A Tribal & Fusion Belly Dance Magazine
“DANCE THOUGHTFULLY, DANCE Playfully ” WITH APRIL ROSE
SPECIAL SECTION:
MAD PROPS!
Featuring: * Tips for Dancing with a Prop * Intro to Props You May Not Have Used * Sword Care and Maintenance * Hat Trick
Plus: * Getting to the Roots with Kajira Djoumahna, (part II) * Nathaniel Johnstone * Mimi Fontana of Manhattan Tribal * Tribal and Fusion in Mexico * Russian Gypsy Dance ISSUE #12, 2014
AND MORE...
A Tribal & Fusion Belly Dance Magazine
Issue #12, 2014
Image credits
Contributors
Cover photo: April Rose by Reed Burnam taken in India, edited by Wick Sakit Publisher/Editor Ms. Zuza (Valerie Vigdahl) April Rose: Nei ‘ Mad Photography; Reed Burnam; live shot by Vance Strickland Designer Guidelines for Beautiful Prop Dances: Elena with fan, photo Blume Bauer by Mary Lingo; SSabine with sword, photo by Carey Black; Sabine with veil, photo by Jenny Harriman Managing editor Medea (Karol Kurtz) Props for the Fearless Fusionista: Nananda Ruckert with basket, photo by Bonnie Austin Stanley; Onça with feather Copy editors fans, photo by Peter Paradise at RavenWolfe Photography; Alison Eldridge Petite Jamila with double veils, photo by Beau Gustavson; Tracy Ellison Bastet with flutter fans, photo by Carrie Meyer, thedancersMedea eye.com Staff Writers Sword Care and Maintenance: www.CieloProductions.com Kristine Adams Akasha Afsana UK Tribal Fusion DVD review: BDUK.tv (2013) Jatare Barrett Stephanie Bolton Art: Yl’luria Voxx photo by Donna M. Gray Brad Dosland Alison Eldridge Kajira Djoumahna: Kajira at the Jamila Salimpour Tribute, Nadia Gativa photo by PixieVision.com; Therese & Kajira at Tribal Umrah Abigail Keyes (Asharah) 2013 in Marseille, France, Photo by Dan Fullard; Kajira Medea photo by Victoria Webb; Kajira in 2009, by The Naked Paige Lawrence Artisan Alexandra Moehagen Onca O’Leary Tribal Fest Six-Word Story Project: All images by Carrie Victoria Painting Meyer, thedancerseye.com Arikah Peacock Deb Rubin Nathaniel Johnstone: Carrie Meyer, thedancerseye.com Kathy Stahlman Britta Visser Stumpp Narratives album review: © Nathaniel Johnstone, nathanielShannon Townsend johnstone.bandcamp.com/album/narratives (2013) Ms. Zuza Freelance Writers Belladonna Princess Farhana Ruby McConnell Viktoria Mitlyng Paulette Rees Denis Mittie Babette Roger Sabine Art Curator Charlene Perkey (Nilat) Cartoonist Rozie Hadley
Mimi Fontana: PixieVision.com; Jenny H. Ho Photography Tribal and Fusion in Mexico: Photos by Scott Belding The Belly Dance Reader book review: Gilded Serpent; 1 edition (2012) Vagabond Princess DVD review: Copyright © Samantha Emmanuel, vagabondprincess.com (2013) Tribal Umrah event review: Nei ‘ Mad Photography
A Shout Out to my “Fans”
It would be impossible for me to have a
theme for ‘fuse’ about props without writing about my weapons of choice - my fans. My love for dancing with fans developed about eight years ago - at about the same time as my foray into Tribal Fusion. And some of the dancers featured in this issue contributed to my continuing interest in the prop - including Madame Onca and Bastet. My fan dancing performance styles have ranged from Asian-style fans to Flamenco fan to flutter fans. I’ve used one or two - to choreography or as improvisation. I’ve danced with them at local haflas, and across the country. But no matter what, I’ve tried to keep one thing consistent: I use them as an extension of my movements and artistic expression. Whenever I am using a prop, fans or otherwise, I try to remember what Sabine, my friend and fellow-prop dancer, told me years ago. She warned against letting a prop “take over” a performance. This is a tip she also delves into in this issue, along with many others. In my fan performances I’ve also discovered that having fans makes you lots of friends in hot backstage areas. Or, as Onca mentions in her article, fans “provide a much-needed cooling effect to the working artist!”
Staff Photographers Kristine Adams–kristineadams.com Brad Dosland–TabooMedia.com Carrie Meyer–thedancerseye.com
Russian Gypsy Cabaret: Images of Viktoria by Michael Rothman
Logo/masthead creation Blume Bauer
All content ©2014 ‘fuse’: a Tribal and Fusion Belly Dance Magazine. ‘Fuse’ does not endorse or guarantee information included in either written material or advertisements. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission from the Publisher.
Whether you are exploring available props or working on refining your technique, I hope you continue to be inspired by props. I know I’m a fan for life!
‘Fuse’ is a publication of msZuza Productions, www.mszuza.info.
-Ms. Zuza, Publisher
Advertising fusemagads@gmail.com Subscriptions fusetribalmag@gmail.com fuse 1
Urban Gypsy Folkloric Combinations DVD review: Sahira, sahira.cc/dvds (2013)
Carrie Meyer, thedancerseye.com
Finding Inspiration: Carrie Meyer, thedancerseye.com
Contents Interviews & Articles 3
“Dance Thoughtfully, Dance Playfully” with April Rose
19 23 25 29
Getting To the Roots of Tribal Dance with Kajira Djoumahna: Part II Tribal Fest Six Word Story Project Nathaniel Johnstone: A Musical Magpie Interview with Mimi Fontana: Director of Manhattan Tribal
31 33 37
Raqqin the Retro: Vintage Costume Care Tribal and Fusion in Mexico Russian Gypsy Cabaret - Abandon of the Soul
Special Section: Mad Props! 9 11 13 14
Guidelines for Beautiful Prop Dances Props for the Fearless Fusionista Hat Trick Sword Care and Maintenance
Sections 17 39 41 42
Art Guest Column: Finding Inspiration by Paulette Rees-Denis Dangerous Curves with Shannon Townsend Finishing Touches by Alexandra Moehagen
Reviews 14 27 27 35 35 36
DVD Review: UK Tribal Fusion Belly Dance Album Review: Narratives by Nathaniel Johnstone DVD Review: Urban Gypsy Folkloric Combinations with Sahira Book Review: The Bellydance Reader by Lynette Harris DVD Review: Vagabond Princess Presents... Tribal Fusion Belly Dance Tribal Umrah 2013 event review
Subscribe to the online edition of ‘fuse’ for more articles, columns, interviews and reviews!! Visit www.fusetribalmag.com/Subscribe.html
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Playfully DANCE THOUGHTFULLY, DANCE AN INTERVIEW WITH APRIL ROSE by Ms. Zuza (Valerie Vigdahl)
Nei ‘ Mad Photography
Reed Burnam
Even before meeting April Rose in person, I sensed
that she was an old soul. Wise beyond her years, she has gleaned a remarkable knowledge of belly dance—in both her physical and academic studies. In her performing, teaching and discussion of dance, she maintains an equal measure of thoughtfulness and playfulness. It was a joy and an honor to interview her—and I am sure you will enjoy reading the result of our meeting.
