Dabke

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Dabke (also transliterated from the Arabic as debke, ""dabka,"" and dabkeh) is the traditional folk dance of the Levant, going back generations, and is also the national dance of Lebanon and Palestine. It can be danced by men, women, or both, with different steps and different rhythms being more common in different areas of the Middle East. Dabke is a dance of community, often performed at weddings and other joyous occasions. Like other folk dances of Turkey, Greece, Armenia, and Eastern Europe, dabke is a line dance, similar to the hora and Ashkenazic freilekhs.

However, it is also a dance of solidarity and a way of expressing nationalism and the age-old presence of Arab art and culture in a positive way. 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 rhythym, emphasizing their connection to their land. The meaning of "dabke" in Arabic is "stomping of the feet," and stomping, as well as jumping and kicking, are moves that characterize the dabke in a unique manner. The leader, called raas (meaning "head") or "lawwih" (meaning "waver"), is allowed to improvise on the type of dabke being danced, and he or she would also be twirling 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 to punctuate the rhythym. Many learn dabke as children, while others perform it as part of professional dance troupes.

Dabke was popularized and modernized during the Twentieth Century by Lebanese composers Assi and Mansour Rahbani and singers like Zaki Nassif, Fairuz, Wadih el Safi, and Nasri Shamseddine, all who performed at the legendary Baalbek Festival. This was held at the ancient Roman temples of Baalbek, Lebanon. Some famous performers of various troupes in Lebanon included Alain Merheb, Kigham, and Hassan Harfouche. Lebanon's most famous dabke troupe was the Firkat el Arz. Some internationally famous dabke troupes today include Ibdaa, Sareyyet Ramallah, and El-Funoun, all based in Palestine.

Origin

There are several theories on its origin, none which are well documented. Some say it was the Turks who introduced it, since most Middle Eastern cultures with line dancing were under Ottoman influence. It is more likely though that the relatively new Turks were influenced by the Kurds, Greeks, Arabs and Armenians given the fact that their cultures are more ancient and prevalent in the Middle East. However, the Turks may have received the dance from the Gypsies (or vice versa) since most instruments affiliated with the dabke are also affiliated with Gypsies, particularly the Ghajar and Nawar tribes who populate the Middle East: buzuk, tabl, mijwiz, mizmar, minjayra, and kamanja (rababa). Some popular dabke songs, like Ala Ain Moulayiteen have Turkish Gypsy counterparts (Shashkin is its name in Turkish). It may also have influenced North Indian dancing.

Another theory of its origin relates to the well-known dabke song Ala Dalouna. The inhabitants of the Levant used to live in houses built from stones and roofs were made out of wood, straws, and dirt. Every time before it rained, the roof was supposed to be compacted, and they use to compact it with a rolling stone, or mahdaleh. But before the mahdaleh, they use to compact it with their feet, and this event needed many strong men that had to stomp the dirt hard in a uniform way that would 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." Therefore, the dabke and the rhythmic songs go together in an attempt to keep the work fun and useful. Eventually musicians would play for them so that the roof was stamped down in a homogeneous way, sealing all the cracks and compacting the dirt, making the water flow down the roof without going inside the house.

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