Zoom on… the Dabke

Thanks to Ibtissem, oriental dancer and teacher in Toulouse (France), for her in-depth explanations concerning the Dabke (also called Dabkeh/Dabka) and Khaligi.

You will soon be offering a Dabke workshop. What is it? What are the dance's origins and its particularities?

Dabke is a traditional line dance from the Middle East. In France, it is often identified as originating from Lebanon. But it is a Bilad El Cham dance which is therefore also practiced in Syria, Palestine, Jordan as well as in part of Egypt. It is also found in Turkey under the name Halay, and in Iraq as Chobi.
Its origin is not known, there are several leads. The hypothesis of a fertility rite with the earth seems to me the most coherent. We often forget that this region is a land of Bedouins, and that they have contributed to enriching it culturally through their travels.
In its festive practice, the movement is carried out in an open circle, from left to right, holding hands or shoulders. A kick is done on the 6th beat (but there are many variations depending on the styles). The move can also be sagittal (forward/backward). The leader holds in his/her right hand a rosary, a scarf, a stick, and performs often acrobatic variants. The energy changes according to the musical pieces and especially if they are sung or instrumental.
Traditionally, the main instruments are the mejwez or the arghoul, and the tabl for percussion. The synthesizer and the drum machine often replace them today.
There are professional Dabke troupes with tabl players for weddings, and dance companies like the famous Caracalla ballet in Lebanon. Movements and steps are then adapted to create choreographies and the full use of the stage space.

What are the differences and similarities between Dabke and traditional Bellydance?

I don't see any similarity with oriental dancing, the pelvis is not used and there are no isolations. In addition, Dabke is a group dance with kicking and footwork, while Oriental dance is a solo dance. However, we find in the Dabke steps and shoulder moves close to the Saidi.
A major noticeable difference is also the musicality. In Dabke, the rhythm is in 4 beats but the musical sentences often in 6 beats (depending on the styles once again). In Sharqi music, the sentences are generally on 8 beats, hence a different dance construction.
Nevertheless, the same way as the Egyptian oriental dancers introduce a passage of folklore into their show, often Saidi (or Nubian, Fellahi, Bambouti…), the Lebanese oriental dancers stage their Dabke with the cane and Bedouin dances. I think of the great Rindala, Howaida El Hashem and of course Nadia Gamal.

What the best dance outfit when practicing a Dabke?

There are several possibilities, here is my interpretation:
-If you introduce a Dabke during a Bellydance performance, then you keep your oriental dancer costume.
-If you want to create a Dakbe scene, leggings, a tunic, a scarf around the waist and shoes (flat or with heels) are perfect.
-Finally, if you want to go further, the traditional Syrian and Lebanese outfits are gorgeous, with long headdresses, embroidered and colorful dresses superimposed on harem pants.
Personally, I really like Palestinian dresses with Sinai-like embroideries. They are less flashy but very beautiful! My Palestinian dance teachers wear them with sneakers, intense Dabke dictates!
Indeed, Dabke is a lively and modern dance, so the urban style jeans sneakers of Beirut, or the fatigues as in Gaza can also be used.
As in many cases, it essentially depends on the purpose you want to give to your dance, the lyrics and the origin of the chosen Dabke.

On what kind of music can we dance the Dabke? Can you give us some examples of music titles?

The field is wide, there are so many styles and regions! But the current record industry particularly highlights Lebanese productions.
There are the songs known by the dancers, and those known by the inhabitants, and unless there is cultural impregnation, it is difficult to be complete.
We generally approach the Dabke by the essential "Al ein moulayetin". In dynamic songs, "Dalouna" and "Jib el mejwez" by Sabah are safe bets.
But you can discover Dabke through the world of artists.
The rising stars of Dabke in Lebanon are Maher Jah and Hussein Al Deek. You can also immerse yourself in previous generations with Najwa Karam, Samira Tawfiq, Fares Karam… and even Fairouz.
In the Syrian Bedouin style, there are Omar Suleyman's songs and I really like Sarya al Sawas.