Ms. Zuza: First off, tell me about your experience being part of UNMATA. Was it as amazing and crazy as I imagine? April Rose: Probably, yes, depending on your powers of imagination. UNMATA is an intensely bonded group of very creative, emotional, thoughtful, and generous people. When I was traveling and dancing with the company it was a different time. The members of the Hot Pot and UNMATA community have changed, the aesthetic has changed, but that core principle of unapologetic, fierce authenticity is still strong. Amy Sigil inspires people—probably you—and definitely me—to take risks, to not apologize for who you are, what you feel, or what you want to create. She encourages us all to give our best, to treat others with compassion, and to think big. From a distance you can feel the strength of their fire, up close you could get engulfed. I found that it would be easy to lose some of my self-identity if I stayed close to home so I took a risk and moved away. I have their craziness to thank for the strength it took to leave such an amazing, addictive community like UNMATA. We are crazy in the best way—the way all humans are if they let loose their ideas from the constraints of society. MZ: How long were you in UNMATA? AR: I was a performing member for about 5 years, from the ages of 16 to 21. I’m 26 now so they have been my big sisters for 10 years. Every year reveals a new facet of our friendship. My experiences as a young adult were all so tied to my experiences in UNMATA that my identity has really been shaped by them. Even though I don’t perform with them, I see them on tour often, I see them every time I visit my family and hometown, and I call Amy for advice all the time. I’m still in UNMATA in my heart, just not on the stage. MZ: I understand you have a Master’s degree in Culture and Performance and a B.A. in Dance. How does your academic knowledge enhance your performances as well as your teaching—and vice versa? AR: Yes, I have a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the Dance department at UCLA. In my fuse 6
opinion, higher education in ANY discipline, especially the Humanities and Art, changes you forever and it definitely informs how I operate in the world and how I teach. The movement-based education I received while earning my B.A. in Dance helps me teach historically informed and thoughtful workshops on the principles of different dance techniques (whether it be Releasing Technique, classical Indian dance, hip-hop, modern, or ballet). My Dance degree also helps me guide students through the tools and process of choreography composition. For example, I teach a series of workshops called “Making Choreography” in which we explore the questions: what tools do you have in your dance-making tool box to create an interesting choreography? If you want to make some kind of meaning through dance and translate that to an audience, what resources do you have at your disposal? In that series I’m trying to synthesize some of my education into a weekend intensive for the belly dance community. Some of the methods people will already know, but it’s always good to get re-inspired. A lot of the time people have never thought about how to make meaningful dances. School taught me that you have to learn how to read a dance just like you need to learn how to read a book. It can be difficult to glean a choreographer’s intention if they don’t use the tools of the craft to help say what they mean. My professors at UCLA wanted me to use dynamic, time, space, etc., when expressing my intention. I try to incorporate a lot of what I learned in my composition classes when I am creating dances. I don’t always try to create meaning for my dances but when I do, I call upon my education. I also draw on my research and ethnography-based Master’s degree in Culture and Performance to teach dance theory, belly dance history, and the cultural politics of our dance. For example, I teach lectures on belly dance history and dance theory
applied to our living community—this was the subject of my Master’s thesis. Unlike a traditional conservatory, the dance department at UCLA is situated in the field of Cultural Studies. One of the most difficult things about learning the craft of making dances was not the dancing itself but the critical thinking and self-examination I was required to do. I was forced to contend with post-colonial legacies in the dance traditions I was interested in studying. I was obliged to acknowledge my privileged position as a young white middle-class American and I was forced to examine my motives behind wanting to study belly dance. As an undergraduate I felt defensive and dismissed for being a belly dancer, as a grad student I discovered my voice and my validity in practicing this dance form. I researched the transnational history of belly dance and I found a way to write about our community that acknowledged our downfalls while ultimately underscoring the value of what we do in this crazy “tribal,” “Oriental,” and “fusion” “belly dance” world. ALL of these words we use to describe our dance are no-no words in the field of Cultural Studies, [and] it creates a huge problem for combating our legacy as imperialist appropriators. I learned SO many incredibly interesting facts about the historical development of belly dance that blow the overtold, a-historical myths out of the water and I am just bursting at the seams to share the information with other belly dancers in these lectures. MZ: How would you describe your teaching philosophy? How do you approach teaching dance to students? AR: My teaching philosophy is really starting to crystallize for me now that I’m not only conducting touring workshops, but I’m also running my new dance school, Rose Movement Studio, in Austin, Texas. Teaching workshops is one skill and directing a dance school is wholly another. In workshops students are largely responsible for themselves with the exception of some in-the-moment adjustments from me. In workshops I present material in a digestible way that’s both fun and challenging. The students are then free to interpret the material on their own once they leave. At Rose Movement, however, I’m very involved and invested in the growth of each of my students, perhaps sometimes too much so. The students who take my regular classes at the Rose have to be up for hard work, some deep thinking, a lot of candid verbal feedback from me. If you don’t like a rigorous environment, you probably won’t like my teaching. I call students on the phone when they are doing really well or slipping up a bit. In both scenarios I like to weave history and theory into the material if I can, ask self-reflective questions that make people think about their own journey in dance, and of course make people smile and sweat. In workshops a lot of how I teach choreography is influenced by Amy [Sigil] and her “work/craft/drill” format. When teaching complex phrases with a lot of layers I start at the bare-bones minimum and build up without stopping until: voila! As far as concepts, I have been incorporating a lot of releasing principles in my teaching. And I’ve noticed that other belly dance teachers are starting to teach in that vein as well. I’ve started encouraging students to move from a skeletal vantage point rather than in the minutia of your muscles. A lot of people dance with that very Suhalia School style of
moving that seems to be all about contraction layered on top of contraction. I think that is fascinating, but I have been really motivated by studies I have done with Skinner Releasing Technique and ideas of release and efficiency. I’m also really inspired by Egyptian style belly dancers like Farida Fahmy, whose dancing just seems so effortless and complete. I’ve started to shy away from putting a lot of effort into moves that don’t need to have a lot of effort behind them. I’m interested in encouraging students to get the maximum result using the minimum amount of effort: principles of basic neuromuscular efficiency. I like to focus on energy flow and opposition like my ballet teacher does and I talk through the class a lot like a yoga teacher, reminding everyone (and myself ) to stay mindful of our bodies’ alignment and the flow of energy through them. Teaching advanced technique is actually easy compared to teaching brand new belly dancers. I’ve started teaching basic belly dance classes that incorporate Arabic rhythms, instrumentation, classic songs and history. I tell my students, “Nobody ever taught it to me like this, but I wish they had.” I teach basic movement principles like isolation, circles, shimmies, figure eights, and undulations, using just one principle at a time and very in depth with an accompanying Arab rhythm, instrument, and piece of history that carries people through a chronology for the length of the syllabus. I start around the mid-1700s in Egypt. There’s just so much to talk about, but that’s a good starting place to explore up to the present moment. MZ: Explain the adapted psycho-physical awareness practices? What is it and how does it work? AR: I should start by saying that I am not a certified teacher of Skinner Technique or Alexander or Feldenkrais, which is why I put “adapted” in there. I’ve gotten really fascinated with somatic practices and releasing techniques, though, so I’m really enjoying bringing them into my teaching. The word “psycho-physical,” like the word “idiokinesis,” gets tossed around a lot in the philosophy of movement, and they have to do with an integrated sense of the body that includes your emotional self, your mental self, and your physical self. Somatic practice helps you tap into your own experiential knowledge of that integrated self. Releasing techniques are trying to get at freedom of movement. So dancers will practice releasing technique in order to release unnecessary tension from the body, access freer movement, and—by way of accessing freer movement —open themselves up to aesthetic decision-making in the moment. So it is also related to improvisation and creating from within rather than imposing an aesthetic fuse 7
structure from the outside. You have to practice the act of going inside and creating from within to keep that ability strong. It’s important to develop that from-within improvisational ability because as a choreographer if you are always creating for a certain look then the product and process can lack depth. If you are going to have longevity as a dancer as a creator, as a choreographer, then I think you need to see your body as being connected to your thoughts and emotions and to the energetic forces that exist around you and within you. Idiokinetic practices, somatic practice, and releasing techniques encourage you to enter the alpha brain wave state—the creative mode—and also heal the body by releasing tension so you can work through injuries. I’m just beginning my journey with releasing technique. I’ve been practicing for about 2 years. Which is really like nothing, since the well is so deep. But it has changed my dancing already. MZ: Tell me about your experiences with the Bellydance Superstars? How did you become part of the tour and what was the most memorable about it? AR: In 2010 I was living in LA, finishing my first year of grad school. I had recently stepped down from UNMATA and I was preparing for my wedding. I was also teaching dance classes at night in a little studio outside Beverly Hills and directing my first dance company, The Nautch Project. One night I had double booked the studio with one of the Superstars, Stefanya. I didn’t recognize her at the time and we peacefully worked out our double booking issue. While she was waiting for us to finish rehearsal she watched me dance and teach my class for a bit. After meeting me and seeing me dance she called Miles Copeland and suggested he look me up as a prospect for their next tour. They were looking for another tribal belly dancer and he contacted me. I sent him some promo materials, went to his house in the Hollywood Hills to meet him, joined one of the group rehearsals to give it a try and did an official audition later. They were putting together the Bombay Bellywood show which had a lot of classical Indian dance and Bollywood influences so they were working overdrive to get the belly dancers up to muster with the classical Indian dancers—which was a big challenge for those who hadn’t been trained in it before. I had been studying Bharatanatyam, Odissi, and Kathak during my 4 years in undergrad at UCLA so those additional skills made me the right dancer at the right time. fuse 7
I actually had to take a year off of grad school, and I went on tour right after I got married. Immediately after my honeymoon I left for a three month leg of the tour. So I spent a year of my life doing that, and then I had to go back to school because I had one year left for my Master’s degree. As I was finishing my degree I still did a few small tours with them—as much as I could manage while still finishing school.
