Morocco is The Home of Traditional Dances
Morocco has different traditional dances and musical styles rooted in Arab, Berber and African culture. The Moroccan arts reflect the many cultural backgrounds and ethnicity that have found their home in Morocco. That’s why the Moroccan dance varies from one place to another.
As a visitor, you can experience these Moroccan dances by attending local weddings and parties, going to dance shown at hotels and restaurants, or attending Moroccan festivals.
Here are the famous Moroccan dances :
*”Shikat“ : is the dance commonly known as the “Belly dance” , it is one of the many dance traditions of Morocco. Professional “shikat” wear colorful costumes with tight, midriff baring sequined tops and long loose skirts or pants. This dance is characterized by sensual hip movements and often, the women wear a hip scarf to bring attentions to the movements of the lower body.
* “Guedra“: is a traditional dance of the Tuareg Berber. Only women take part in the dance, and they usually wear loose blue robes and festive head dresses decorated with cowrie shells.
To perform Guedra, a group of women kneel in a circle and the group starts singing and clapping. One woman moves into the middle to perform a solo. The soloist starts her dance covered in a veil that is gradually removed as she moves her hands and shoulders. Most of her solo is performed while kneeling because she might stand up during the dance. The dance ends when the solo dancer throws off the veil and collapses on her back.
* “Ahwash“: is performed in the High Atlas Mountains, the Ahwash dance takes place around a fire. The male sit in a circle playing wooden bendir drums while the women stand motionless in a large circle. As the rhythm of the drums increase the women sway more following the beats.
* “Gnaoua“: Gnaoua music has sub-Saharan roots, it is performed usually by a group of men to evoke saints and drive away evil. The music is percussive, accompanied by Moroccan metal castanets called “Qraqab” and an oboe-like instrument called the “Ghaita”, and dancing involves jumping and acrobatic movements.
* ” Chaabi“ : (popular in English): is a music consisting of numerous varieties which descend from the multifarious forms of Moroccan folk music. Chaabi was originally performed in markets, but is now found at any celebration or meeting.
* “Sufi music“: is a means of connecting to the Divine through chanting and dance. But it’s more than simply worship; it also serves a therapeutic purpose. When someone is depressed or otherwise mentally ill, Sufi consider the sufferer to be endiablé – inhabited by a devil. If you want to attend a Sufi party, time your trip to coincide with the Fez Festival of the World Sacred Music.
* “ Classical Mulhun“ : is peaceful and very interesting to listen to. it has been played around in the streets of Morocco for over a thousand years. It is very common music to hear in Morocco.
These dances represent a sample of the types of dances you can see performed in Morocco. Other folk dances include “houara” (a dance of the Inezgane area), “ahidous” (a tribal dance of the Middle Atlas), “ouais” (a type of Arab ballet), “taskiouine“(a warrior dance), and “haha” (a male dance accompanied by flute).