Saudi woman attempts to perform cultural dance amongst men, controversy ensues

Sunday, a video showing a young woman in Saudi Arabia trying to join a number of men performing a cultural dance on the stage of the Al-Baha Festival sparked controversy on social media.

The video clip showed the men in their white clothes adorned with leather belts, and swords in their hands, performing a famous Saudi dance called Arda, when a young woman joins them and starts dancing along for a few seconds before she is forced down.

The incident quickly started trending on social media with comments from both supporters and adversaries.

Some saw the young woman’s act as an “inappropriate offense” or a behavior inconsistent with the prevailing culture that limits the performance of this type of folk dance to only men.

Others said they considered her participation as normal had she been permitted from the beginning to join and that a man would be forced down as well if one had done so without permission, as she did.

Saudi researcher Najat Al-Saeed said that Saudi society has become more accepting of the idea of openness but only while adhering to “certain limits.”

The head of the Culture and Arts Committee in the Villages Governorate, Badr Al-Zahrani, said she was immediately forced down the stage “in compliance with the precautionary measures taken to confront COVID-19.”

The Arda dance is considered a part of the famous Saudi heritage and has been included by UNESCO on the List of Intangible Heritage.