Assignment 10: Participation Discussion: Values in Ahidous or Dabkeh (W4)

Values Shown in  Ahidous  OR Dabkeh

Choose 1 Group Dance, either Ahidous of the Ait Khabbash, or Dabkeh of the Palestinians of the Jordan Valley.

Name one specific value that is being expressed (identity), reinforced (process)  and learned (educational)  in your chosen dance.   Give specific evidence from the dance or context of the dance to support your answer.  (All the values shown in the dance are not necessarily stated in the material.  You may add your own view, but you must do a good job of supporting your assertion.)

Broad answers such as “culture,”  ” tradition,”  or “religion” are not acceptable.

All dances express culture, tradition, and/or religion. I am asking you to tell me a specific value that you know this culture and tradition holds because of their dance.

I will apply the discussion question to Tahtib (the combat dance we studied) to give you a clearer idea of how to answer.

Tahtib shows the values of honor and social harmony. How does tahtib reveal these? Because in Tahtib the participants are expected to win through strategy and following the rules- they must be honorable. The rules themselves also uphold honor. No hitting below the elbow shows that they are not trying to disarm their opponent, they are combating a person who is equally matched (they also have a weapon). Lastly, the value of social harmony is revealed in the fact that they are not supposed to hurt their opponent. If they actually cause another injury, they can be shamed. Additionally, if a fight actually breaks out during the tahtib, the community will come in and stop it. The tahtib is won in a fair manner without injuring or degrading anyone; social harmony is upheld.

Assignment 10: Participation Discussion: Values in Ahidous or Dabkeh (W4) Answer 

Dabkeh is a dance where people are lined up holding hands while participating and performing. There is no formal way to learn the dance; one must learn how to participate in the group so one can dance it. Shamaliyaa is one of dabkeh’s forms and it takes the form of strict compliance to dance in a line and not breaking the line. The movements include footwork while maintaining the line.