| About the *Dance* at The Dancing Gypsy: an Overview of Bellydance Styles |
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Bellydance Styles 101 Answering the Question: "What is the difference between American Tribal Style, Tribal Fusion, and American Cabaret styles of Bellydance?" American Tribal Style (ATS) Bellydance was created by FatChanceBellyDance director Carolena Nericcio in the 1980's. American Tribal Style Belly Dance is clearly defined and documented, with the main characteristic being that of group improvisation within a specific movement vocabulary. ATS movement combinations come from the many ethnic dances of the Near East, Central Asia, Southern Europe, North Africa, and India; ATS is not in itself an authentic ethnic dance form, but a modern combination of traditional styles. Dancers favor an old-world costume aesthetic provided by full harem pants, tiered Gypsy-style skirts, turbans, temporary facial tattoos, cholis, tassel belts, and kuchi jewelry. The music used in ATS is a wide variety of ethnic music from various cultures. The main distinguishing characteristic of ATS movement is a slow, earthy, and graceful aesthetic. Dancers compose choreography on the spot through cued movement phrases that have been previously learned and practiced, and each performance is different because it's up to the group leader to choose what to cue next. The leadership position rotates a number of times during each dance piece, so every dancer in a group gets to both lead and follow. ATS is about preserving a bellydance tradition that can be shared by troupes all around the world; theoretically, any ATS troupe can instantly drop in and dance with any other ATS troupe on a moment's notice. This community spirit and emphasis on tradition helps keep the Tribal bellydance world together on a solid foundation. Tribal Fusion Bellydance evolved from American Tribal Style Bellydance (see above), blending the ATS basics with many other styles of dance, including Hip Hop, Modern Lyrical Dance, and various ethnic dances. One of the founding members of FatChanceBellyDance, Jill Parker, is regarded as being one the first innovators of Tribal Fusion. Parker formed Ultra Gypsy in 1996, and expanded on the ATS movement repertoire by using choreographed routines instead of improvisational forms. Tribal Fusion has lately been popularized by Rachel Brice and the Indigo, who became internationally renowned for touring with the Bellydance Superstars. Rachel is known as the "adoptive mother" of Tribal Fusion, nurturing it to maturity with inclusions of Yoga practice, as well as choreography by her Indigo troupemate Mardi Love. Joined by Hip Hop musician and dancer Zoe Jakes, the Indigo have been touring their Vaudeville-flavored bellydance show "Le Serpent Rouge" since 2007, which has hugely influenced the recent costuming and music trends in Tribal Fusion. Costume ensembles range from simple tassels and scarves, to multiple layers of kuchi jewelry and other exotica, to faux jewels, pearls, and tattered lace in the "Vintage" look. Tribal Fusion dancers use a variety of musical genres to reflect their dance pieces, including folkloric and/or popular Near Eastern music, as well as contemporary electronic music, hip hop, rock, Gothic/Industrial music, and Vaudeville-style Gypsy Jazz. One of the creative hallmarks of Tribal Fusion is that it is constantly evolving, and is very open to individual interpretation, thus almost defying any labels at all. However, TF does have a distinctive "feel" to it that separates it from other Bellydance forms; this is mostly due to the inclusion of the Hip Hop movements (popping, locking, waving, etc) not found in other genres. American Cabaret Bellydance is where the above all began. The term "belly dancing" itself is generally credited to Sol Bloom, entertainment director of the 1893 Chicago World's Faire; it was because of this event that bellydance gained national attention in America. There were authentic dancers from several Middle Eastern countries at that Faire, and the exhibit gained notoriety because these dancers were uncorseted and gyrated their hips ~ shocking the Victorian sensibilities of the day. This "hootchy-kootchy" dance became a staple of burlesque theaters and carnival sideshows after the turn of the century. When immigrants from the Arab States began to arrive in New York in the 1930s, dancers started to perform in their ethnic nightclubs and restaurants. Some of today's most accomplished performers are their descendants, e.g. Anahid Sofian, Aisha Ali, and Artemis Mourat. In the late 1960s and early 1970s many dancers began teaching, and Middle Eastern bands started taking dancers with them on tour, which helped spark more widespread interest in bellydance. Although founded on traditional Turkish, Lebanese, and Egyptian movements, American Cabaret Bellydance has developed its own distinctive blended and modern style, using props and encouraging audience interaction, particularly during the "tipping" portion of the show. Cabaret restaurant dancers almost exclusively wear elaborate beaded and sequined garb, often wrapped in chiffon or silk veils that are used as dance props during the show. Cabaret is known in the bellydance world as being the "sparkly", upbeat, and most well-known form of the dance. It is very much in contrast to the earthy and/or theatrical Tribal styles, though they all share common roots. American Cabaret is the currently used general term for bellydance done in a venue geared to an American audience; the routines are often done to pre-recorded Arabic popular music, though some venues still offer live music. |
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