1970s. The general sentiment was, “well that’s nice, but that’s not belly dance.” That sentiment started a lot of interesting and useful tangent discussions in further comments.
It was really cool to work on such an intense level with dancers who are extremely skilled and hard-working. We had a great time together even though the tour is extremely difficult. I don’t tour with them anymore because I have so many other things going on in my life and to tour with BDSS you really have to devote all of your time, heart, and energy to that one project. It is an all-or-nothing lifestyle.
The first part of such a discussion has to be: what do you really mean when you say “belly dance?” I think it’s helpful to have names for dance styles so you know what they are. But I also think “belly dance” is an umbrella term that encompasses many disparate styles and includes a lot more than some people think it does. “Belly dance” as a word has only existed since the late 1800s to describe a practice that was exported to Europe and America. It was a marketing strategy used to advertise performances of solo female improvisational dance done for foreigners by Middle Eastern, North African, and Central Asian performers. The producers and dancers themselves were making creative decisions about how they wanted to present this form of entertainment to a new audience.
MZ: Given your education as well as experience in dance, what do you think of the politics surrounding fusion belly dance? AR: That is a very macro topic...but here is an anecdotal entryway. At Tribal Fest in 2012 I did a duet with Aubre Hill followed by a group dance. We wore men’s slacks and “A” shirts and danced to American R&B and some West African-influenced hipster rock-n-roll music. The first part of that dance had a lot of straight up belly dance movement in it. Well, Shelley Muzzy posted a link to that video in the “1970s Bellydance” group on Facebook—which is a great group by the way—because she really liked it and she thought she hated fusion. The thread contained nearly 100 comments, essentially in discussion on the politics of representation. Many of the comments were made by dancers who had been belly dancing in America in the
So essentially, the word “bellydance” was created as a marketing tool to try to get audiences in to see this salacious dance done by these “Eastern others” or these “Oriental others.” So from that point on, belly dance, sometimes called “Oriental Fantasy” or “HoochieCoochie” or “Serpentine” was imitated and mixed in with Vaudeville and performance art in the United States. It became a performance art of imitation until dancers found the resources and opportunities to study with Egyptian belly dancers themselves. Dancers in Egyptian nightclubs, at Badia Massabni’s Casino Opera House, and in Golden Era Egyptian film were citing many different dance forms within their dance (a sort of “fusion” including regional folk performance traditions, Western interpretations of Ori-
I’ve now done two show tours with them: Bombay Bellywood and The Magic of Dance. I thought The Magic of Dance was one of the best shows but we didn’t tour it to very many places, unfortunately.
Reed Burnam
performance art that is part of the lineage of Middle Eastern/North African dance (with American and other global additions) but by nature includes fusion and defies clean categorization, by its very definition. In general there is a severe lack of historical knowledge in our dance community. If we don’t fix that first then the discussion about the politics of fusion is a moot point.
April Rose at 3rd Coast Tribal 2014, photo by Vance Strickland
ental Dance, and creative props like ankle bells, veils, and candelabras). So for me “belly dance” is the most all-encompassing word and even the most fusion-friendly word for what we do. Under that umbrella might be raks sharki/oriental, raks baladi, tribal belly dance, American Tribal Style®, tribal fusion, Improvisational Tribal Style, experimental belly dance, etc. If you include folk forms cited by belly dancers we can add khaleegi, raks assaya, saidi, zar, etc. Belly dance is comprised by a huge, complex set of dances that are related to one another, but not necessarily coming out of a common ancestor. All these dances have their own trajectory. The trajectory of belly dance has been influenced quite a bit by female entertainers trying to make their living in a society that continually downgrades the status of people who perform it. Whether it is in the nightclubs or on stage, belly dancers all over the world are fusing other dance traditions into this staged performance we call belly dance in a way that is relevant to them and their society. And there’s also the influence of national politics and global politics and other historical developments weighing in. The history of American and European imperialism has to be acknowledged in the history and present representations of this form: it just does, period. And we do have to cite Arab dance and music traditions because they are responsible for this dance prior to its equally fascinating and valuable modern day iterations. The big issue with the video posted to the Facebook group seemed to be that the piece was not done to Arabic music and that we were not wearing Middle Eastern costuming—whatever that means. I’m not wearing
a bedlah and it’s not done to Arabic music, hence it can’t be belly dance. But I would argue that’s incorrect. No, it cannot be “Middle Eastern Dance.” But I feel that, yes, I can call it “belly dance.” Especially since the movement is highly influenced by Golden Era Egyptian belly dance. I was trying to channel the energy of that movement even though the choreography was set to American R&B. I am most interested in how I can use belly dance to play a character other than the mysterious, hyper-feminine, over sexualized Eastern other. I like belly dance movement and I don’t want to abandon it entirely because some people think you cannot separate that movement from Arab music and the classic aesthetic (which is itself quite the fusion anyway). The most powerful aspect people connect to in this dance is that they discover that you can construct your own identity—YOU decide who you are. And that’s extremely powerful. But you also have to think about who you are stripping that identity away from and question whether you want to be that flat, stereotyped image of a fantasized Arab woman or imagined Eastern goddess. Just because I want to liberate myself physically or sexually or spiritually, do I have to cite “the East” or “the harem fantasy” to do so? Do I have to use that as my scapegoat? Hell no. Why can’t I locate feminine power, self-discovery, and community in the present day? That’s where it becomes problematic for people to say “that’s not belly dance” or “that’s belly dance.” I might want to express something different every time I perform but my training is still mainly in the art of belly dance. I performed that same dance for Mahmoud Reda himself and he said he liked it. He said “It doesn’t matter what you call it. It can be raks sharki, and it can be good or bad. You can call it tribal, and it can be good or bad.” Haha! I thought that was great. I do think we need to move away from the words “oriental” and “tribal” though. They are ridiculous words. I like that Donna Mejia calls what she does “transnational fusion.” I’d start calling my dance that as well but I like the idea of using the word “belly dance”—proposing that the form is a
MZ: Can you tell me about your tattoo and its connection to UNMATA? AR: I got my UNMATA tattoo as a High School graduation present from Stevo, the unofficial Hot Pot studio tattoo artist. At that time the only people with UNMATA tattoos were UNMATA members plus Raven and Julie. Now more people than I can even count have them. The symbol has been on my body for as long as I’ve been an adult. I’m used to it being there. I feel like it’s time to add to it. It has been by itself for quite some time. I feel like it is a footnote, a citation to my teacher. So I can’t be accused of appropriating from Amy because I’m citing her every time I dance! MZ: Anything else that you’d like to share with us? AR: Yes! I just opened a dance school! Rose Movement Studio in Austin Texas. I love the space so much and it is already thriving with a solid community of dancers. Directing a dance school is one of the things I’ve always wanted for my life. We are a sort of Hot Pot sister studio since a lot of what I teach is Improvisation Tribal Style. The vibe is similarly dedicated, fun-loving, community-oriented and individually authentic, but the Rose is definitely developing its own character. We’ll soon be running intensives out of the space and people can find more info at www.rosemovement.com. Also, I recently filmed a lot of instructional content for Rachel Brice’s online dance studio Datura Online. My classes will be available in Spring 2014 so you can check that out as well at www.daturaonline.com. I’m also in the process of editing my Master’s thesis into a proper book in the next 2-3 years. The book is an ethnographic and historical examination of our current belly dance community and its connection to a larger history, so keep your eyes out for that as well. You can always find my tour schedule, recent videos, and my blog at www.aprilrosedance.com.
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Guidelines for Beautiful Prop Dances by Sabine
“Prop dancing” can be a beautiful addition to any belly dance show. Props can add variety, set a mood, and be used to help the dancer frame movements, demonstrate isolations, enhance graceful spins, and create interesting shapes. Among the props that enhance traditional Raks Sharki and Middle Eastern folk dances are shamadan (candelabra), sword, cane, veil, tray, baskets, water jugs and goblets; modern belly dance has also incorporated a wider array of props including fan, fan veils, wings of Isis, and fire props such as fire fans, fire fingers, and fire sword. Dancing with props can add variety and visual interest, and can dictate the “feel” of a dance number. But be careful: it can easily become boring if a prop “takes over” the dance.
