What Is Khaleegy, The Viral 'Hair Dance' Trump Was Welcomed To UAE With

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, was recently in Abu Dhabi, UAE, as part of his regional tour in the Middle East. While the visit is memorable, a traditional Arab dance called Khaleegy (also spelled Khaleeji) has become a global talking point. 

As part of an elaborate welcome ceremony in Abu Dhabi, a group of Arab women performed the Khaleegy dance to honour and celebrate the US President's visit. The performance quickly went viral, sparking interest in the century-old art form. 

The welcome ceremony in UAE continues! 🇺🇸🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/sXqS1IboMN

— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) May 15, 2025

What Is Khaleegy

Originating in the Persian Gulf countries, Khaleegy dance or Khaleeji is a traditional folk dance that is often performed by women, particularly at weddings and other events. Persian Gulf countries include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

The term "Khaleegy" roughly translates to "gulf" in Arabic. This dance form is known for its elegant movements with the use of long flowing garments called thawb and hair tossing. 

The dancers often move their heads and hands in a fluid, storytelling manner that involves distinctive steps and rhythmic swaying of the hair. The use of thawb is to create dramatic gestures. It has also become popular among belly dancers. 

In a somewhat ironic twist, the performance went viral on social media given Trump's famously discussed hairstyle. However, it also sparked an important conversation about the preservation of the "hair dance". 

A Dying Art Form And Restoration Warriors

President Trump's visit to the UAE has helped make the world take note of the dance and opened up a conversation about restoring the art form, which is fast dying. There are many trying to restore the dance form, including a physical education teacher and disc jockey from Bahrain, Shareefa Alzayani. 

In an interview with Harper Bazaar Arabia in 2022, the PE teacher spoke about the need to preserve the dance form for future generations and how she is doing it one step at a time. 

Growing up, dance was a natural part of her life but she noticed that the younger generations are losing touch with these traditions. Despite the efforts of government bodies to preserve regional art forms, Shareefa found that people are slowly losing touch to the dance form rooted in their culture. 

In an effort to restore and bring Khaleegy dance to the forefront, Shareefa began sharing her work, which she says helped her gain students from Bahrain and beyond.

During the interview, she revealed that despite the stigma attached to learning dance, many women seek her guidance for personal or celebratory reasons, and she is now able to teach a culturally diverse group and aims to expand her research across the Gulf. 

In a world where cultural traditions can easily be overshadowed by political narratives, the viral spread of the Khaleegy performance serves as a reminder that dance as an art form has the power to bridge cultural gaps.