The Palestinian Dance
The Palestinian dance, also known as “Dabkeh”, is one of the most well-known dances in the worldwide. The Dabkeh is performed in many countries like Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan. Each country has different Dabkeh movements than the other. Also, there are different Dabkeh songs depending on the culture and the traditions of the country. As for the Palestinian Dabkeh, it is considered the most famous dance in the Arab region and the Middle-East. It is performed in weddings, joyous occasions and cultural events. It is classified under the line dances because the dancers stand up in one line while performing. However, in some parts the dancers break the line by changing their places.
The Dabkeh was formed in the Levant, the region that include Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, where the houses were built from stone and wood. It unites people from different families and strengthens the bond of brotherhood between them. Dabkeh is based on harmonized foot stomping. The dancers can stand either in a straight line, in an arch, or in a circle. When they stand in a straight line or in an acrh, dancers can hold hands or shoulders to create harmony and synchronization. Whereas when they form a circle, they hold shoulders so that the circle shape is maintained. Male or female dancers perform Dabkeh as a part of the traditions. It can be danced separately or integrated depending on the number of dancers and the occasion. Dabkeh was performed in occasions and events especially popular at weddings and is performed by a group of no less than ten people called dabke dancers “dabeeka”. They are accompanied by a flute player and oriental drum where the dancers listen to the tempo and perform according to the rhythm. Aft...
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... perform a dance that was formed from scratch.
References
Andonia, B. (2013, October 23). Dabke – Folklore Dance of the Levant. . Retrieved , from http://www.travelujah.com/blogs/entry/Dabke-Folklore-Dance-of-the-Levant
Katamesh, K. (n.d.). Palestine through Dance. this week in palestine. Retrieved , from http://thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=3057&ed=180&edid=180
Todd, R. (1988, Jul 25). Palestinian dance group shows nationalistic fervor. The Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.aus.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/239218556?accountid=16946
Rowe, N. (2011). Dance and political credibility: The appropriation of dabkeh by zionism, pan-arabism, and palestinian nationalism. The Middle East Journal, 65(3), 363-380. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.aus.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/882854466?accountid=16946
The concept that belly dance is a constantly evolving dance might surprise most people, as the static Orientalist image of the belly dancer is the one that pervades American popular culture. I and other scholars attempt to remove belly dance from the ridged framework of Orientalism and the harem fantasy. By the following how belly dance arrived in America, and how images of belly dancers and harems became part of the visual culture of the West I have attempted to demonstrate that there are aspects of power and a different reading of images of belly dance is possible. Through continued scholarly inquiry and research I look forward to the emergence of a new image of belly dance, one that represents the power and beauty of this dance, an image that is respectful of the many cultures that it represents.
Nisan, Mordechai. "The Druze In Israel: Questions Of Identity, Citizenship, And Patriotism." Middle East Journal 64.4 (2010): 575-596. Academic Search Premier. Web. 06 Nov. 2013.
The elements of body, timing and a repetitive sequence make this second piece a memorable one in Ohad Naharin’s Deca Dance. These components work together in order to portray a theme of confinement and uniformity. These dancers move in simultaneous and restricted movements as they try to break free from routine, which they are able to do in the
Bangarra Dance Theatre’s phenomenon entitled Mathinna entails the awe-inspiring, yet historically enlightening journey of an Aboriginal girl who was taken from her home and forced to conform to the westernised norms of the 1800’s. In an era plagued by racism and prejudice, Mathinna emanates the themes of colonialism, and cultural intolerance. Following the viewing of this scintillating production it is undeniably clear that the architect of Mathinna, Stephen Page, has deliberately intended to shed light on the immoral practice of forcibly removing Indigenous children as well as address the issue of social and cultural erosion to emotionally move those of modern audiences. This essay serves to further elaborate on the cultural undertones of
This dance they get into nature by way of rhythm and it can make your body
Every dance that is created by a choreographer has a meaning and or purpose behind it. The dance choreographed could be used to send a political, emotional, or a social message. Regardless of the message being sent, each dance created possesses a unique cultural and human significance. This essay will examine and analyze two dance works from history and give an insight into what each dance work provided to the society of its time.
