Festival organizers say "Arabesque" was a good word to describe dance, theater or musical styles that are marked by an Arab influence.
VOA: special.2009.03.11
The two men conduct a kind of dance as Sizwe persuades Styles to help him adopt the identity of a dead man, so that he can gain employment in the neighbouring big city.
Choreographer Patricia Wilcox has all the cast dance in the familiar styles of their respective eras and also has a few big tricks up her sleeve, as the well-executed "Dancing in the Streets" production number in Act 1 and the "Ball of Confusion" performance that opens Act 2.