Step Into Dabke – Dance Workshop

Elbphilharmonie PLUS

Sold out €12 Remaining tickets occasionally available at box office
Sold out €12 Remaining tickets occasionally available at box office
Dabke Tanz
Dabke Tanz © Ihab Sabbah
  • Start 17:00

  • End ca. 18:45

An Invitation to Dance

Images of joyous weddings and celebrations across the Arab world, with people dancing in circles or lines, are familiar to many. This is Dabke – a dance distinguished by its virtuosic, stamping steps and recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2023. As part of the »Lebanon« festival at the Elbphilharmonie, participants aged 16 and above can now learn their first Dabke steps for themselves.

Dabke has been danced for centuries throughout Bilad al-Sham, the historical region of Greater Syria encompassing present-day Palestine, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. It is thought to have originated from the practice of compacting clay on rooftops. People would stamp in rhythm while holding on to one another’s shoulders, providing support whenever the clay gave way beneath them. Today, Dabke encompasses a wide variety of lively steps danced in lines or circles. A lead dancer typically sets the pace and movements – and men and women alike embrace the dance with equal enthusiasm.

Elbphilharmonie PLUS is a programme that opens up different ways of looking at the music performed at the Elbphilharmonie – either to supplement a concert, or as an experience in its own right. Interdisciplinary encounters and exhibitions form part of the Elbphilharmonie PLUS programme, as do concert talks and films shown in museums, libraries, cinemas and community centres.

Performers

Workshop yalladabka

Festival

Lebanon

Promoter: HamburgMusik

During your visit

Elbphilharmonie Plaza

A public viewing platform on the 8th floor of the Elbphilharmonie

More about the Plaza

Food and Drink

Before the concert and in the interval

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Coughing, clapping, chatting

Tips for your concert visit

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