Dabke: Difference between revisions

Dabke (Arabic: دبكة; also transliterated dabka, and dabkeh) is a national dance in Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and parts of Egypt^[1][2], Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. It is a line dance widely performed at weddings and joyous occasions. The leader of the dabke heads the line, alternating between facing the audience and the other dancers.

The meaning of dabke in Arabic is "stomping of the feet." The leader, called raas ("head") or lawweeh ("waver"), is allowed to improvise on the type of dabke. The leader twirls a handkerchief or string of beads known as a masbha (similar to a rosary), while the rest of the dancers keep the rhythm. The dancers also use vocalizations to show energy and keep up the beat. The dabke leader is supposed to be like a tree, with arms in the air, a proud and upright trunk, and feet that stomp the ground in rhythm. At weddings, the singer begins with a mawwal. The raas or lawweeh takes the lead. Everyone does a basic 1-2-3 step before the song kicks in. At weddings, the dance is sometimes performed by a professional troupe dressed in costume.

The dabke was popularized in the 20th century by the Lebanese composers Assi and Mansour Rahbani and singers like Zaki Nassif, Fairuz, Wadih el Safi, and Nasri Shamseddine. Lebanon's most famous dabke troupe was the Firkat el Arz. Other troupes today include Ibdaa, Sareyyet Ramallah, and El-Funoun. ^{[citation needed]}

The dabke originated in the Levant where houses were built from stone with a roof made of wood, straw and dirt. The dirt roof had to be compacted which required stomping the dirt hard in a uniform way to compact it evenly. This event of cooperation is called ta'awon and from here comes the word awneh, meaning "help." This developed into the song Ala Dalouna, or roughly translated "Let's go and help". The dabke and the rhythmic songs go together in an attempt to keep the work fun and useful. ^[3]

Competitions or shows may consist of different cultural dances and other dabke groups performing dabke. For example, the International Fiesta which is well known at the University at Buffalo consists of a series of clubs performing their cultural dances. This competition occurs every semester in the main stage theater of the UB Center for the Arts during the spring time, usually at the end of February or beginning of March. This allows the Organization of Arab Students to participate and show the cultural awareness of dabke. Many universities have an event called Arab Night or a similar title. When these shows occur, dabke is either performed on stage (inside or outside), in a hall on the floor, or outside on the floor.

In 2007, a group of Israeli Arabs in Acre, Israel, broke the world record for the longest dabkeh dance. A human chain of 2,743 people danced the dabkeh for seven minutes straight in Acre's Old City, breaking the previous record of 1,700 set in Toronto. In June 2009, a group of Lebanese in Montreal, Canada, broke the Israeli world record. Organized by Tollab (The Lebanese Student Federation in Montreal), with the participation of "La Troupe Folklorique Les Chevaliers du Liban," a human chain of 4,475 people danced the dabke for more than five minutes straight at Marcelin Wilson's Park, breaking the previous record of 2,743 set in Palestine. ^[4][5]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dabkeh.

• El-Arish Dabka, Part 1
• El-Arish Dabka, Part 2
• Palestinian Dabkeh performed in London
• Longest Dabkeh in the world
• La Troupe Folklorique Les Chevaliers du Liban (Montréal, Canada)

Palestinian Dabkeh Troupe (Hurriyah Dabkeh Troupe)

• Al-Juthoor Dabkeh Group
• Al-Juthoor performs in the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival
• El-Funoon Dabkeh Group