''Kabareh Cheikhats'' () is a Moroccan ''chaabi'' (folk music) cabaret theatrical performance by the troupe '' Jouk Attamtil Al Bidaoui'' ( "The Casablancan Acting Troupe"), a troupe based out of

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

, Morocco. In the performance, led by Ghassan El Hakim, male actors play the roles of women, paying homage to the '' shaykhāt'', popular female entertainers such as Fatna Bent Lhoucine or

Haja Hamounia Haja Hamounia (also known as Hajja Hamounia, Fatima Hamounia, Cheikha El Hammounia) (born 1937 in Douar Hammoun, Morocco; died 2013 in Safi, Morocco) was a Moroccan folk singer. She was called the Ambassador of Aïta, a traditional Bedouin genre o ...

, and the ''chaabi'' Moroccan folk tradition.

History

''Kabareh Cheikhats'' is the continuation of a project Ghassan El Hakim originally began as a theater workshop in 2014. Upon returning to Casablanca from his studies in Paris, El Hakim founded with his friends La Parallèle, an art school and theater group. The ''Kabareh Cheikhats'' project was originally conceived as a theater piece about men who wanted to become '' shaykhāt'' (): female entertainers who would perform folk songs and dances at weddings and other events—a popular social institution in Morocco. The play was never written, however. Instead, the project became a performance. Beginning in May 2016, a troupe of eleven comedians began performing ''Kabareh Cheikhats.'' They were performing twice a month in the basement of , a bar in downtown

. By October 2017, over 40 performances, in both private and public settings. The troupe—''Jouk Attamtil Al Bidaoui—''began performing in cities around Morocco and held a number of international engagements as well, including in France, Belgium, and the UK. On March 4, 2018, ''Kabareh Cheikhats'' performed on stage with

Haim Botbol Haim Botbol (; born 1937) is a Moroccan musician. Biography He was born to a Jewish family in Fes renowned for chaabi music. His father Jacob Abitbol was a leader of the ''malhun'' musical tradition in Fes. The family name Botbol () or Abitbol ...

at Casablanca's '' Federation Oeuvres Laiques'' (FOL) theater.{{Citation , title=BOTBOL & KABARET CHIKHAT : Salba Salba et Sidi Jelloul بوطبول وكبرايه الشيخات , url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDJpBuyz0Cc , language=en , access-date=2022-04-02

Style

The troupe performs a repertoire of Aita, a folk style associated with the countryside of Morocco. Famous names of Aita include Kharboucha, Zohra al-Fassia or Bouchaib Al Bidaoui, as well as

Hadda Ouakki Hadda Ouakki ( Berber: ⵃⴰⴷⴷⴰ ⵓⵄⴽⴽⵉ - ar, حادة أوعكي; born 1953 in Ait Ishaq, Khénifra Province) is a Moroccan singer in the genre of Tamawayt. Ouakki sings in Central Atlas Tamazight, and is described as one of ...

, who sings chaabi and Atlas Amazigh musical styles.

References

Moroccan musical groups Culture of Morocco Moroccan theatre people Moroccan folk musicians