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ABHA: For centuries, mountain tribes have maintained their traditional lifestyles in some of the most isolated places in the world, preserving a distinctive linguistic and cultural heritage that is rarely seen or heard by wider society.

That’s why Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Asir region recently hosted the second annual Qumm International Festival for Mountain Performing Arts, bringing together 14 international groups and 16 Saudi groups to share their unique dance and storytelling traditions. invited to.

The week-long event, which ends on January 27, is considered the world’s first festival dedicated to performing arts from mountain regions, with performances from Morocco, China, South Korea, Switzerland and India, among other places. Search is done. General themes of artistry.

Demonstrations were held at the Malik Historical Palace of Asir, the Al-Mushait Palaces, the Palace of Abu Nuqta al-Mutahmi, the Abu Shahra Palace in Basta al-Kabil, Al-Masqi, the Samson Castle, and the Bin Adwan Heritage Village.

Festival goers, Abdullah Al-Shehri, rarely get the opportunity to expose their family’s Moroccan heritage to their 4-year-old, Fahad. So he was thrilled to attend a performance of the Berber Ehidas dance by a Moroccan folk troupe.

“This festival calls on people to see something new. There is definitely a lot to see,” Al-Shahri told Arab News.

Abha was the first city in the Kingdom to win the title of Capital of Arab Tourism in 2017. The Qemm Festival is the latest event in the cultural calendar of the region which is proving to be a huge draw for domestic and foreign tourists alike.

“I think this event will make Saudi Arabia an international center for mountain performing arts as it is going to be an annual event and will attract more and more participation from all over the world. Hopefully, it will also attract more tourism Will do,” Sultan Al-Bazei, CEO of the Theater and Performing Arts Commission, told Arab News.

Last year’s festival saw congregations from all over the mountainous regions of the Kingdom, from Tabuk in the north to Najran in the south. This year saw an expanded program, creating a cross-cultural dialogue between mountain cultures around the world.

“This will provide a unique opportunity for researchers to study the similarities, if any, or differences between the performance arts of mountain regions around the world,” Al-Bajei said.

“We think that most body movements have some sort of similarity. It’s very important for people to look at other cultures, how they celebrate with their own dances and songs.

At the festival’s opening ceremony, various international troupes performed together as part of a cross-cultural parade.

Al-Bajei said, “During this parade, some groups were dancing together, sometimes to the tunes and rhythms of others, which really makes the point that culture and art bring people together. “

Anthropologists and artists view folk dance as a form of storytelling using a universal language.

“It is like art. For us, it lives in our blood. It is not just history. “It is our pleasure to dance,” Bachna Chanturia told Arab News.

The group was first established in 1931 in Sukhumi under the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia under the name Apkhajeti. It later shifted to Tbilisi, Georgia after the 1992 war.

Composed of 70 members, this group uses music and dance to showcase Georgian history. Unlike most traditional dance companies within the region, the ensemble innovates traditional folk songs by incorporating new trends, concepts and storytelling methods.

At the Qemm festival, the group performed a 20-minute show at the Samson Historical Palace, consisting of three dances – Shwante, Chamba and Vazha – to the biggest round of applause in the entire festival.

Using quick, dynamic motions, the mixed-gender dance troupe’s performance tells the story of the people of the highland region of Svaneti in northwest Georgia, near the border with Russia – a Caucasus region characterized by snow-capped peaks and deep valleys. is characteristic of. ,

The group’s performance then transitions into a traditional Abkhazian dance, which tells an exciting story of a competitive horse race in the mountains complete with equestrian clothing.

The dance symbolizes love, courage, respect for women and competition through imitation of hill wildlife. The routine ends with the Vazha mountain sequence originating from the Khazbegi region of Georgia.

In Georgia, performing arts are woven into the fabric of the community. From the age of 5 or 6, children are taught to dance, sing and play instruments and are later encouraged to join one of the many professional dance groups.

From the mountain town of Baysun in Uzbekistan, the Navbakhor Song and Dance Ensemble brings the traditional spirit of Baysun dance to the peaks of Abha.

“It is a special dance where they imitate some instruments, (wear special hats) and each movement has an idea. It is not just a dance, it is a philosophy of the region of Uzbekistan,” Alibek Kabdurakhmanov, who heads the ensemble, told Arab News.

Under the Uzbekistan State Philharmonic, the group works to popularize the country’s musical and choreographic arts. Its members wear bright traditional clothes made of colorful dyes and embroidered with gold threads.

According to Kabdurakhmanov, the group aims to embody the energy and universal message of peace embodied by the people of Baysan.

Kabdurakhmanov commended the Saudi Ministry of Culture for establishing the Mountain Performing Arts Festival and prioritizing the protection of cultural heritage.

“I think you will do very important work,” said Kabdurakhmanov. “When Uzbek citizens come for the first time, they will see your history, your traditions, your culture and take a part of you and bring it back to our country.

“I think this is the most important part of development, and Saudi Arabians will see other cultures. It is good for integration.”

A Montenegrin group performed a dance titled “The Dance from Old Montenegro”, which represents the region’s mentality, communicated through bird-like movements between mountain peaks.

Under the leadership of the artistic director Mirsad Adamović, member of the Montenegrin Cultural and Artistic Association, Ramadan Sarkić wore national costumes from across the region, including several museum pieces.

Montenegro itself is a multicultural nation, home to many Albanians and Bosnians. Adamovic told Arab News that it is important to include different identities in order to maintain peace in the Balkan region.

He says the festival provided an opportunity for Montenegro and Saudi Arabia to connect through the art of storytelling.

This year’s event featured Saudi folk dances including Arda, a form of performance martial arts widely performed in the Asir region and inspired by historical battles, now being reimagined as a tool for storytelling. has been linked to.

“The folk songs are highly appreciated by many visitors and visitors, informing them of the remarkable nature of the region and its past,” Abdullah Al-Shahar, coordinator of the Arda Group, told Arab News.

“Such festivals normally preserve the heritage of the state and pass it on to future generations and invite everyone to become a member of the participating troupe that they have inherited from their forefathers.”