You recently offered a workshop on the Khaligi's theme, what are also the origins, characteristics and particularities of this style of oriental dance?

It is difficult to answer questions about the Khaligi (Khaleeji/Khaliji) in a clear way because there is no transmission from these countries, it is a conservative culture and women do not dance in public. Likewise, there is no teaching of their dancing. But I will give you my answers because I'm fascinated by this subject. I gathered them from exchanges on forums between enthusiasts, via testimonials from musicians who have worked for Khaligi singers, and from specialized ethnomusicologist writings.
In the region of the Arabian Peninsula, and more specifically the one overlooking the Persian Gulf: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait (Iraq is not a part of it), the "Khaligi", or "adani" refers to commercial and popular music.
With a little history you'll understand better. It was initially a land of Bedouins with businesses in the big cities, pearl fishermen by the ocean who traded with India and practiced slavery. Therefore I see the Khaligi dance as a syncretism of these 3 cultures associating subtle movements of the head and hands characteristic of Iran and India, a very anchored movement, an African release of the bust and head, and oriental small chest and pelvis accents. There are also hand and shoulder vibrations.
Khaligi dance is very close to bandari, a southern Iran dance, which is practiced just on the other side of the Persian Gulf, where the inhabitants come from the same cultural mix. And finally, there is the samri's contribution, with the games of this very wide dress with long, loose sleeves which becomes a real dance accessory. The samri is a Bedouin tradition, sometimes seen as the local tarab, or zar, depending on the proceeding of the evenings dedicated to it.
Hussein Al Jasmi, Rachid Al Majid and the Miami Band's songs are staples of modern Khaligi, but there are dozens of artists to discover…

What is your background as an oriental dancer and then as a teacher?

I learned Bellydance when I was a student in Toulouse. I was a student of local figures of the time, namely Nadia Touhami, Djamila Hanan, Caroline Achouri and Jasmine Abbad. I think I was the worst student ever, I didn't understand my body and it was very laborious. But it came in handy much later when I started teaching. I have unlimited resources in patience because I know that it takes time to know yourself and tame your body.
I was then very academic and hung up until the day an immersion in Egypt swept away many fears. The audience's warmth, encouragement and kindness during a mini "civil" performance in an underground cabaret made me understand that the most important thing was to live your dance, not to make perfect movements in a pre-established order.
I then started to dance in restaurants as well as for local events, and finally teach Bellydance. It's been 15 years… But I've been training constantly and in this area, Nesma Al Andalus is my reference. She teaches oriental dancers to dare to be themselves, shares treasures of information to Bellydance teachers to feed their pedagogy and of course, she has a deep knowledge of Egyptian heritage. All of this with great kindness and a lot of humility!
At the same time, I collaborate with many oriental musicians because music is the key to my teaching and choreographing. I wrote several shows with an orchestra and my students have been dancing to live music at end-of-year galas for several years.
Finally, I had the joy of having set up the Compagnie Farah, bringing together 10 invested and fascinating oriental dancers for 4 ago. We explore the Arab world's music and dances in all their forms. The confinement period linked to the Covid united us and allowed us to imagine and stage a one-hour show on the theme of The Little Red Riding Hood. A new creation is also underway for 2023/2024.

When teaching Bellydance, what types of clothes for the lessons do you prefer to wear? What's your "favorite" outfit in our store?

When I give oriental dance lessons, I like to wear a close-fitting outfit such as leggings and a tank top (or sports bra) on which I have a top with sleeves. I favor colored elements on the pelvis and chest so that the students can better visualize the dissociations.  
For example, I particularly like this yellow dance wrap-over top. I also have a big crush on this striped metallic dance training outfit but I would wear it more on stage with a black or silver belt for a Saidi choreography or a modern Baladi.

Quiver to the Dabke's intensity shown in this demo video:

Discover Ibtissem in a video: