Aafke’s this comment reminded me that on another blog I had promised to show you a traditional Khaleeji dance in which women sway and swish their hair from side to side.
Up till the late 80s this was a common sight on national television in the UAE but then there came more money and more awareness and the consequent feelings of superiority that their women should not be seen swishing their hair like this.
Anyway, it is an interesting dance; much better than the rifle throwing and stick swinging camel-like dance steps the men do.
Watch this clip and around 1.00 you will see pretty young girls dancing like little butterflies.
The women (and men) do this hair swishing at darbars in Pakistan as part of the “halat” they sink into.
I should see that. Didn’t know about that.
The girls are übercute!
What’s the song about?
They are singing a song for the late President’s wife who is known as Umm Emiraat (mother of the UAE).
I love the traditional dances. We also do it during out traditional weddings too. I did it on my wedding and we wear a traditional garb which looks like bu-dhel (the omani traditional dress, short in front and longer on the back part with a huge wide belt it could be silver, bronze or gold according to what you got, the belt I wore has been passed along for generations in my family!)
We do the *swishing* of the hair thingy too, its like the main event for the bride and everyone sits down to watch (yap, no pressure there, lol).
Sf, Yemenis and Omanis do *other* interesting dances too, don’t they?
I tried to look for something that would be similar to what we do but couldn’t get anything. Though the ladies were wearing the dress I was trying to *explain*. LOL. You know, they use the traditional drums but some people have stopped doing it because they say its haraam. :S
You know in Waseem’s grad concert,a group of 6 yr olds performed a khaleeji dance.We were kind of confused with all the sticks the boys were using.Now I get the idea
I liked it very much.The children are so beautiful,mashallah!!
The hair swishing is the 1st time I’ve seen in a dance.The other hair swishing I know,which is common is when an Indian woman goes into a trance
I must see the trance dance!
Moroccan women also do an amazing hair dance. My friend has a tape of it from her wedding. Almost like their necks are made out of rubber or something…….amazing.
Oh they look lovely!
No achelois, you need to show the ma3layah dance and explain that one! LOL!
Yep in videos it is all pre pubescent girls or Moroccan or Lebanese or even Russian women with dyed black flat ironed hair doing this dance.
I believe that Saudi salafi influence and a stronger influence of a sort of pan-Khaleeji identity pushed the abaya and shayla (the original aba look nothing like the modern ones but don’t say that the abaya isn’t the traditional dress to an Emirati because it has certainly been promoted as such in the nat’l consciousness) and no dancing in public, no mixed weddings etc. It seems to me that it was a lot more “open” before.
Chab, chab, chab – eib
Haha. Oh, God. The first time my husband say the ma3layah he said “no wonder their women need to be circumcised!” Haha.
Yes, it was a lot more open. My father came to the UAE in 1965 and then in 1968 on business and he used to say it was very different. We have photos from the 1960s and the women were very different.
The ma3layah is one *nasty* dance. People say it actually originated from Iran. The first time I saw the ma3layah, I had my this expression :O
That’s fascinating – what are its origins? Does it have anything to do with drying the hair?
Haha! No drying of hair there.
er..looks like they are mimicking some mating ritual from natgeo. no offense intended
how do we pronounce ma3laya?
OMG! That was reaaally open… like children watching them shake butts and all! Don’t they have age limit?
We watch these every year during the festival in Dubai that comes after Eid. Usually they cover it well on the Dubai channel.
Yes they do, don’t they? But no Emirati dances on TV now. Those are Arabs from other countries or like Fatima said Russians as well.
meanwhile the ma3laya video’s on youtube are about the most obscene videos I’ve ever seen.
I was totally shocked when I saw it the first time
It is just African dancing. There are similar/exact same dances in the horn of africa and in east africa, and the UAE and other gulf countries have strong historical and cultural connections there. I don’t feel it’s obscene unless it happens to be prosttutes doing it, which is what many of the utube vids show. but at a segregated wedding, it is just for fun. never seen them bump bootays like that tho. you know some cousin took those girls video and put it online, for shame.
I guess it’s ok if it’s done at a segregated wedding but not like this …so OPEN. It even looks vulgar. I’m also aware that such dancing occurs in Indian events too with traditional garb and all.And in most cases attended by men.
Luckyfatima, you talking about *chakacha/kata*?? LOL.
OMG I just spent too long watching the other vids on that link. haraam on me, lemme go wash my eyes out w/soap now. all i can say is that i have seen this dance done live at weddings and it is by girls standing up! those vids are, oh my…
Haha! You are so cute.
I have seen it at a wedding but it was segregated. Even then I found it very weird and a little obscene. I was very uncomfortable watching all that shaking. Oh, was that a video put on to shame? That’s not good. I’m removing the link.