UCLA Dabke Troupe works to stomp on hunger crisis in Somalia benefit banquet
courtesy of UCLA Dabke Troupe
Today, 6:30 p.m.
Ackerman Ballroom, FREE
By Noor Eid
Nov. 16, 2011 12:09 a.m.
In Arabic, “dabke” means “stomping of the feet,” but in parts of the Middle East, it is also a traditional style of dance commonly performed at Arabic celebrations such as weddings.
The UCLA Dabke Troupe will be among several artistic acts to perform at Somalia Hunger Crisis: A Benefit Banquet, sponsored by the United Arab Society (UAS) and the Habesha Student Association.
Co-captain of the troupe Nicole Salame, a fourth-year international development studies student, said the members are preparing to put on an exciting and lively performance to captivate the audience and hopefully get students interested in the cultural dance.
“This event is about educating people about the hunger crisis in East Africa and is an opportunity for us to also get people to be a part of our community and others around campus,” said Salame.
The Dabke Troupe often performs at UAS events, and the UAS Annual Culture Show is considered their biggest event of the year, according to Marian Saddi, co-captain of the troupe and a fourth-year psychology student.
At UCLA, the group has taken the stage at cultural events such as Global Get Down and World Fest. Saddi said that this year, she hopes for the troupe to be involved in the same types of “world events” on the UCLA campus.
“We are always excited to perform at such events because we get a chance to experience dances from other regions of the world and collaborate with them in one unified performance,” Saddi said.
According to Salame, the group first stomped on UCLA’s campus in 2006, when students who shared a love and interest for dabke decided to expose the rest of the university to a new culturally based art form from the Levant region (Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan). All the founders were members of UAS, and even today most members of the troupe are involved in both.
In a traditional dabke performance, dancers form an open circle, and the leader of the circle (or the “head”) initiates a particular step that the rest of the circle follows, dancing to the beat of Arabic music.
Salame said she and Saddi are interested in infusing these more traditional aspects of dabke with other modes of dance, such as hip-hop, to make the dance appeal to more people. Aside from practicing their old routines and creating new ones, members of the group also prepare their costumes, which are traditional clothes worn in the Levant, modified for dancing.
Saddi and Salame both said that the troupe has a wonderful sense of unity and passion.
“Before every performance we do a good luck ritual: We stand in a straight line and low five each other’s hands, one behind the other, before we march onto stage,” Salame said.
Elias Massoud, a graduate student, said dabke has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember. He said he joined this troupe to share his love and enthusiasm for the dance with others.
“Students should come out and see the performance because it is a very unique style of dance that anyone can enjoy,” Massoud said. “The fast tempo, high jumping and loud stomping is enough reason for anyone to want to indulge in this cultural dance.”
