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l o n e l y p l a n e t . c o m l o n e l y p l a n e t . c o m

Arts and Culture (p112). Performances are often filmed and broadcaston television.

Syrias elite love nothing more than to catch a performance by theRussian Ballet, a French contemporary dance group or even Cirque deSoleil at Dar Al Assad, but seeing contemporary Syrian dance is virtuallyimpossible. Travellers have a greater chance of seeing the traditional Le-

vantine dance, the dabke.This energetic folk dance is performed at wed-dings and celebrations throughout the region. People join hands and areled by a master dancer. The dance can also be seen in tourist-orientedrestaurants where dancers wear the traditional costume of the mountainsand portray aspects of village life. Far more fun is when a spontaneousdabke erupts at a wedding or social occasion, and people form circles andstart to move. You may also catch a glimpse of some raqs sharki (bellydancing) at a wedding or a women only social occasion. Belly dancers,with their gyrating hips and spangled bikinis, are one of the Middle Eastsmost famous sights, and belly dancing is still very popular in the region,although these days many dancers are not even Arab.

far more fun

is when aspontaneous

dabkeerupts

at a wedding

or social

occasion

74 S Y R I A S C U LT U R E A r t s 75

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