Elena with fan, photo by Mary Lingo
Prop dances can be made more effective, enjoyable, and memorable by following a few guidelines:
1. Safety first!
If you are dancing with fire, there are a slew of rules around safety. Work with an experienced fire performer utilizing fire safety rules and permits for flaming props that use fuel, such as fire fans. Even when using simple candles, be sure to check with the venue to be sure it’s allowed, watch out for fire-catching clothing and long hair, and have a fire extinguisher handy! When dancing with swords (even without fire), it’s unsafe to dance with a battle-ready blade. Dancers have been very seriously injured dancing with a battle-ready sword, and you could also endanger audience members. Are you ready to be sued for hurting an audience member who touches your sword? Take a flat file to the keen edge of the blade to make it’s less razor-sharp, so at least you won’t open an artery if someone touches it! Even slightly dulled blades can be dangerous, so take care when practicing, and do not let children handle your fuse 9
sword. Even veil dancing can be dangerous—a veil caught under the foot and the dancer could slip and hurtle off the stage! Be sure to practice with your prop in a large open space, and work with an experienced teacher when possible.
2. After safety,
the first and foremost rule of prop dancing is that the dancer should still be dancing. Sounds elementary, right? But, it’s easy to let “dancing with a prop” morph into “feats of strength while holding a prop” or “sexy poses while holding a prop.” The former is reminiscent of a circus act (like the one where the muscular performer stacks up chairs and then does gymnastic body poses on top of the stack— an amazing feat of strength and balance, but it is not dancing). If you are a dancer, then you should dance. The latter (sexy poses while holding a prop) looks like a series of pinup photos instead of a dance. The prop should enhance the dance, not take over. You should be able perform the dance without the prop, before you can perform with the prop.
prop already balanced, some members of the audience will inevitably spend your entire dance speculating about how the prop is held on…wire? Velcro? Magnets? Instead, take some moments to incorporate the unbalanced prop into your dancing and show the prop to the audience in an artistic way before you turn to balance. Then they will be amazed!
4. Always consider
the perspective of the audience. What are they seeing? Are you creating a shape for them? Can they see and appreciate your prop? For example, the blade of the sword will be much more impressive seen flat to the audience, rather than to the side, where all the audience will see is the pommel or the tip—if your sword is balanced and you turn to the side, the blade will disappear! Try doing “side” movements, such as undulations, at a 45 degree angle to the front, rather than 90 degrees. Round shapes created by the whirling veil, cane, or wings are also best appreciated with the circle flat to the audience. Goblet dancing is best on a raised stage, where the audience can see the prop.
q 3. If your prop
is a “balancing” prop, don’t enter with it already balanced (except shamadan). If you enter with the
Sabine with swords photo by Carey Black
q
Floor work is a traditional part of tray and shamadan, but be sure your audience can see you! If the dance floor is the same level as the seated audience, when the performer goes to the floor she/he will disappear to all but the front row of people. And you may feel lovely and mysterious when you wrap yourself in your opaque veil and dance with it pressed against your face, but as Saqra says in her veil workshops, “to the audience, you look like a cat in a bag.” Oh, and have a care when posing with your prop at hip level—many a dancer has been caught in a photo with the sword or cane looking like a giant phallic symbol. These are just a few examples of why a performer needs to consider what the audience will see. Use a mirror or video to watch yourself when you dance, so you can get the audience’s perspective.
5. Consider your costuming
fabric, bracelet, or Ghawazee sleeve. It’s easy to catch the veil on a dangling bracelet or a hair ornament, or to have it get stuck in lip gloss. Fire props and long loose hair and costuming pieces don’t go together. If you plan to do floor work with your prop, wear pants please! Even slit or sheer harem pants are better than no pants. Trust me: the audience does not want to see your inner thighs. There’s so much more to say, but probably the best advice I can offer for dancing with props is this: work with an experienced teacher, get feedback, and practice, practice, practice! Then your prop dancing will become something you can be proud of.
Sabine with veil photo by Jenny Harriman
when dancing with a prop. It’s very easy for a sword tip or cross-guard to get caught on a woven hip shawl, drapey fuse 10
A Down & Dirty Introduction
to Props for the Fearless Fusionista by Madame Onca
Want to capture an audience that doesn’t “get” belly dancing? Want a challenge in technique and stagecraft? Looking to win bigger tips from your crowd? Props can help, adding variety to your set, engaging your spectators, and upping your “OOOH!” factor.
There are as many props available to you as your imagination permits. Go wild and think outside the box! Balance pumpkins on your head! Meanwhile, here is a list of the more expected props and some of their noted practitioners. Enjoy.
Canes
Belly dance offers several varieties of cane to the curious: Raqs Assaya (women’s folk form, crooked stick), Tahtib (men’s martial form, straight stick), and neo-cirque “Raqs Vaudevillia’”. Learn the traditional Saidi forms before going creatively wild (I didn’t). Awalim Dance Company’s crisp straight cane technique inspired me to love it; marinating in jugglers and sideshow people inspired me to develop fresh moves. Whether you choose the folkloric approach or the carny flair, cane is tons of fun.
Parasols Nananda Ruckert with basket photo by Bonnie Austin Stanley
Baskets
An excellent prop for both head-balancing and framing the body, folkloric baskets are multi-purpose. Carry zills and other oddments in them and use them in your tip-gathering routine. In my years dancing in Asheville, North Carolina, we established a basket-tipping-only culture in all the restaurants. Unlike body-tipping, it had no stigma, getting the public more comfortable with dancers. Nandana of Cary, North Carolina is an exemplary basket dancer.
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Parasols and umbrellas, though “traditional” to our dance heritage, have experienced an uptick in usage this decade. The Yard Dogs Road Show performed at my place in Asheville about ten years back, using them in a dance routine. Early Gothic fusion tribal dancers incorporated them. Steampunk dancers rely on their Victorian flair, and we see many “jellyfish/mermaid” parasol motifs. It is a fussy prop; fragile, big, and hard to maneuver in a troupe. Look to the cirque movement for movement inspiration. As an aside on extended technique, I taught a “cane for Vaudeville” class in Knoxville, Tennessee, back in 2008 or so. The sassy ladies of Ananda Dance Company adapted those movements for working with parasols!
Snakes
Snakes are living critters with needs and bad days of their own, presenting the dancer with many
variables. As non-service animals, they are also prohibited from most eating establishments. Yet they enjoy a timeless chic with belly dancers as part of the Oriental Fantasy the public sometimes expects. My own experience indicates that a tame, well-fed constrictor about 4 feet long is the ideal partner, visible from a distance and still allowing for natural dance movement.
Jugs
Pittsburgh sisters Christine Andrews and Maria Hamer are among the finest jug dancers performing in the tribal genre. They draw on their love and experience with North African and Kalbellya styles to present a poise that is both folksy and queenly. If you want to try it, be that gal or guy who wanders through stores putting things on your head and staring off into space, feeling for balance. Procure a wooden or metal vessel—as Zi’ah Ali says, “There is no coming back from dropping a glass vase onstage!”
Wings
Recently repopularized, footage from the 1890’s of vaudeville shows dancers with “Wings of Isis”, fabric wings that connect either at the mid back or at the dancer’s neck and extend to, or past, the fingertips. You get what you pay for, in terms of quality. They are very glamorous, and tribal dancers have been slower than
our cabaret sisters to adopt them. Wings work well in clubs and big venues, less so in tight or windy spaces. It was Mavi of D.C. and her character-driven approach to wings that revealed their potential to me.
Onça with feather fans photo by Peter Paradise at RavenWolfe Photography
Swords
The sword is the queen of props for engendering awe in your audience. Work for tips? This is a mighty asset. Among my favorite daring blade-dancers in the tribal genre are Mavi and Belladonna, formerly of duet Romka, and both of the D.C. area. Melina is also celebrated for her sword work. Sword allows tremendous creativity in terms of body and head balances, as well as fluid, flirty, and martial arts influences. Buy a good sword, care for it, and study sword safety.
Explore your options. Take a
Veils and Double Veil
This is another crowd-pleaser. There is no unbroken ancient tradition of veil-dancing, so although we have accumulated much technique over the past half century, there is yet more to be discovered! Pioneers have added more veils, and more yardage, making this both an extreme spinning sport and wonderful for pieces with narrative content. Legends Mesmera and Eva Cernik, as well as Petite Jamila, are all renowned with this prop.
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Petite Jamila with double veils, photo by Beau Gustavson
body, not to frame it. Princess Farhana and Zoe Jakes have explored this demanding tool in the context of the BellyVerse. The third fan type is the standard stave-andfabric fan, in both flamenco and Asian styles. I have taught this to thousands of people, which to me is a performance professional essential. Fans define boundaries, command attention, and provide a much-needed cooling effect to the working artist!
workshop. Some may feel very natural to you and others may be a long time coming. Determine what is best suited to your skills, personality, and the use to which you need to put them. Now, cultivate that passion. Over the years, you may eventually learn to love them all!
