Dance in the Arabian Peninsula

Dancing has long been considered indispensable at Arabian weddings and other social celebrations. Dancing forms part of religious and national holidays, harvest celebrations in agricultural areas, and rituals connected with fishing and, in the past, with pearling. Small social gatherings of friends and family often include some dancing. Each district, and sometimes each village, has its own dances, and there are more than a hundred named dances in the region. These constitute an important folk tradition...