread on the various rhythms.
And whoa, it's Duncan Thaw. You could hardly pick an obscure allusion to a better book.
posted by kid ichorous at 4:25 PM on March 30, 2009
After hearing the Iraq video as 6/4, I scoured the internet for more about the music and turned up this thread on the various rhythms.
And whoa, it's Duncan Thaw. You could hardly pick an obscure allusion to a better book.
posted by kid ichorous at 4:25 PM on March 30, 2009
Sorry, 6 bars, not 6/4.
posted by kid ichorous at 4:25 PM on March 30, 2009
posted by kid ichorous at 4:25 PM on March 30, 2009
Completely awesome post! Thanks, Lanark.
I attended a bunch of Christian weddings in the OPT so I was excited when I was invited to a traditional Muslim wedding celebration in al'Khader. I had absolutely no idea what to expect so was totally unprepared. I naively invited several female coworkers to attend (who were promptly separated from me to attend the women's celebration across town). There was very little food - the whole thing was a gigantic disco. Without any drinking. I was kind of disappointed... until the town dabke troop showed up. They lined up from shortest to tallest (the youngest was probably six years old.) I've absolutely never seen anything like it in my life. Completely awesome.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 6:19 PM on March 30, 2009
I attended a bunch of Christian weddings in the OPT so I was excited when I was invited to a traditional Muslim wedding celebration in al'Khader. I had absolutely no idea what to expect so was totally unprepared. I naively invited several female coworkers to attend (who were promptly separated from me to attend the women's celebration across town). There was very little food - the whole thing was a gigantic disco. Without any drinking. I was kind of disappointed... until the town dabke troop showed up. They lined up from shortest to tallest (the youngest was probably six years old.) I've absolutely never seen anything like it in my life. Completely awesome.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 6:19 PM on March 30, 2009
Great post! Thanks, Lanark.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:13 PM on March 30, 2009
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:13 PM on March 30, 2009
Dancing the Debke at a Syrian wedding reception in Michigan was probably the most fun I've had in (or adjoining technically) a mosque, ever. Highlights were a blind Al-Azhar shaykh whooping it up in the middle of the circle, and the mock sword-fight with canes by two grandfathers, and the sight of oldsters exhorting the awkward American-born young men to get down. "Ya Shabab! This is how we get busy, balad-style!"
posted by BinGregory at 8:55 PM on March 30, 2009
posted by BinGregory at 8:55 PM on March 30, 2009
Wow. Makes me wanna dance!
(Could dabke be the source of the shuffle?)
posted by Surfurrus at 9:41 PM on March 30, 2009
(Could dabke be the source of the shuffle?)
posted by Surfurrus at 9:41 PM on March 30, 2009
We would dance the debke all the time at my grandmother's Al-Kareem club. (Sort of a social club for Lebanese/Syrian/Palestinians expats.) It had been years since I'd done it, but recently I attended a Maronite wedding, where of course there was much dancing. By the end of the night, I think we were still reflexively doing it in the car on the way home. It's so infectious and fun.
posted by dejah420 at 11:59 PM on March 30, 2009
posted by dejah420 at 11:59 PM on March 30, 2009
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posted by netbros at 4:06 PM on March 30, 2009