Fans and Fan Veils
This family of props is very diverse. Fanveils are more veil than fan, a modern prop with a fan-like structure and added fabric for fluidity. Brilliant (as in really, really smart AND talented) dancers Bastet and Mahsati Janan both exemplify in their work the creative potential of this tool. Another eclectic option is the “Sally Rand” style that belly dancers have gleefully appropriated from burlesque. These feathered fans are expensive, fragile and beautiful. One challenge they present belly dancers is that they exist to hide the
Madame Onça is a career entertainer, belly dancer, event producer, artist, author, and artist consultant, living on the East Coast. She travels internationally doing these things. ww.hardestworkingwomaninshowbusiness.com Bastet with flutter fans photo by Carrie Meyer, thedancerseye.com
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Hat Trick
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by Jatare Barrett
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I have always loved a good hat trick. A magician, circus ring leader, mobster, and Mad Hatter, are all well known for their hat skills. A magician will pull out a rabbit, the ring leader will start the show, a tip of the fedora and bullets start flying and... the Mad Hatter –well–he was just plain insane. So why the hat, you ask? Because the hat is pretty badass without doing much of anything at all. It’s the cherry, the icing on the cake, possibly the whipped cream. Most people aren’t going to do anything with it, but oh do they love it on top. Drop it on an angle, wear it straight on, shape it oh-so-carefully and lo and behold, you’ve created instant mystique. The hat is not going to be create the ohhhss and ahhhs of a sword. You may be balancing it on your hat, but you certainly won’t see a double balanced hat trick. You may even hold it in your hand, but balancing it on your hip probably won’t be a crowd pleaser. If you slap the hat on the ground, it may not hit that beledi beat you were attempting. And sorry, you aren’t going to pound out a performance with a set of hats strapped to your thumbs and middle fingers. So why the hat as a prop, you ask? Oh yes. A prop in the traditional stage sense is something that enhances the performance. But that’s what costuming is supposed to do. When belly dancers think of props, we think of things that can be handled by our hands or balanced on our bodies. Hats are, in fact, props. You see the hat creates shade. It creates shadow. It creates mystery. Cutting your eyes across the audience is more delicious with one eye partially covered. Lifting the edge of the lower tip to an audience member looks so much more appealing if your eye was covered
by it. Smiling with part of your face in shadow makes people more curious to see the rest. “Curiouser and curiouser,” says the Cheshire Cat - who did not wear a hat by the way. To use the hat as a prop, you can’t simply leave it on your head and perform. You must, in fact, interact, utilize, and incorporate it into your performance. I can hear the echoes of ‘how?’ Well, some may go the easy route. Put on hat, get on stage, throw it on the floor and forget about it. Or dance through set, throw the hat at the end and leave it on the floor. Some will take the hat off and put it back on. And some may even be daring enough to twirl it on their finger. But please, indulge me for one Hipnotic moment. Having performed in a troupe that utilized the tandem Turkish drop (two people doing a Turkish drop together body to body as one person) as a ‘prop’, we couldn’t simply just put a hat on it. So my former dance partner, Neta, came up with “The Hat Trick”. “The Hat Trick” involved us lying on the floor on our backs, taking the hat off our heads, placing it on our foot, taking it for a ride, switching to another foot and then snatching it off and putting it back on our heads. So yes, I must give mad props to the hat. Be it a fedora or top hat, bowler or other, feel free to pull out your own rabbit, start the show, give the signal or go completely insane with it.
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Sword Care and Maintenance It is my theory in sword dancing
to always treat your sword with respect, as your sidekick, not just a prop. Proper care and maintenance, as well as mindfulness that your sword is a weapon (not just a balancing toy), will not only prolong the look and life of your sword but will also infuse your dancing with more purpose and intensity.
Blade Types: Pros and Cons
The blade of most belly dance swords is either exposed steel or chrome. Both styles have benefits and setbacks. It is important to know the difference in order to properly care for your sword.
*Exposed steel is a matte grey/silver color, will not show finger prints under lights, is easier to remove rust at home, needs more cleaning and maintenance, is less slippery, and is more susceptible to surface damage from poor care. *Chrome is shiny silver, will show fingerprints when under lights, is easier to clean and maintain, is very slippery, and will need to be re-chromed if rusting occurs.
Use Common Sense
Do not swing your sword carelessly. Keep in mind that your sword, battle ready or not, is still a weapon that can injure you or someone else. Remember swords can also slip out of your hands or fall off your balance point and cause damage to the surface you are dancing on. Be very careful and use common sense when handling your sword. *While practicing make sure you or your troupe find a space large enough to accommodate all of you while moving through space or executing balanced moves.
*Remember to secure dogs and cats or other free-range animals in another room
by Belladonna BellaFuse.com
while you practice. An impaled creature is certainly not the goal of your practice. *It is also very important to KEEP SWORDS OUT OF THE HANDS OF CHILDREN. Children will destroy a sword in a fraction of the time it takes to rust. Also keep swords out of reach of people who want to clash blades like in the movies or cut down trees with them. *Always choose non-battleready swords when dancing around children, and people who may be impaired.
A sword’s person should respect their sword at all times
*Do not bang your sword against another sword like you would in a theatrical-style duel. Contact with other objects cannot only damage the blade, but may also throw off the balance. *Always store it in a clean dry place at all times, steel wall hangers, wooden sword rack or a hard shell rifle case all work equally well. * While in storage or in transit be sure you sword is on a flat surface, laying it in the trunk or back seat haphazardly could result in someone setting something on top of it and bending the blade. * Do not store your sword in a leather scabbard, the leather can hold moisture and leave marks on your blade. * Use caution when “snapping” the scabbard around your sword, pressing too hard on the snaps can damage the finish on your blade.
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leaning it on its tip, this not only means you are treating it like a prop, without respect, but also will result in the possibility of the metal warping or bending and can ruin the balance of your blade. *Always wipe your sword down with a clean, soft cloth after handling it. This will help prevent spotting and damage to the blade caused by the oils and salts in your skin.
Cleaning Your Sword
Your sword will need to be cleaned every now and then to continue to look its best.
*Never prop your sword up against the wall by fuse 14
Chrome Clean with soap and water. Be sure to dry your sword completely when you are finished. If you need something stronger you can try other chrome cleaning products and techniques, but be sure to always try a small section before attempting to conquer the entire blade. Also try using cola and aluminum foil. Exposed steel Factory direct swords will most likely come to you with a light oil or a heavy coat of grease to protect the blades during transcontinental transport. To remove the grease you can wipe it off with paper towels or may try a solvent such as lacquer thinner or mineral spirits.
rial coated in a chemical oil. Tear a small piece of the wadding and use it to wipe down your sword. If oil remains on the blade, remove it with a paper towel. After cleaning residue from the blade it is important to seal it to protect it from future use. I recommend a product called Renaissance Wax. Apply the way you would to wax your car and then remove it until the sword is shiny and dry to the touch.
Rust Removal
Rust may be removed from your swords by either chemical or abrasive cleaning. Regardless of method, cleaning has its risks. Proceed with caution. Improper use or attention may damage your blades.
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Once you have finished this, apply a light coat of museum wax or wipe it with a silicone coated gun/reel cloth. If your sword needs a more intense cleaning, I recommend cleaner called Nev-R-Dull. You should be able to purchase it at your local hardware or automotive store, or online. It is a fiber wadding mate-
If surface rusting occurs, it can be removed with 600 grit or finer wet/dry sandpaper or steel wool and some lightweight oil (i.e. gun oil, etc.). Work in a one small area at a time and don’t over-work one spot. Be sure to go with the grain of the metal (shape of the sword) to prevent visible scratching. If the surface is too far gone for spot cleaning, you can take the sword to a local machine shop and they can use a grinder to resurface the sword.
uk tribal fusion Best of luck with your sword dancing!