Christopher Bruce, a famous contemporary choreographer, is known for his human rights themes in his dances, which emerge naturally as a reflection of his own concerns. ‘Ghost Dances’, one of his most well-known pieces, is a response to the political oppression in South America, specifically the reign of Chilean dictator Pinochet. Bruce said of his dance that; “I made this ballet for the innocent people of South America, who from the time of the Spanish Conquests have been continuously devastated by political oppression… I want people to be moved and feel something for these people. They may not be able to do much, but public opinion in the end means something, and that is a way that I, as an artist, can do my bit for humanity.” (Programme Notes, 1981) Christopher Bruce achieved his aim through “Ghost Dances” by moving and affecting the audiences, changing and altering public opinion. His research into the South American political oppressions enables him to effectively portray the devastation surrounding the issue and the culture it occurs in.
Murphy, Maureen Clare. Rev. of Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land, dir. Bathsheba Ratzkoff & Sut Jhally. The Electronic Intifada 26 March 2004.
In the display of Gullah song lyrics, Turner notes that the words were accompanied by handclapping, drumming, and dancing (256). While in Ghana I visited Nana Abass’ shrine of African traditional worship, where I was able to engage in spiritual service. The key component of the service was the dancing, singing, handclapping, and drumming. These methods were used to call in the presence of the spirits. Thus, one can assume that the combination of such elements in Gullah song is a spiritual
In 2005, the Palestinian director and writer, Hany Abu-Assad, released his award winning motion picture, “Paradise Now.” The film follows two Palestinian friends, over a period of two days, who are chosen by an extremist terrorist group to carry out a suicide mission in Tel-Aviv during the 2004 Intifada. The mission: to detonate a bomb strapped to their stomachs in the city. Because the film industry seldom portrays terrorists as people capable of having any sort of humanity, you would think the director of “Paradise Now” would also depict the two main characters as heartless fiends. Instead he makes an attempt to humanize the protagonists, Khaled and Said, by providing us with a glimpse into their psyches from the time they discover they’ve been recruited for a suicide bombing operation to the very last moments before Said executes the mission. The film explores how resistance, to the Israeli occupation, has taken on an identity characterized by violence, bloodshed, and revenge in Palestinian territories. Khaled and Said buy into the widely taught belief that acts of brutality against the Israeli people is the only tactic left that Palestinians have to combat the occupation. In an effort to expose the falsity of this belief, Hany Abu-Assad introduces a westernized character named Suha who plays the voice of reason and opposition. As a pacifist, she suggests a more peaceful alternative to using violence as a means to an end. Through the film “Paradise Now,” Abu-Assad not only puts a face on suicide bombers but also shows how the struggle for justice and equality must be nonviolent in order to make any significant headway in ending the cycle of oppression between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Gerner, Deborah J., and Philip A. Schrodt. "Middle Eastern Politics." Understanding the contemporary Middle East. 3rd ed. Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008. 85 -136. Print.
Jonas, Gerald. Dancing: The Pleasure, Power, and Art of Movement. New York: Abrams, 1992. Print.
Gerner, Deborah J., and Philip A. Schrodt. "Middle Eastern Politics." Understanding the Contemporary Middle East. 3rd ed. Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008. 85 -136. Print.
The article Regime-Made Disaster: On the Possibility of Nongovernmental Viewing collected from the book Sensible Politics: The Visual Culture of Nongovernmental Activism, New York, NY: Zone Books, 2012. The author Ariella Azoulay who is an art curator, filmmaker, and theorist of photography and visual culture, currently she is working as an assistant professor at Brown University. However, her study discloses a detail view how the Israeli regime turns the photography of their invasion on Palestinians to benevolent photographs of Palestinian refugees.
...unication and visits , and the habits of the population Damascus, for example , where they go for a walk or to the Tor and called Gota ( Alserran ) . We see in Syria dance dabke famous , a dance collective hooking the hands of dancers and her rhythms dysfunctional suffices type and by region , there Dabke tenderness and Dabke the Syrian coast , the same Dabke in Mount Lebanon and Dabke Druze Mountain and the Euphrates and shield ... and the basis of this dance goes back to prehistoric times where it was on what is believed to have been dancing in the harvests and Agriculture for fun and relaxation in a bear zeal peasants. In conclusion, each state customs and traditions that got them since ancient times, which is still Thtfd out, both countries also differ and are similar in many of the things that where both Arab and Muslim, and differ in their culture a little.