The founding
Hayakel Baalbek was founded in 1994 by Abou Yahya Solh and Abou Ibrahim Solh, with six dancers committed to keeping traditional Baalbek dabke alive at a moment when many young people were drifting from the form.
The original six
The first generation taught itself by gathering, every week, to relearn what older generations had stopped passing down. They were dancers, drummers, and stewards of the line at once. Several of them still teach.
What we do
We perform — at weddings, festivals, state visits, and international stages. We teach — private and group workshops in Beirut, residencies abroad. And we collaborate — with traditional musicians, with contemporary choreographers like Mayyas, with anyone who takes the form seriously.
The troupe today
The current line includes dancers from across Lebanon, drummers in the old style, and a small group of teachers leading the workshop program. Leadership has stayed in the family of the founders.
Awards & recognition
Press coverage from NPR, AFP, AL-Monitor, The National, and others; repeated bookings at festivals across the Gulf; and most recently, the troupe was chosen to perform for Pope Leo XIV at Lebanon's presidential palace in December 2025.
Values
- Authenticity. We teach the styles as they were taught to us. We don't tidy them up for the camera.
- Community. A dabke line is people, not performers. We show up for weddings the same way we show up for stages.
- Craft. The footwork is the work. We rehearse weekly, even after thirty years.
