local emirati's do a traditional dance
The Aarda is the most typical of the dances of the Gulf Arab peoples, and is practised with variations throughout the Arabian Peninsula. In the Emirates, the local version is called the Iyala. To this day the dramatic performances of the Iyala preserve poems which originated in the Najd, the great plateau which overlaps the borders of the Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The name of the dance originates from the expression of an imminent danger. The word Iyaly signified an attacker in the local dialect, becoming lyala in its plural form. The alarm of an approaching threat would be sounded with drums and shouts, which would rouse the menfolk to rush to defend the camp. If the attackers were repelled, the dance would be performed by the tribe to celebrate the victory.
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