Spotlight on KHALEEGY

Today we bring you the beautiful colours of Khaleegy, one of or favourite styles of Middle Eastern Dance. If you’re a newbie to all things Bellydance or have yet to experience Khaleegy – this one is for you!

Khaleegy is a traditional folkloric dance from the Persian Gulf. Hailing from regions of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE, it is a very distinctive style in terms of  movement and costuming.

The term “Khaleegy” itself means “of the gulf”, and was first coined in Egypt by dancers interested in the gulf styles of dance. The meaning of the dance is related to the sea and water, and pays tribute to the beauty and richness of the gulf region.

Khaleegy costuming involves long colourful flowing gowns called thobes, which are decadent and full of embroidery. Dancers use the thobe through the dance to create undulating figures resembling the waves of the sea.

Khaleegy dance can be described as joyful, lively, expressive, gestural and delicate. The main movements are done in a very feminine and rhythmical way, using the hands, the head and the thobe itself. The hands make gestures with different meanings, representing sea creatures like fish or turtles and can also represent feelings. Women also let their long hair dance, moving it from side to side, back and forth and in circles making many shapes.

What we love about Khaleegy is the sense of joy and freedom we feel when we dance it. But don’t take our word for it! You can learn and experience the joys of this beautiful style for yourself through our upcoming Khaleegy Online Dance Course coming soon.

In the mean time, check out our YouTube here to see this joyous dance in action! Featured is our Bellydance performance group dancing to a song entitled “Mahtoubah” meaning “It is written”. See if you can notice the hand gestures resembling hand writing throughout the dance. We just loved putting this one together!

You can also follow our Khaleegy Spotify Playlist to gain access to some of our favourite songs.

Happy Friday everyone!