Khalegi means “of the Gulf” in Arabic and it refers to the culture and here more specifically to the dances of the Gulf States. In these prosperous, oil rich countries women dress in exquiste robes of transparent silk embroidered kaftans known as thob nawal. These thob nawal are often worn over the latest Western fashion.

During the dance the women toss their dresses and hair in time to the music . Traditionally this dance is a social dance among woman in the strictly segregrated
societies in the Gulf States.

A characteristic of Tunisian dance is the horizontal forward and back movement of the hips. The costume of the dance consisits of a melia, a draped garmet, which is held together by two fibulas (a forerunner of the safety pin). Men also perform this dance with clay pots on their hand.

This dance is a national symbol for Tunisia.

The Ghawazi dance originates from Egypt and it is the most traditional female dancer of Egypt. The word Ghawazi means conquerors however in the case of the dance it means to conquer the hearts of men. The Ghawazi belong to a tribe called Nawar who also inhabit Syria and Lebanon. The Ghawazi used to be found throughout Egypt but in the 1830’s they were banned to Upper Egypt.

The art of the Ghawazi today is on the brink of extinction due to fundamentalist pressure. The dance is characterised by complicated hip isolations while the fast uninterrupted regular rhythm of the zills.