Dabké-MOULAYETEEN

Dabke (Arabic: دبكة; also transliterated dabka,dabki and dabkeh) is an Arab folk dance native to the Levant. It is popular in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Syria and Iraq. A line dance, it is widely performed at weddings and joyous occasions. The leader of the dabke heads the line, alternating between facing the audience and the other dancers....History: According to one folk tradition, the dance originated in the Levant where houses were built from stone with a roof made of wood, straw and dirt. The dirt roof had to be compacted which required stomping the dirt hard in a uniform way to 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 Dal Ouna (على دلعونا), or roughly translated "Let's go and help". The dabke and the rhythmic songs go together in an attempt to keep the work fun and useful.