In many ways, the Chobi is Iraq’s national dance.
Akin to the popular Dabke which is performed across the region, the dance sees people interlocked in a circular line, repeatedly kicking celebratiously in the air, with their hands swaying back and forth. Traditionally, the music to which the Chobi is performed is a combination of drum and a reed instrument played at a feverish 100 beats per minute. The granular details of the dance do vary in different regions of Iraq, but regardless of how it is performed, the Chobi always represents a new beginning, a celebration of life and love, no matter how hard the surroundings may be. In the middle of Iraq’s most tumultuous days, there is the Chobi, at weddings and graduation parties, and in the Diaspora, it is an unbreakable link between homes.
So to help you perfect your Chobi moves, here’s a step by step diagram that you can print and pull out of your pocket or purse the next time you hear the infectious doom doom doom tek of the Chobi fill the room.
For our Patreon supporters, we will send you a high resolution version of it that can be printed and framed, always reminding you that new beginnings are just around the corner.
About the Writer
Dina Al-Hamdany is an Iraqi multidimensional designer based in Rotterdam, with a strong love for art. In addition to finishing her Bachelor’s degree in Architecture at the Delft University of Technology, Dina is working a group of creatives on setting up an agency that specialises in designing and putting on exhibitions throughout the Netherlands.
