The traditional dances of the Middle East (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: ‎رقص شرق أوسطي) (also known as Oriental dance) span a large variety of

folk traditions Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

throughout

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, and

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

. For detailed information on specific dances of the region, see the main entries as follows: *

Arab dance Arab folk dances (), also referred to as Oriental dance, Middle-Eastern dance and Eastern dance, are the traditional folk dances of the Arabs in Arab world. Arab dance has many different styles, including the three main types of folklore, cla ...

Ardah ''Ardah'' ( / ALA-LC: ''al-‘arḍah'') is a type of folkloric group dance in the Arabian Peninsula, in most countries located in the Gulf Cooperation Council. The dance is performed with two rows of men opposite of one another, each of who ...

Baladi Baladi ( ' relative-adjective 'of town', 'local', 'rural', comparable to English ''folk'', with a lower-class connotation) can refer to an Egyptian musical style, the folk style of Egyptian bellydance (Raqs Baladi), or the Masmoudi Sogheir rh ...

, Belly dance,

Dabke ''Dabke'' ( also spelled ''dabka'', ''dabki'', ''dubki'', ''dabkeh'', plural ''dabkaat'') is a Levantine folk dance, particularly popular among Lebanese, Jordanian, Palestinian, and Syrian communities. Dabke combines circle dance and line da ...

, Deheyeh, Fann at-Tanbura, Hosa, Khaleegy, Mizmar, Raqs sharqi, Shamadan,

Tahtib Tahtib () is the term for a traditional stick-fighting martial art originally named ''fan a'nazaha wa-tahtib'' ("the art of being straight and honest through the use of stick"). The original martial version of tahtib later evolved into an E ...

, Tanoura,

Yowlah The yowlah (, ''al-yawlah'', or العيالة, ''al-ʿayyalah'' or ''al-ʿiyyalah''), is a weapon dance of the United Arab Emirates and Oman, traditionally performed during weddings, celebrations, and other events. The dance is accompanied by ...

Assyrian folk dance Assyrian folk dances are sets of dances that are performed throughout the world by Assyrians, mostly on occasions such as weddings, community parties and other jubilant events. Assyrian folk dances are mainly made up of circle dances like balle ...

: Khigga * Kurdish dance: Dilan * Persian dance: Classical Persian dance *

Turkish dance Turkish folk dances are the folk dances of Turkey. Facing three seas, straddling important trade routes, Turkey has a complex, sophisticated culture, reflected in the variety of its dances. The dominant dance forms are types of line dance. There ...

Çiftetelli Tsifteteli () or Çiftetelli, is a rhythm and belly dance of Anatolia and the Balkans (particularly Greece). In Turkish the word means "double stringed", taken from the violin playing style that is practiced in this kind of music. There are su ...

Halay Halay is the national dance of Turkey and refers to a broad category for all circular and line dances performed throughout the country. Today, it is danced by Turks, Kurds, and Greeks, among others. Halay and similar dances are parts of multiple a ...

* Jewish dance: Hora, Tza'ad Teimani, Israeli Folk Dances Western dance is also incorporated in the Middle East.

References

External links

Turkish-Egyptian folk dance videos

From dabke to buraa, dance is integral to Middle Eastern culture

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See also

References

Further reading

External links