Traditional music and dance
Traditional music is less and less visible and audible in the capital. However, outside the capital, one can easily enjoy national traditions such as Al-Ayyala, one of the most emblematic dances of the emirates. Also known as yollah, this practice combines sung poetry, percussion and dance whose choreography simulates a battle. The latter sees two rows of about twenty men facing each other, dressed in white kandoura
and equipped with canes, symbolizing spears or swords. Between the rows, musicians play drums and other percussion instruments, to the rhythms of which the dancers sway from one foot to the other, while brandishing the sticks and singing a melodious poetic song. Al-Ayyalah is performed during weddings and other festivities. It remains a pillar of Emirati culture, so much so that in 2014, it was added to UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.In the same martial spirit, the harbiyah (from the Arabic death " harb ", meaning "war") is also danced in two lines of men facing each other in a staged confrontation. Another popular dance in the country, the haban
takes its name from the instrument that gives the tempo and the melody, a kind of bagpipe made of goat skin. The performance of this complex dance sees groups of male and female dancers move in a regular two-step rhythm, back and forth, while musicians play between the rows. This traditional dance is particularly popular during weddings.Much more striking, and also rarer, is the Al-Na'ashat
hair dance, which is performed by very young girls with long jet tips. Dressed in colorful silks, the dancers swing their heads from right to left in a dazzling movement. An expression of Bedouin celebration, this traditional and sensual practice illustrates the very diverse influences to which the nomads were subjected, far from the region's strict Mohammedan rules.One of the most ancient musical forms deeply rooted in the desert is undoubtedlyAl-Taghrooda
. Originating with Bedouin camel drivers, this improvised sung poetry was originally used to encourage animals to walk in rhythm, or even to speed up the pace. Short poems of seven lines or less, repeated alternately by two groups of riders, these poems are also performed around a fire or during festivities such as weddings and celebrations like camel races. Transmitted orally through the family or community elders, Taghrooda is still very important in Emirati culture, and was logically inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012.In the same family, there is also in the United Arab Emirates (as well as in Saudi Arabia and Oman) the Ghna'a Al-Rukban
, derived from the songs of camel herders who once recited verses to entertain themselves in silence and encourage each other on long journeys through the desert void. The texts evoke love, friendship, honor and sometimes war.In general, most of the traditional instruments found in Abu Dhabi and the Emirates are more or less the same - though often named differently - as those used in the rest of the Persian Gulf. These include the oud, one of the main Arab instruments, which is quite similar to a mandolin, or more rarely, percussion instruments such as the manior, a cotton belt with goat hooves that rattles with the dancer's movements, or the taba
, a drum that comes in a variety of sizes and shapes. All of these instruments are made from local materials available locally, such as animal skins, hooves, bones, wood, etc.In order to ensure the preservation and transmission of its heritage, the Emirati Ministry of Culture encourages the work of the National Folk Arts Group, a kind of folklore troupe performing throughout the Emirate and abroad, which passes on the region's musical, poetic and choreographic heritage. It is a way for the latter to resist the disheveled modernization of the peninsula.
It is common for traditional performances to take place during festivals celebrating Abu Dhabi's cultural heritage - which are becoming increasingly numerous in the emirate. Also, troupes regularly perform at the Louvre Museum.Classical music
While classical music (in its Western sense) was once used as a luxurious sound wallpaper, the genre is now taken very seriously in the country since the establishment of the Abu Dhabi Classical Music Festival in 2010 (Abu Dhabi Festival), which attracts orchestras from all over the world and takes place over several months in the capital as well as in Al Ain.
Two local figures are worth mentioning: Ihab Darwish, an Emirati composer with a strong presence in the peninsula who never fails to present his new symphonic works at the Abu Dhabi Festival, and Hoda Ibrahim al-Khamis Kanoo, a Syrian-Saudi star of the arty
scene and the instigator of the Abu Dhabi Classical Music Festival. A great friend of the arts, she founded, in 1996, the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) which, through a wide range of programs and projects, tries to bring together all audiences in the United Arab Emirates and abroad while promoting intercultural dialogues and access to culture. The emirate has another major event dedicated to the genre, theAbu Dhabi Classics, an important event that runs from October to May, inviting great musicians throughout Abu Dhabi every year.Popular music
Given the popularity of traditional music in the country, the genre has some stars. Among the most followed, we find first of all some Dabians: Abdel Moneim Al Ameri, Mohamed El Mazem and especially Tariq Al Menhali, a key performer of the local musical heritage and the official composer of the Crown Prince of Dubai (all the same!). And then some names adored in all the emirates like Mehad Hamad, appreciated for his songs about the desert and his patriotic texts, Eida Al Menhali, known for his a cappella poetry called " Al Shallat" or Hussain Al Jassmi, one of the most famous Emirati singers in the world. More pop, Ahlam (a Dabian) is adored by Emiratis, especially since she acts as a judge for shows such asArab Idol
. Another important female voice today is Balqees Fathi, who has become a youth idol with her very smooth and pop productions. All of them play - or have played - khaliji, a contemporary music that is very popular in the Persian Gulf and even the Arab world. This hyphen between traditional and pop music is rich in oud and violin and mixes many elements of African, Indian, Iranian and local music. Still popular, khaliji is being modernized by younger generations, such as Shamma Hamdan - a singer famous for being the first Emirati woman to be a finalist in a season of Arabs' Got Talent - who offers an R&B version, or Fayez Al Saeed, whose biggest fan is none other than Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
