Traditional dances in Morocco

The traditional dances of Morocco are "guedra", "reggada", "ahwach" and "ahidous".

"The reggada"

The reggada is a dance of shoulder movements, rifles or sticks and the dancers hit the ground against the rhythm of the music. The music is punctuated by the bendir (drum on frame) and the ghaïta (looks like a flute) or the zamr (flute with two horns).

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"The guedra":

The guedra is a dance that comes from Middle Atlas. The dancers are on their knees and perform arabesques with their hands and fingers. This dance is meant to serve as a blessing during ceremonies. Generally, the dance is performed by a woman surrounded by a circle of people.

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"ahwach":

The ahwach is a very important dance in the Berber culture. She is executed in rural areas and this artistic manifestation is of a high esthetic level. Drums without stamp are used and can play specific roles. Furthermore, they can have different sizes. The dance begins upright and on the spot, all the movements are in the sense of height. Arms are on along the body and the dancer bends knees, throws are pond forwards, tilt at the same moment the head on the potrine. Then, on the contrary, she makes an extension of all the body from the bottom up which will finish with a movement of head towards the back.

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"The ahidous":

The ahidous is a dance practiced by the Berber tribes of the Middle Atlas. Men and women stand shoulder to shoulder, forming soft, undulating rounds. All accompanied by songs. The dancers can be placed in a circle, in a semi-circle or in two rows facing each other, men are alone and women are also alternating men and women. They are also very tight because they must form a block. The musical instruments used are the tambourines and the clapping of hands.

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