Khaliji is a style of dance and music from the Persian Gulf or Arabian Gulf region, the “Khalig,” including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The dance is largely improvisational, performed by pairs or groups of men for their own entertainment at special celebrations, such as weddings. The dance is most commonly performed to a hypnotic 2/4 rhythm with two heavy beats and a pause, called the saudi, khaliji, or adany rhythm (from Yemen). It should be noted that there is not one khaliji rhythm but hundreds, as this dance represents many countries of the Gulf area. In Saudi Arabia and Qatar the dance is called Raqs Khaliji (Dance of the Gulf); in Kuwait it is called Samri (Saumri); and in the UAE it is called Raks Al Nasha’ar. The dancers wear bright, oversized overdresses called the thobe or thobe nasha’ar, worn without a hip belt. They carry a traditional Arab sword or a curve knife.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 17:18:26 +0000
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