DVD Review: UK Tribal Fusion Belly Dance
If I’m honest, I’m a bit of an an-
ographies. There are 6 performances, which can be viewed all together or individually, in varying glophile – dance included! I’ve long been styles of fusion. Only 5 of the dancers do lessons, an admirer of Bex and Alexis Southall, which are all fairly short. The longest is about 30 so I was eager to get my hands on the minutes, and the shortest about five. Fulya teaches UK Tribal Fusion Belly Dance DVD, in a pinup fusion combo, Bex teaches a Gothic fuwhich both of them perform and teach. sion combo, Dawn Overall I enjoyed the DVD, but it’s sort of a mixed bag. Overall I enjoyed O’Brien teaches a the DVD, but it’s short cabaret (banjo?) fusion combo, The production values aren’t sor t of a mixed Alexis teaches a amazing, although I appreciate bag. tribal fusion combo, the effort they made with the and Darkstar teachspace and equipment they had. es a Tutting combo Everything is filmed on the same stage, but the stage props change with the (Beatrice Flowers performs but doesn’t teach). mood of each performance. Performances The instructional sections, when applicable, have a cutaway view that shows the dancer from behind, can be viewed in an edited production which is always a plus. There are no warm-ups style or straight on without camerawork, or cool-downs (save a wrist warm-up in Darkwhich is a plus because the instruction star’s section) and posture and stance aren’t really segments are all pulled from the chorefuse 15
discussed, so this is definitely a DVD for intermediate dancers. It’s not necessarily going to be in my regular rotation, but I would suggest dancers looking for something a bit different to check it out. It’s a veritable buffet of fusion. If nothing else, check it out for Darkstar’s section. She’s an ooky-spooky powerhouse—and the way she says “Tutting” in her cute Northern accent kind of makes me squee. Find out more at www.darkstardance.co.uk/uk-tribal-fusion-dvd.
~Alison Eldridge
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the art of yl’luria voxx the Art of Yl’ luria Voxx
“plus-size tribaret”
was done entirely in ballpoint on paper, and was made in honor of larger dancers out there who rock everything they’ve got- openly, joyously, and fearlessly. I’ve drawn various dancers of size before, but non with this particular body size or shape, and again, where I realize there’s a need, I do my best to fill the gap. Dancers of ALL shapes & sizes inspire me to no end, so I want to draw them all as beautifully and thoughtfully as I can.
untitled
This piece was inspired by Mother’s Day, & the wonderful moms I am blessed to know; both dancer and non-dancer alike. Created on paper with ballpoint pen, Sharpie marker, colored pencils, graphite/mechanical pencil, metallic gel pens, metallic paint pens, and just a -touch- of eraser here n’ there., this piece hints at the history of belly dance, and hopefully speaks strongly to the love between a mother and her child.
“beautiful brown-skinned dancer”
This lovely Tribal Fusion dancer came about with the use of graphite/pencil on paper, after I realized that I had FAR too few dancers of color in my portfolio. (And frankly, that there are far too few out there in general.) This particular dancer wears both permed & natural hair, an ornate headpiece featuring headband, large flower & dangles, a coin top, swirling skirts, and piratey, Steam Punk-y striped bottoms beneath. This piece was a great study in shading, and frankly, I still don’t think she’s finished yet.
“we are all beautiful”
This piece was initially made to be a belly dance club poster, when I was going to school at Radford University. But when text was added few years later, it evolved into my most popular drawing ever. Created predominantly with ballpoint pen on thick, vellum-colored cardstock, it features women of varying sizes, shapes, ethnicities & body types, expressing their individuality through costume, while still being unified visually via similar poses, as they dance in unison a troupe.
Donna M. Gray
Yl’luria is a singer, artist, dancer & performer who recently migrated to the wilds of Portland, OR from the DC metro area. Despite her visual impairment (she has been legally blind since birth), she draws, sings in various languages & styles, writes, crafts, enjoys photography, design, and even hosts her own belly dance-inspired podcast & body-positive belly-blog. (“Eclectica” & bigtimebellydance.tumblr.com respectively.) A practitioner of Fusion dance since 2009, her work in every arena is richly informed by a love of world cultures, spirituality, language, mythology, folklore and other elements of geekery (such as fantasy & horror). And as an advocate for body acceptance and dis/ability awareness (within the belly dance community & beyond), one of her many goals is to unite EVERY body with this beautiful & empowering art form; regardless of age, gender, body shape/ size, background, and other factors which all too often seem to prevent people from pursuing their dreams. See more of her art at www.facebook.com/alternatevisions. fuse 18
Getting to the Roots of Tribal Dance with Kajira Djoumahna Part II An interview by Arikah Peacock Edited by Brynn Kickle Read Part I of the interview with Kajira, where she talks about her personal belly dance roots, in Issue #11 of our print edition. Subscribe or purchase at www.fusetribalmag.com Kajira at the Jamila Salimpour Tribute. Photo by PixieVision.com fuse 42 fuse 19
A: You have always honored your teachers and do so in all of your classes and Teacher Trainings. I honor her as well. After all, if I had not found ATS in the late 1990s I would not have met Therese, BlackSheep’s Assistant Director, and then you, Kajira! I want to make sure the world knows that I owe to Therese this pleasure. Without her I would not be a BlackSheep BellyDance member or Satellite School instructor! Speaking of BlackSheep, let’s talk about it! Where do we begin? K: Once denied entrance to Second Skin, I started working on my own Format for ATS (then it was still OK to call it “ATS”), and I had Carolena’s permission to use the term for all 5 of my DVDs, as she knew I was still keeping it “tribal” and had really ingrained what that is over my years with her. For fresh ideas I added many more steps from the Jamila Salimpour Format, since that was where it all came from originally, via Masha Archer. I also adapted a few cabaret moves to Tribal applications, usually changing arms, posture and adding cues and sometimes the moves or combo’s own distinctive cymbal patterns of Jamila’s. I do that now on everything new we come up with. I also spent some time exchanging ideas with Paulette of Oregon’s Gypsy Caravan, who was an original member of FCBD. She’d changed her style to have all rhythmic slow moves, while FCBD® has all arrhythmic slow. My Format uses both. I also was used to vocal cues from Sonoma County’s Gypsy Caravan, as we’d use them to signal our band sometimes. Paulette also used them in her Format. After adding them into my Format, it became a simpler matter to add more easily cued variations. Paulette and I both added new steps to our company’s repertoires that were inspired by one another, with the vows to change it at least a bit so that we didn’t look like each other, and to give credit where its due. We even had a workshop offering called “Tribal Synergy” that we taught in a weekend workshop in North Carolina and performed a duet in the show. The funny thing was we had to agree not to perform Basic Egyptian, as I kept Carolena’s ( Jamila’s) count, but Paulette changed her count to Suhaila’s (which is different from Jamila’s). So we didn’t do that one on stage, but otherwise combined our formats and led and followed one another easily. I loved spending time with my “big sister,” Paulette! I learned a lot from her and am happy she adopted some ideas of mine in turn. A: The use of both rhythmic and nonrhythmic slow moves and combos work great for my troupe, Ees’aBella BellyDance. We have practiced that after learning this from
you and it makes sense to us. We love the option! But having three performance angles is my favorite idea of yours. I love that people can get that symmetry from the audience and the performance angle. It is so fun! It is NOT hard if you learn it from a great teacher who can help you to understand the “how to.” It can only imagine the trial and error it took you and your early group/s to figure this out. Like everything in this style, it works for the group or it does not. K: For example, in class I saw Rina Rall, original and former FCBD® member; use the look over the shoulder in class as a cue for the Egyptian Full Turn. It was discarded in Carolena’s classes at the time in favor of a really huge half-turn cue that I didn’t like, so I kept it because it worked for me. I’m happy so many
help you become such a great instructor? K: I took Beginning Adult Ballet and Modern Dance classes at my local Junior College! Also Feldenkrais Movement Technique and Awareness classes made a significant leap in my understanding of the body, and I took basic Anatomy and Physiology too. These forms- especially ballet and Feldenkrais- really helped me see how our arms are styled for SGI (Synchronized Group Improvisation, which to me includes ATS® and ITS). I recommend these styles to anyone whether you teach or not, as barre work will be great for your posture and arms. BlackSheep BellyDance has very balletic arms, which are the
Therese & Kajira at Tribal Umrah 2013 in Marseille, France, Photo by Dan Fullard
people love our “3 basic lead positions” and have had a blast teaching my “Infinite Fronts and In-The-Round” workshops all over the world recently! They are real eye-openers for those whose only exposure to group improvisation has been that of FCBD®.
same as I learned them originally from Carolena. Since then, FCBD® has changed some things, including fundamental differences in arm carriage in steps like Basic Egyptian. Since I left, even the hips in that step have been modified.
