This is an interview for the magazine Brownbook Dubai by Rima Alsamarae

1. ‫األرجنتني‬ ،‫ا‬‫ز‬‫مندو‬ 207206
Dances of the Middle East & North Africa ‫أفريقيا‬ ‫وشامل‬ ‫األوسط‬ ‫الرشق‬ ‫يف‬ ‫الرقصات‬ ‫دليل‬
Kicking off
MENDOZA, Argentina
Images
Daniela Higa
Text
Rima Alsammarae
Tucked away in Argentina’s Mendoza province,
Lebanese and Syrian dancers stomp away
to traditional dabke

2. ‫األرجنتني‬ ،‫ا‬‫ز‬‫مندو‬Mendoza, Argentina 209208
Dances of the Middle East & North Africa ‫أفريقيا‬ ‫وشامل‬ ‫األوسط‬ ‫الرشق‬ ‫يف‬ ‫الرقصات‬ ‫دليل‬
‘We dance out of love for our Arab blood,’ says Said Hamdan, director
of Ballet Al Arab, a non-profit organisation based in Argentina’s
Mendoza province.
Formed in 2001, Ballet Al Arab consists of 20 male and female dancers
of Syrian and Lebanese origins. Performing various folk dances from
across the Middle East, one of Ballet Al Arab’s popular troupes is its
Dabke de Hombres.
Dabke is one of the Middle East’s most commonly recognised dances,
with its history firmly planted in Levantine countries like Lebanon,
Jordan and Syria, as well as the greater region from Turkey to Iran.
Performed at various celebrations and gatherings, dabke consists of
circle and line dancing and involves complex jumping and stomping.
And while performances are often spontaneously formed at get-
togethers, some of those living abroad dance dabke not only to stay
connected to their roots, but to also educate others about the Middle
East’s rich cultural history.
According to Hamdan, the ancestors of Ballet Al Arab’s members
moved to Argentina over the past century, and played fundamental
roles in the country’s social development and growth. With
the presence of Argentina’s Arab community spreading across
generations, many Middle Eastern traditions have been preserved,
such as dabke. ‘Our shows always have educational objectives and
bring back nice memories for Arab audiences,’ says Hamdan.
‘The men’s dabke is very similar to the Argentinian malambo,’ he
adds, referring to the South American dance in which footwork
consists of tap dancing, stomping and brisk switches in direction.
‘We perform different versions of men’s dabke – one from Syria,
three from Lebanon and one from Palestine.’
While belly dancing is also popular among women of the Arab
community in Argentina, Hamdan notes that the ‘men’s dabke is
a way to show that men also dance, and with a lot of strength.’
There are a number of names for dabke, according to Anthony Shay,
an associate professor of dance and cultural studies at Pomona
01

3. ‫األرجنتني‬ ،‫ا‬‫ز‬‫مندو‬Mendoza, Argentina 211210
Dances of the Middle East & North Africa ‫أفريقيا‬ ‫وشامل‬ ‫األوسط‬ ‫الرشق‬ ‫يف‬ ‫الرقصات‬ ‫دليل‬
College, California. From dola in Iran to halay in Turkey, variations
of dabke are shared among Middle Eastern and North African
countries. However, like most folk dances, its long history lacks exact
dates and confirmed origins.
‘There are many indications that line dances that are similar to the
dabke have been performed for centuries,’ says Shay. ‘Prehistoric
pottery art throughout the vast region illustrates the same hand-
holding. These depictions suggest that dabke, or dances like it, were
traditionally only performed by men.’
It’s thought that the Palestinian dabke may have originated from
old Canaanite fertility rites, which were performed in part to show
appreciation for rich agriculture. Others, however, trace the tradition
back a few centuries to a time when Levantine houses were made
of stone, wood, straw and mud. As communities built shelter and
worked to ensure the mud was compact, folk songs such as ‘Ala
Dalouna’, or ‘Let’s Go and Help’, were used to keep up morale,
giving way to rhythmic stomping and jumping.
Because dabke is such a widespread tradition, with variations
occuring in nearly all Middle Eastern countries, the garments worn
during performances typically relate to the culture from which the
dancers originate. ‘The clothing most associated with dabke today is
the typical baggy pants worn by Arabs and Kurds in Iraq, Lebanon,
Syria and Jordan. Various shirts, sashes, vests or jackets are also
worn,’ says Shay. ‘The headpieces can range, and include fezzes,
kerchiefs or turbans of various cuts and colours.’
Today, women also tend to participate in dabke. For them, Shay
says the clothing is quite similar – regional costumes are preferred
and typically involve a long dress cut to the mid-calf or ankle. The
dresses, too, are usually worn over trousers.
‘We research and understand that each costume is related to
a particular geography, weather, religion or social class. For example,
during a classic Lebanese dance, the costume for women includes
the tantour,’ Hamdan says, referring to the cone-shaped headdress.
For Ballet Al Arab, each dance’s costume consists of five to
eight pieces, and the organisation’s wardrobe stores nearly 100
We dance out of love for
our Arab blood
Said Hamdan

