Home > All our thematic selections > Dance in the Arab world
The Arab world and dance are interconnected in multiple ways, as illustrated in this selection.
The range is immense, from the sophisticated and sultry dances of Egyptian almahs, a distant legacy of Pharaonic priestesses, to the rough, virile dances of the mountain people of Yemen and the Atlas, along with the festive dances celebrating weddings and the traditional mixed achwar, in which lines of men and women face off in a call and response, combining pure dance and poetic jousting.
Also included are contemporary developments in this ancestral art, fueled by talented choreographers borrowing inspirations from modern dances and hip hop.
All these elements are illustrated in multiple documents available at the Institut du Monde Arabe: books, photographs, documentaries and feature films.