Traditional “Dabkeh” Performed All Season At Global Village

Dubai, 10 November, 2013: Global Village, Dubai's leading family entertainment and cultural attraction, is offering visitors the chance to experience spectacular dances from around the world this season including the famous traditional “Dabkeh” dance tradition from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine.

The traditional folk dances of these Middle Eastern countries are now being performed daily on the Culture Stage and at each country's pavilion stage. Dabkeh is well known as a dance that takes place on celebratory occasions with both men and women taking part.

Each Dabkeh dance is slightly different depending on its country of origin and reflects the local culture and traditions of each nation when the dance is performed.

Folk lore about  the origins of Dabkeh explain that it may have begun as part of the cooperation of villagers to compact the earthen roofs of their houses by getting groups of neighbours together to stamp down evenly to flatten the roofs requiring an even and  rhythmic beat  to be kept. And from this rhythmic beat evolved the songs and dances that helped the hard manual work to pass-by quickly.

The Lebanese Dabkeh takes an energetic and colourful approach to the folk dance with a great deal of leaping and kicking movements in time to the beat. Jordan's take on the traditional dance however relies on a solid beat being kept with both the feet and hands. The Syrian Dabkeh blends both of these to be a solid mix of these two styles, with a unique set of   hand gestures and foot work while the Palestine's Dabkeh incorporates themes of love and community.

The traditional dress worn by male Dabkeh dancers comprises boots; long pants with extra flowing fabric to the knees; shirt and waistcoat; and a headdress or scarf. Women wear long flared skirts, frilly head scarves, and slippers to perform their traditional dance.

The Dabkeh then offers Global Village visitors a stunning way to experience a traditional folklore dance from the region with encouragement from the performers for the audience to get involved by clapping to support the rhythmic beats of the music.