A: Talk to me about this neglected-in-ATS® left hip! K: In absolutely every dance class I ever took before, during and after my studies with Carolena, we use both sides of the body equally. I couldn’t understand the reticence I encountered in her classroom to even trying what I saw as a dance-class “given,” but was reminded that many people, including Carolena herself, didn’t take many, if any, other dance classes, and at the time I was with her, she discouraged cross-training because it left less time for the dancers to devote to her classes only, and at that time she was worried that other training could “dilute” her own. I set out to prove my beloved teacher wrong, in that: “It doesn’t have to be ‘that way to facilitate the improv’ after all!” A: Besides taking private lessons on how to teach and getting those video critiques, what else did you do to
I have kept everything as if frozen in time that I learned from Carolena, so BSBD’s arms are actually very old-school FCBD. But styles do change and are morphed, of course. BlackSheep BellyDance uses the original Salimpour hips and long arms (and is careful to maintain the opposition of parts for the longest lines), just like Masha Archer, Carolena’s teacher, did when she brought ballet stylizations into her classes, since her own biggest inspiration was The Ballet Ruse. Most Oriental dancers do not oppose body parts and do not care about “long lines,” truly making SGI an occidental form and not an oriental one at all. Another thing that makes Tribal “Tribal” is that we are “open to the audience” in that it’s the upstage arm that will come down in a fuse 20
pose and the downstage arm that stays up so as not to block the lines or view of the body. In oriental dance, you will see an arm in front of the body where in Tribal you won’t. All of these situations and experiences really helped me as a teacher.
to see more unique portrayals around. Yet, great minds think alike and many things inspire us but I like the diversity that you bring to the ATS/SGI/ITS world. It is awesome that ATS® is not only good with tattoos but they encourage them. They accepted your adornments and all your bling.
A: What can you tell us as teachers to do?
K: And I wasn’t the only tattooed one, by far! I am so fortunate, lucky, grateful, and thankful that I can support myself completely with dance and dance event production and have done so for over 15 years. Even Carolena knew I could not work for others, and once loaned me a book named something like, “101 Ways to Make a Living for Alternative People.” I am too alterna-
K: First, make sure everyone in class is safe, and not just physically but emotionally and spiritually as well. So, my first rule would be “safety first.” Next, have fun! Always remember that FUN was why you started and why you continue dancing! Fun is extremely important for me to cultivate in the world, as our lives today are hard enough and dance needs to be different; a sanctuary from that which is not fun. I consider all of my BSBD Certified Teachers and dancers to be “Ambassadors of Joy!” Develop and maintain strong personal ethics, as you are someone’s role model. Ask permission and give credit when using other people’s steps or ideas. Support one another in all styles of dance, and especially belly dance. Go to and support -- or participate in -- other teacher’s shows, and invite them to dance in yours. Have fun. Be respectful! Remember there is room for everyone and their ideas, and be happy there is variety to choose from. Be open to learning from your students - this can happen in a number of ways. Never stop your own training; take workshops in styles you never plan to perform as well as those you do, just to learn new ways to teach and gain fresh knowledge. Be sure to have a well-rounded background in dance in general if you teach, and understand music enough to count it properly while using cymbals and not. You are responsible for the Victoria Webb people in your class, and that often extends into their lives outside the classroom as well. This dance can be life-changing, so be prepared for some of your tive and find following others blindly or taking orders is students to really grow into themselves as not my strong point. I am from the old school of punk they go, and expect others to face fears they’ve rock (where I first met Paulette and Jeff, and my friend long denied. And, have fun! If you do, your Princess Farhana!). I didn’t want to comply with rules. I students will, too, and nothing makes learning have dreadlocks; have always had wild hair, tattoos and sink in better than enjoying it while you do. piercings. I love “adorning my temple!” A: Everyone seems to be a cookie cutter. I see a new “Tempest” at events; I just saw a cookie cutter of her last night! I see tons of dancers trying look like and reflect Rachel and Zoe, Carolena, you, and other great artists. I think people are inspired by their teachers and mimic them which is going to happen, at least until they find their own “voice.” I would like fuse 21
A: Talk to me about “Tribal Fest®: The One, The Only, The Original.” It is the most amazing festival in the world for unique, interesting, and adorned people like us! Thank you so much for hosting this great event. I am so excited to teach alongside you this year. I hope our readers take our class and our BSBD sister’s classes and learn all they can! (Registration opens Nov. 1 every year, so get ready!!!!) Please tell our readers how this
idea came about. K: Tribal Fest® came along because we needed a place for Tribal people to celebrate openly and freely. We did not want classical or cabaret-styled things because they already had their place, and usually the Tribal people at these events were put in side rooms where no one could see, or at very early or very late times. We were ridiculed in the early days; we heard over and over about how “Only men from India wear pantaloons and turbans; tassel belts are only for camels or horses; women in the Middle East don’t have tattoos,” and on and on this went. I put an end to those falsities in “The Tribal Bible: Exploring the Phenomenon That Is American Tribal Style Bellydance” and published the photos to prove it. (Refer to the Tribal Bible, now an eBook!) I felt the Tribal community needed a place to call our own and not contend with the rivalry that was there was early on. We also invited folkloric, traditional and Romani presentations, and any type of ATS, which was then more diverse. I never have allowed “bedlah”: the beads-n-sequin bra-and-belt sets from Egypt that go with Egyptian style, no classical music, beaded fringe, no sequins unless part of a tribal (or “ethnic”) textile; instead we encourage mirrors, metals, beetle elytra and that sort of older, more traditional sparkly adornment (though we are seeing more rhinestones than is common for SGI now with Fusion dancers, they still use them in acceptable ways). The first year (held in 2001, advertised widely in 2000) was just a weekend with six workshops, three on Saturday and three on Sunday. A: Wow, have things evolved! It is truly amazing. Look at “The Fest” now! Holy BlackSheep! K: (LOL!) Yes. Now we’re getting ready for “Tribal Fest 14: From Root to Fruit, a Tribal Family Reunion.” Presently, it is a six day event Tuesday-Saturday and will be held May 13-18, 2014. (It’s always the third full weekend in May and the days preceding that, so you can plan for years in advance!) And people do, as we’ve had as many as 29 countries represented on stage recently. I’m learning more geography as I find out about countries I’d never heard of before! And we love how the tribal world’s “movers and shakers and stars” refer to our event as “their new year,” “the place where we always break out our newest, our best, our greatest ideas of the new year” or as their “place to meet again
with people they only see there once a year!” It’s become a favorite venue for collaborations amongst peers as well, since they can count on seeing one another there. A: Last year being seven days long with the added Monday, “An Evening with the Salimpours,” which I was so blessed to attend! Just saying…Finally in 2013, you had 66 teachers, 88 different workshops!
twice, Canada, England five times, Germany four times, Italy twice, France for Umrah, onboard cruise ships for 4 years, at weeklong retreats in CA and TX as well as numerous weekend workshops, festivals and other engagements. I am most grateful that dancers are loving the BSBD Format and carrying on the tradition, as it continues to spread joy to the four corners!
to me as we have had some nice dinners randomly but usually with many people and we are always about to take the stage or prepare for a workshop so we have little time to talk. I learned so much and you answered a lot of my questions which I know others have too about our Mama BlackSheep.
K: It is amazing to have come so far with Tribal Fest®, and we owe the world a huge “thank you!” But we found it to be too many teachers for us to handle well, so are returning to a more reasonable number of around 45 this year. In 2014, you can go deeper and have more time with your teachers, since we’re making the classes an hour longer in many cases. We grow and change by way of what our attendee’s request. Chuck asks online and we try to accommodate most everything we can within reason, which keeps The Fest growing, changing and new every year. But no matter what, first and foremost at the heart of Tribal Fest® has been, and always will be, synchronized group improvisation, of every style or sub-group. We will always have plenty of SGI workshops in ATS®, ITS and SGI as well as Tribal Fusion and other fusions, traditional classes, often fire and henna and drumming classes, Gothic and Dark Fusion... watch our Facebook page for the latest news. A: Having dancers from 29 different countries being on stage in three days is even more than Egypt’s “Alan Wa Salan.” Truly it is amazing. You get to network internationally. You have had countries I have never heard of coming to Tribal Fest®. K: Yes, we have helped people by writing letters for them to achieve their visas when necessary, from China and Russia. The BSBD Teacher Training & Certification held the weekend before Tribal Fest® each year remains popular. Since BlackSheep BellyDance is an international troupe, our members don’t get to practice together much at all. So we train hard and often in the BSBD Format with our own troupes and students at home and completely improv on the stage! Often there is a walkthrough rehearsal that Therese runs when I can’t be there due to my duties as Producer, and sometimes I write up a skeletal choreography for a song, but our shows there are truly examples of SGI at work! At TF13 three new members met one another and their troupe sisters for the first time that week! Through my TT program we have the same non-verbal language and communication even if we don’t speak one another’s native language well. We have members and Satellite Schools in Italy, Japan, England, Wales and several states in the U.S. I have done Teacher Trainings and workshops in Taiwan four times, Mexico
Kajira in 2009, by The Naked Artisan
A: Is there anything else you’d like readers to know? K: Yes! That, although I’m best known for my BSBD Format and its joyous group interaction, I still perform solos. These days they’re most often Dark/Gothic or some sort of Fusion, and I take workshops in other styles as frequently as I can. I attended and passed Rachel Brice’s “8 Elements, Phase One: Initiation” program in 2012 in order to deepen my understanding of Tribal Fusion. I’m also looking forward to working with a newly certified Level 1-3 BSBD Teacher from England, Bex Priest, on developing a “Dark Side” for the BSBD Format so we can play on the other side of the fence now and again. Bex is a highly-sought-after instructor in her own right and is known for her “Bellydance with Battitude” and Horror-Psychobilly stylings. We improvised our first ever “dark BSBD duet” at Lumen Obscura in spring of 2012 and she is getting asked to teach this material already, so we’d better get to it!