4. ‫األرجنتني‬ ،‫ا‬‫ز‬‫مندو‬Mendoza, Argentina 213212
Dances of the Middle East & North Africa ‫أفريقيا‬ ‫وشامل‬ ‫األوسط‬ ‫الرشق‬ ‫يف‬ ‫الرقصات‬ ‫دليل‬
different outfits used for public performances. Hamdan finds that
the costumes affect the movements of the dancers, and that the
choreography requires a little creativity to ensure smooth, fluid
motions. ‘The choreographer needs to take into account what the
dancers are wearing so that they can spin, jump and shift well. The
colours of the fabrics also need to complement each other when
dancers are on stage,’ he adds.
Of Ballet Al Arab’s wide array of fashion choices, the Dabke de
Hombres’ royal blue and yellow costumes are perhaps the most
striking – boasting Spanish influences and embroidery evocative of
the costumes worn by bullfighters.
According to Hamdan, Middle Eastern tailors in Mendoza have
designed 80 percent of Ballet Al Arab’s costumes. ‘We only use
national fabrics that are based on original designs. The remaining 20
percent of our garments are sourced from Syria or Lebanon, brought
by members of our group or transported to stores in Argentina. Our
instruments, though, are always brought from abroad.’
Common regional instruments like the oud, mijwiz and the tablah,
a small hand-drum, accompany the folk dance and allow musicians
to provide fast, upbeat tempos. The rhythm of the music typically
calls for sharp footwork. ‘The movements can be small or large,’
says Shay. ‘They usually include squats and other athletic motions.
In a recent Jordanian television broadcast, dabke dancers executed
intricate motions that can be compared to the footwork seen in
dances from Serbia, Macedonia and even Bulgaria.’
While Ballet Al Arab continues to stage productions of Middle
Eastern folk dances, it also offers Arabic language classes and plays,
like its upcoming ‘Roses Garden… A Possible Love’. Centred on an
interfaith love story, the play hopes to shed light on certain cultural
nuances of the Middle East.
Despite Ballet Al Arab’s expansion of services it provides to
its international audiences, dabke remains at the heart of the
organisation. As the only Argentinian dance group that performs
folk dances from different Middle Eastern countries, ‘Ballet Al Arab,’
says Hamdan, ‘keeps Arab culture alive through dabke dancing.’
Across the Middle East, dabke is a common tradition with variations occurring in each country.
From Turkey to Iran, Palestine to Iraq, dabke is a source of pride among many and often
lends itself to culturally-specific costumes, like the keffiyeh.

5. ‫األرجنتني‬ ،‫ا‬‫ز‬‫مندو‬Mendoza, Argentina 215214
Dances of the Middle East & North Africa ‫أفريقيا‬ ‫وشامل‬ ‫األوسط‬ ‫الرشق‬ ‫يف‬ ‫الرقصات‬ ‫دليل‬
02

6. ‫األرجنتني‬ ،‫ا‬‫ز‬‫مندو‬Mendoza, Argentina 217216
Dances of the Middle East & North Africa ‫أفريقيا‬ ‫وشامل‬ ‫األوسط‬ ‫الرشق‬ ‫يف‬ ‫الرقصات‬ ‫دليل‬
03
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7. ‫األرجنتني‬ ،‫ا‬‫ز‬‫مندو‬Mendoza, Argentina 219218
Dances of the Middle East & North Africa ‫أفريقيا‬ ‫وشامل‬ ‫األوسط‬ ‫الرشق‬ ‫يف‬ ‫الرقصات‬ ‫دليل‬

8. ‫األرجنتني‬ ،‫ا‬‫ز‬‫مندو‬Mendoza, Argentina 221220
Dances of the Middle East & North Africa ‫أفريقيا‬ ‫وشامل‬ ‫األوسط‬ ‫الرشق‬ ‫يف‬ ‫الرقصات‬ ‫دليل‬

9. ‫األرجنتني‬ ،‫ا‬‫ز‬‫مندو‬Mendoza, Argentina 223222
Dances of the Middle East & North Africa ‫أفريقيا‬ ‫وشامل‬ ‫األوسط‬ ‫الرشق‬ ‫يف‬ ‫الرقصات‬ ‫دليل‬
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10. ‫األرجنتني‬ ،‫ا‬‫ز‬‫مندو‬Mendoza, Argentina 225224
Dances of the Middle East & North Africa ‫أفريقيا‬ ‫وشامل‬ ‫األوسط‬ ‫الرشق‬ ‫يف‬ ‫الرقصات‬ ‫دليل‬

11. ‫األرجنتني‬ ،‫ا‬‫ز‬‫مندو‬Mendoza, Argentina 227226
Dances of the Middle East & North Africa ‫أفريقيا‬ ‫وشامل‬ ‫األوسط‬ ‫الرشق‬ ‫يف‬ ‫الرقصات‬ ‫دليل‬

12. ‫األرجنتني‬ ،‫ا‬‫ز‬‫مندو‬Mendoza, Argentina 229228
Dances of the Middle East & North Africa ‫أفريقيا‬ ‫وشامل‬ ‫األوسط‬ ‫الرشق‬ ‫يف‬ ‫الرقصات‬ ‫دليل‬
01 For Said Hamdan, the director of Ballet Al Arab,
men’s dabke is a way of illustrating strength and power.
The group’s Dabke de Hombres performs a number of
variations originating from Syria, Lebanon and Palestine
02 Based in Mendoza, Argentina, Ballet Al Arab
performs for Arab and non-Arab audiences, which
allows the group to educate others on the cultural
history of the Middle East
03 In addition to dabke, the dance troupe performs
belly dancing, which Hamdan notes is popular among
audiences, as well as stages plays
04 The dabke costume typically involves wide trousers,
billowing shirts, jackets, sashes and various headpieces.
Each element is related to the country and culture from
which the dancers originate
05 Ballet Al Arab has nearly 100 different costumes in
its collective wardrobe, which includes the ladies’ conical
tantour and the men’s chequered keffiyeh
06 As they assemble into a lined formation, the
members of Ballet Al Arab prepare to take off, wearing
their signature royal blue and yellow costumes
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references
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