My mother’s side of the family originally came from Iraq. There are several genres of music associated with Iraqi ethnicity. Some of these genres are present in a common traditional Iraqi dance known as kawleeya. This particular dance was believed to be a disgraceful dance and was only performed by gypsies. However, over time, the kawleeya dance was viewed differently and was considered to be a joyful yet delicate dance performed at events involving happiness and celebration such as weddings. The dancing is characterized by hip and shoulder shimmies, head rolls, energetic hair flipping, hopping, and plentiful footwork. The performer’s body movements resemble sea waves, but their hair flipping is done aggressively. The music used for the traditional kawleeya is produced by the instrument called kishba. Kishba is practically a drum, but to be specific, it is a narrow-shaped wood tube with a dampened head on top. This allows the instrument to create a “machine-gun” noise when the fingers tap the dampened head. Kishba is the primary instrument used in the music for kawleeya, but there are also other instruments used to create an upbeat melody and fast tempo. As shown in the video, the performer dances swiftly yet energetic to the beats in the song.