[1][2][3][4][5] 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,[6] and the chaabi Moroccan folk tradition.
[5] Upon returning to Casablanca from his studies in Paris, El Hakim founded with his friends La Parallèle, an art school and theater group.
[7] The Kabareh Cheikhats project was originally conceived as a theater piece about men who wanted to become shaykhāt (شيخات): female entertainers who would perform folk songs and dances at weddings and other events—a popular social institution in Morocco.
[8] 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.
[5] Famous names of Aita include Kharboucha, Zohra al-Fassia or Bouchaib Al Bidaoui, as well as Hadda Ouakki, who sings chaabi and Atlas Amazigh musical styles.