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Dabkeh is a traditional folk dance from the Levant region. This region predominantly covers Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine. The word dabkeh means to stomp in Arabic and is derived from the word دب / deb which means ‘beat’ as you stomp your feet to the beat of the music. The origins of this dance date back to when houses in this region were built of wood and mud and whenever cracks appeared in the ceiling, all the neighbours would come together and stamp their feet on the roof to make sure the cracks are properly covered with fresh mud and in turn repaired.
This act became a symbol of unity and communal love and transformed into a traditional group dance, each country developing its own variations.
Dabkeh is usually danced at joyous occasions like weddings and birthdays but since the Nakba, (the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians in 1948) Dabkeh has developed to represent a demonstration of resistance and unity against oppression.
More recently, amid Israel’s ongoing onslaught on Gaza, the dance has taken the internet by storm, performed around the world at demonstrations as a symbol of resilience and solidarity with the Palestinians.
For a YouTube example of the dancing please see:
Location: The Parish Room, St Peters Church, Wolvecote, Oxford, OX2 8AQ
No partner or costume necessary.
Please wear wear jeans/ leggings/ tracksuit bottoms (no skirts or dresses)
Over 18s only.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
St Peter's Church, Wolvercote, Post Office, First Turn, Oxford, OX2 8, United Kingdom,Oxford, Oxfordshire
