Al-ballah, Yemeni tribes folklore [Archives:2005/878/Last Page]
Hassan Al-Zaidi
Yemeni folklore is unique among that of Arabia. It possesses a huge varied multicultural legacy that differs from one governorate to another.
Diversity in Yemeni culture is not confined to the differences of the particular regions traditions, but it could also be realized in the varied heritages of the regions, that vary from one occasion or event to another.
Ballah dance is an old traditional composing that is kept by most of the Northern and Eastern Yemeni tribes. It is a traditional habit often practiced in the evenings of marriage events.
The common practice of this sort of dance for most of the Yemeni tribes is to choose 12 dancers who face each other in a line in the middle of the entertainers, and start chorusing the ballah verses. Although this practice is common among Yemeni tribes, ballah tunes differ according to tribes and regions. A good instance of that is the wedding that we attended for one of the sons of bedwis' tribe in Marib basin. During the dance, poets exchange short verses of their poetry in which they express solicitude. Their poems mostly don't exceed a stanza. This goes on all through the dance. The dance starts around 8 in the evening after the dancers have their supper.
Ballah performance changes several times through the concert. Dancers pause when the poet starts presenting his stanza, and then they resume their dance chorusing the new verses in a tone that could differ from the previous one. These pauses and resumptions of dancing and singing continue till the small hours prior to dawn, then everyone goes back home.
Poets tackle several subjects in their songs. It could speak about love, politics, economic, social, and cultural or any other general conditions of concern to the community.
Balla is the public dance that spreads in most of the northern regions especially those of Marib,Jof and Shabwa in the East and extends to the central western regions of Dhamar Al-Bidha and parts of Sana'a.
Performance of Ballah follows a certain rhythm called 'Alradfah' that differs according to Ballah kind and region. Audience and dancers spend their time deeply absorbed and impassioned by the varied merry poets' exchanges that eliminate boredom.
Traditional old ballah dance was based on the wavy movements of the dancers' bodies while raising and stamping their feet. They stand in the middle of the circle singing and responding to the verses of the poet. Lately globalization laid its finger prints. Dancers adopted a different kind of performance that is aired by Gulf satellites.
Ballah prevails in the areas of Marib and Jof, because contrary to most Yemeni regions, drums pipes and lutes are considered as a disgrace and a violation to traditions.
Women also practice dancing ballah in marriages in the bride's house as strangely enough other sorts of dancing are considered a blemish in both Jof and Marib.
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