ABSTRACT

Geographically and culturally, the Arab world is large and diverse, a fact that can be seen in the wide array of traditional dance and patterned movement styles found in this area, which stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Persian Gulf. Because Arab Islamic tradition requires a strict segregation of men and women, except within permitted degrees of family relationships, how, where and by whom dance is performed is an important issue. Distinctions must also be made between what may be legitimately considered dance and what is simply patterned movement.