Al-Raz-Ha Dance and Music (1)

Al-Raz-Ha Dance and Music (1), Sur, Oman, 20/02/2014
A film by Rolf Killius for the Qatar Digital Library.
A piece from a lengthy raz-ha dance/music event at a large wedding in a suburb of Sur in Oman. The recording team was invited by the host of the event, Mr Nasser Yousuf Al-Sinani.
Raz-ha is a military dance where two long rows of men face each other; all carry swords, guns and camel sticks. In the past raz-ha was performed before, after or even during a battle or war between different tribes. Interestingly in the coastal areas of Oman it was also performed in preparation for sea voyages. Nowadays it is often used at weddings as a send-off for the bride groom performed by the men.
The speciality in raz-ha is that a poet (one for each row) makes up lines on the spot which are then sung by the singer, so a duelling of poetic verses commences. Shallat singing is the group singing; one row of dancers sing several verses, then the other group takes over and so on.
We recognise that broader rights and interests exist in these recordings and the British Library’s Ethical Usage Policy provides guidance to users around use of our collections. We ask that users respect creators and traditional cultural expressions and consider all ethical concerns in the use of the material.
sounds.bl.uk/in...