Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

After war, Syrians in Jordan find joy and jobs in dance

After war, Syrians in Jordan find joy and jobs in dance

Singing joyfully to beating drums, Syrian refugees who fled brutal civil war perform traditional “Arada” dances in neighboring Jordan, honoring their home culture and earning extra income.
Their performances, featuring traditional robes and whirling swords, have become increasingly popular in Jordan for marking festivities like weddings and parties.

“They add an atmosphere of joy to our celebration,” said Fahed Shehadeh, who hired the Bab Al-Hara dance troupe in the capital Amman to mark the graduation of his two sons from university.

“I am Jordanian but of Syrian origin, and I brought the group because I admire their dancing skills, music, clothes and their songs,” said 55-year-old Shehadeh, celebrating with family, friends and neighbors.

Traditionally seen at weddings, the popularity of Arada — rooted in the Arabic for a “performance” — has had its songs modified to fit various celebrations. A troupe typically consists of 10 to 20 dancers, wearing loose-fitting black trousers, white cotton shirts, embroidered vests, white skullcaps and a shawl wrapped around the waist.

Swords and decorative shields are worn, and the dance culminates in members spinning their blades in the air, before engaging in ceremonial fighting.

The troupe leader, Moutaz Boulad, 60, said Arada had grown in popularity in Amman, with daily events in the summer months and several engagements each week in winter. Boulad, who left Syria in 1988, says the shows have become an important means to earn cash for some of those who fled the war that erupted in 2011.

“Some of the dancers were not good when they first came to us, but they learned from my sons and I in order to improve their financial situation,” he said.
Syria’s war is estimated to have killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions; more than 6.6 million fled to neighboring Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon.

Jordan hosts almost 650,000 Syrians registered with the UN, but Amman estimates close to 1.3 million Syrians have arrived since 2011.

The UN has said that close to 80 percent of Syrians in Jordan live below the national poverty line, surviving on three dollars per day or less.
Boulad said his dancers came from various professional backgrounds.

“Most dancers have different jobs beside the Arada,” Boulad said.

“Some are university students, accountants, restaurant workers, tailors and electricians — but this is something that gives an amount of money to help cope with life.”

For dancers like Ahmed Abu Shadi, 43, who fled Syria in 2013 and works as a plumber, performing the Arada helps him raise his three children.

“With plumbing there are days when I work, and days with no customers,” he said.

“For Arada, they pay me 15 dinars ($20) every time I go out to dance. Although it is a small amount, it helps in my life.”

Another member, who worked in a medical laboratory and asked for his name to be withheld, fled the Syrian city of Homs in 2018.

The dancing helps add some $300 each month to his regular $700 salary from the laboratory to support his family, while they wait for applications through the UN refugee agency to be processed.

“I have applied for asylum through the UNHCR and hope we can start a new life abroad,” he said.

Despite displacement and financial challenges, dancing the Arada remains a key part of Ahmed Abu Shadi’s life.

“This dance is a very important part of our Syrian identity, heritage, culture and our daily life — we must preserve and teach it to our children and grandchildren,” he said.

“This art is in my blood, I love it, I can’t imagine myself, my life without this.”

He dreams of one day dancing again on his home soil.

“I will continue to dance wherever I go,” he said.

“But of course, I prefer that the situation improves one day so that we can all return to our country, Syria.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
×