Iraqi jobi

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"Folklore" .. Dance of Iraqi folklore

16/2/2019

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The answer is usually dressed in the dishdasha (thobe) while playing Joby (Al Jazeera Net)

The answer is usually dressed in the dishdasha (thobe) while playing Joby (Al Jazeera Net)

Marwan al-Jubouri-Baghdad

With the bustle of weddings and social events gathering, flying around each other, the hands and shoulders converge to "play" one of the oldest folkloric dances in Iraq, "Gobi" - which resembles Dabke in other countries - with unmistakable songs and melodies, which they inherited from their ancestors.

In Iraq, which is rich in societal and cultural diversity, many folk arts are associated with certain regions and cities, where they grew up and flourished, and became a registered trademark in its name, including the famous "Jubi" dance (and the name is spoken between the gym and the Shin).

Throughout the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, starting from Baghdad and its environs towards northern and western Iraq, the local people celebrate this dance and practice it in their joys and social occasions, and they see it as an expression of their ancestral heritage with the songs, melodies and poems associated with their councils and forums.

Many consider that the "Jobi" is not limited to that dance, but also includes the associated melodies and songs and Mawwil.

Iraqis prefer to use the word "play" instead of "dance", a reference to those who practice the job.

Thus, the Gobi players - or the “answer” - have become permanent guests at every occasion or social gathering.

The dance includes high jumps in the air on drum and oboe rhythms.

The dance includes high jumps in the air on drum and oboe rhythms.

Specialized teams

For decades, most of the artists in Iraq have included at least one song of this color in their albums.

This dance is often practiced by a group of between 10 and 20 people, dressed mostly in the traditional "dashdasha" (garment), forming a semi-circle led by a person holding a rosary or handkerchief to control the rhythm, and perhaps one or two people from this group to perform a special dance In front of her, the same rhythm but in different movements.

Different age groups participate in the dance Aljoubi (Al Jazeera Net)

Different age groups participate in the dance Aljoubi (Al Jazeera Net)

Al-Joubi Square includes different age groups, from childhood to sometimes advanced ages.

Being a popular dance familiar to Iraqis, many young people are making up teams for the Gobi, to commemorate events and sometimes compete between different regions and provinces.

Omar Al Thiabi is a young man who has been fascinated by this folklore from an early age.

He tells Al Jazeera Net that their group was founded in 2010 in Baghdad, and became widely known, especially after winning a competition for the Jubi held Alawiya Club in Baghdad recently.

He adds that their band consists of 15 people, and invitations received from all provinces to participate in various festivals and celebrations, keen to attend and follow a lot of people, and that their clips in YouTube record high views of up to a million sometimes from inside and outside Iraq, he said.

Thiabi: We receive invitations from all provinces of Iraq to participate in various festivals and celebrations (Al Jazeera Net)

Thiabi: We receive invitations from all provinces of Iraq to participate in various festivals and celebrations (Al Jazeera Net)

Performance differences

Researchers differ in determining the origin of the label, but the famous historian and linguist Mustafa Jawad considers it derived from the word "Juba", which means the expanse of land or arena where sheep are sold, and it seems that this dance was previously practiced in those open places before moving to spaces Other.

According to folk researcher Safaa Al-Alousi, there are differences in the form of this dance from one region to another, where Jobi is different in Anbar than in Salah al-Din, Kirkuk and other areas, and this art has become the details of each region individually, whether in the way of performance or melodies and songs Accompaniment.

These differences are in the way of jumping and moving legs, in addition to tunes whose rhythms vary between slow and fast, and many of the answer was replaced by the modern organ organ, which is now used by most of the bands of youth, traditional instruments that were played by the songs of the dance formerly oboe or "Matbak" And the drum.

This dance is not limited to the Arab regions in Iraq, but is also known to the Kurds and Turkmen, and the Kurdish Jobi is known for its fast rhythms and performance.

The inhabitants of each region usually add their own touches to this dance, so they see differences even within a single province.

Al-Jubi was also associated with some tribes such as Jabour and their different branches, where they are famous for its practice in various areas of their presence in Baghdad, Tikrit, Mosul, Diyala, Kirkuk and others