The Palestinian Depkeh

Several weeks ago one of my seventh grade students, whose country of origin is Palestine, asked me if she could show me a video on YouTube. The video was of a wedding dance called the Palestinian Depkeh which she said was awesome. I didn’t really want to pull up YouTube on my classroom computer so I promised her I would watch it at home if she wrote down the name for me. She did….and ….well, I broke my promise and forgot to watch the video. As soon as she saw me on Monday…Ofcourse….she asked if I’d watched. Sorry…..I forgot. She looked so dejected and disappointed. I had hurt her feelings. So, I promised again I would watch at home.

When I was raising my children, one of my goals was to try to never make promises I couldn’t keep. I reached that goal at times and at times, not. So, I should have learned right?……but…..again…I forgot.

So, my sweet little (and this child is so sweet it melts my heart) student asked yet again, and again I had to be honest. Nope…..I forgot….but I will watch. She finally stopped asking…..and I had that little slip of paper on my dining room table with the words “Palestinian Depkeh” written on it in her handwriting. Oh the guilt…..I can see those eyes looking at me….dejected. I don’t really know why she wanted me to watch it, but I finally remembered to check out the video. I was not disappointed. What an awesome dance! The dancers were dressed in traditional costume, and holding hands in a semi-circle, they danced around the floor for at least 10 minutes or more. It was amazing to watch…..not a missed step…..not a beat skipped. The footwork was mesmerizing. I watched it twice. I found another video of the same dance but this one was of a lone girl dancing the depkeh in a parking lot with a Palestinian flag. It too was mesmerizing and this girl was incredible at performing this dance. I found it a little weird that she was dancing in a parking lot outside of what looked like a Chinese Buffet…..and that she was using the flag as a prop…but none the less….it was worth watching. As I said, I couldn’t figure out why my student wanted me to watch the video but she was thrilled when I confessed to her that I had finally watched and that I had found an even better video as a result. Her smile lit up the room! I have always been an open minded and accepting of others, and in teaching, I am learning as well. From that little incident, watching a Palestinian Depkeh, I found that we are all the same even though we are different. We all like to dance at weddings and parties, and some of us even like to dance in parking lots. The dance is different but the happiness is the same. I never would have thought to watch a “ritual” dance of another country on purpose….but I am more than glad I did. Thank you, little student, for teaching me!
'Til next time…..Happy Tales!