The Israeli Ambassador to India, Daniel Carmon hosted a small event celebrating the culture and tradition of Yemenites and the Druze community through music and dance. S Mallik spoke to the artistes and learnt about their history

 

There was a steady flow of Arabic music coming from the residence of Israel’s Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon. As we stepped into the threshold of the mansion, we were greeted by a Yemenite lady who was dressed in a costume very similar to what women in Kashmir wear during festivals. A long garment which resembled the pheran accompanied with heavy jewellery pieces like multiple necklaces, bangles and also the taranga (a coloured scarf). She smiled cordially and took us in where we stood amidst a mini representation of Israel. Musicians from the Druze community and Yemenite performers had gathered together to present a slice of their culture.

 

The evening started with a dance by the Druze community. Four members from the Yitka Debka group matched steps to the music of the oud (a stringed instrument), darbuka (an hour glass shaped instrument which is held between the legs and hit with the hand like the tabla) and the Pah (an empty tin drum, much our oil cans, which is mounted on one shoulder and played with both hands).

 

The men were dressed in white shirts with black stripped waistcoats, high heeled boots that made noise when hit against the ground and wore white bandanas. The dance was a set of synchronised movements but only of the legs. They held each other’s shoulders and moved in circles, changing steps with change of the tempo. “The movements are called Debka and it is our traditional dance. The steps and movements match the rhythm of the Arabic Eastern music that we play,” said Emil, general manager of the group.

 

Hrir Mosheh, who was playing the Pah, told us that it was actually a biscuit can. We pointed out to the deep dents and he said, “We do not play with our bare hands. We wear the finger caps that tailors wear.”

 

Emil, who was playing the oud, seemed more than eager to tell us more about the Druze community. We came to know that the swaying dance movements represented the movements of the workers who in the olden days tilled the soil in agricultural lands. “They depict the act of ploughing,” he told us. Druze is an independent religion and has five prophets. “One important teachings in our religion is that of reincarnation. We believe that humans are reincarnated as humans. The body is like a garment which the soul changes,” he added.

 

There population of the Druze community in Israel is roughly 1,40,000. There are 16 villages at the borders of Israel. The community contributes to their state and serve in military. Emil pointed out, “We saw ourselves as part of the country even before its formation.”

 

Next was the coming together of the culture of Yemen and the Druze community. Amaka, the Jewish Yemenite Folklore Dance Ensemble, performed next. The Yemenite dance, performed by women and men, was unique and impressing with its beauty and delicacy. “It is a functional dance as it is performed in familial and religious ceremonies. It is an excellent example of chamber dance which was performed in closed places with very few dancers. It is inseparable from singing, which is mostly taken from ‘Diwan,’ a collection of poems mostly written by Rabbi Shalom Shabazi, the greatest of Yemenite Jewry poets. Jews lived in various regions of Yemen and every religion had its typical songs, dances and customs,” said Shlomi Ziom, director of Amaka.

 

The troupe performed dances that originated in Ashduf region, which is close to Taez, the second largest city of Yemen. They also performed steps that were created in Israel and it showed beautifully the influence of Yemenite dance on the modern Israeli dance.

 

They were joined by dancers of the Druze community and it was a perfect coming together of culture and tradition. We came to know from Ziom that for the past 42 years he has been striving endlessly to preserve and carry forward the tradition of Yemenite dance, which he inherited from his ancestors. He elaborated, “Our parents came from Yemen and when they came to Israel, it was starting to become a country. With this group I try to carry forward the tradition because we are afraid that we will lose it. The government helps us in every way possible.”

 

Speaking more on the tradition of Yemenite dance, he continued, “The Yemenite tradition and custom is different. All Israeli dance starts with Yemenite dance but now it is more modern, faster and there is a lot of jumping. Israeli is traditional with modern touches, but we Yemenites are rooted.”

 

Revital Smadja, one of the female dancers told us the origin of the Yemenite dance. “The swaying movements of the dance were developed when a bride went to get married and her friends danced for her for seven days,” she said.