For more information on Kajira Djoumahna please see www.blacksheepbellydance.com. Her videos are available for purchase as well as the Tribal Bible on eBook. Kajira is working on a newer edition of the Tribal Bible. Want to contribute? Contact TribalFest@aol.com with Tribal Bible contribution in the subject. Woot Woot! Thank you! -Arikah Peacock
A: I know you can go anywhere you want and will continue to! K: I want to teach in Australia! A: I bet that will happen for you soon, Mama BlackSheep. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk fuse 22
Tribal Fest:six Tribalword At Its Best! tribal story project A Tribal Fest Six Word Story Project Compiled by Ruby McConnell www.rubygonewild.com All photos on both pages, courtesy of Carrie Meyer, The Dancer’s Eye
“THIS IS GOING TO BE EPIC.” “LITTLE BLACK SHEEP FOUND A HOME.” “I CAME HERE, I LEFT CHANGED.” This is how the Tribal Fest 13 Six Word Story Project began. With a declaration, a cheer, and a warning, simple stories that say watch out, the journey you are about to embark on cannot be guaranteed to be anything except transformative. The nature of that transformation is entirely up to you. In past years the only real way to get a sense of Tribal Fest and what it means to the belly dance community was by word of mouth, one dancer telling another dancer about their experience, or showing up and seeing for yourself. This year, we let Tribal Fest participants tell us their stories, why they came, what Tribal Fest means to them, and how belly dance has changed their lives. The Tribal Fest Six Word Story project was an experiment designed to give a focus and a voice to the experience of Tribal Fest. Throughout the Fest, dancers wrote and posted stories about belly dance, Tribal Fest, and their journeys on a public display board. We asked the dancers at Tribal Fest to tell us about their experience, themselves, and their dancing in just six words.
“ANNUAL REUNION OF AN INTERNATIONAL FAMILY.” “RETURNING HOME TO TRIBAL FAMILY. HAPPY!” “ALWAYS NEW BUT FEELS LIKE HOME!” What we got back were dozens of tiny glimpses into the experience of the brothers and sisters of the dance that conspire to make up the whole of what we call Tribal Fest. Enthusiastic tributes to an event that many clearly regard as an old friend, stories about recovery, adventure, and falling in love. For every dancer at Tribal Fest, and there are a lot of them, there is a story. Paola
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“YOU ARE MORE THAN YOUR DANCE.” “HE SAW ME DANCE, FELL IN LOVE.” “BACK AGAIN FINALLY. IT WAS 2007” “SHE LET IT GO... CRISIS AVERTED.” Some of the stories were touching, some sad, but many of them followed in the general spirit of the event: easygoing, happy, and really excited. As the story board filled, it was common to find dancers standing, focused, quietly reading or stooped over, carefully printing out their stories while waiting for a workshop to begin. One dancer said it took her three days to write her six words. Another, a librarian from the east coast, said that she was excited by the prospect of integrating literary arts with dance and that she had been coming back to the board every day, not to write another story, but, “to read the new ones as they go up.”
“DANCING, UNENCUMBERED, SHE DISCOVERED HERSELF AGAIN.” “ADVENTURE OF MOVEMENT... SIGHT SOUND AND TOUCH.” Adventure was a common word in the project. Tribal Fest 13 featured more than 60 instructors teaching over 80 workshops and more hours of performances than ever before. It is hard to imagine witnessing and participating in such an enormous amount of belly dance without having it move, inspire, and educate you. Many of the dancers at Tribal Fest come from communities with limited opportunities for training and performance; the breadth of instruction and opportunity to perform is part of what draws them to Tribal Fest each year. Even as Tribal belly dance increases in popularity and becomes more accepted into the mainstream; Tribal Fest remains committed to pushing the envelope and staying on the creative edge of Tribal Fusion. This year saw academic lectures on the historical origins of the Tribal Michaella Manning
Samantha Riggs
Colleena Shakti
Leon Mancilla, The Uru Tribe
form, hula hooping and fire dancing, as well as a nod to the Cabaret tradition with some vintage Orientale and burlesque finding a place this year. The dancers’ enthusiasm for the Fest’s new offerings and the consequences of trying to take it all in also made their way to the Six Word board along with the travel logs and shout-outs to tribes and friends.
“LIKE DANCING IN A CANDY STORE.” “DANCE, DRILL, LOVE, RINSE AND REPEAT.” “MY BACK HURTS - REALLY DON’T CARE.” What is nice about the breadth of workshops in combination with Tribal Fest’s ongoing dedication to the “all comers welcome” approach in booking their three day show, is that it keeps Tribal Fest feeling new and fresh and still representative of where the form is going, not where it has been. Even so, after only 13 years Tribal Fest has already become the old lady, the keeper of traditions. Many of the dancers wrote tributes to their predecessors and mentors; tiny gifts of gratitude.
Kajira w/King Chuck & The Chuckettes
“I’M IN LOVE WITH CAROLENA NERRICIO.” A lot of what makes Tribal Fest special has to do with people. With so many performances and workshops almost everyone is both teacher and student, performer and audience; it has a way of forcing everyone to interact and levels the playing field. Most important though, are Chuck and Kajira themselves. They are human and humble and the wellspring of acceptance, diversity, innovation, and camaraderie that has come to be the trademark of Tribal Fest. They also know when enough is enough, and this year’s Fest was plenty. There is already talk of scaling back, in the number of workshops and the length of the show, which only shows good judgment and a commitment to keeping the great stories coming. Sometimes less is more.
“SELF, MOVEMENT, COURAGE, EXCITEMENT, ESTEEM, LOVE.” “DRIVE, COFFEE, DANCE, FRIENDS, HOME, RECOVER.” “I LOVE MYSELF BECAUSE OF BELLY DANCE.”
About the Author
Ruby McConnell is a dancer, choreographer, instructor, and writer from Eugene, Oregon. She has more than thirty years of dance experience in forms ranging from classical ballet to tap, jazz, and belly dance. Her performance credits include Sirens Bellydance Company, Metro Dancers, Busking Theater Company, and the Eugene Ballet. Ruby choreographs and dances for the Red Raven Follies, winners of the 2011 Best of Eugene Performance Group category and Black Magdalene, an organic darkwave band in Oregon. She is also the Artistic Director of Red Moon Rising, a student-based belly dance troupe. Ruby received her MS in Geology in 2004 and is a Registered Geologist with the State of Oregon. Her published works include professional papers, essays, reviews, and short stories. Ruby was a founding collaborator and contributing writer for Harmonic Laboratory, a multidisciplinary arts group based at the University of Oregon that fuses electronic music, digital projection, and dance. Most recently, Ruby contributed text to Her Story, a dance work by the (Alex)andra Taylor Dance Company, which debuts December 2012 in New York City. fuse 24
Nathaniel Johnstone: A Musical Magpie by Medea (Karol Kurtz)
I had the chance to Skype with Nathaniel
Johnstone to talk about his music, plans, and life with Tempest. This is what he had to say.
Carrie Meyer, thedancerseye.com fuse 25 42
Medea: Let’s start at the beginning. How do you describe yourself as an artist? Nathaniel: I’m a musical magpie. I love so many different styles of music; I can’t stick with just one. M: I recall Tempest saying you are a former member of the steampunk band Abney Park. Could you tell us a little about that?
N: Pretty much everything I write is inspired by her in one way or another. Since 2010, I’ve written five tunes in collaboration with her. We discuss the thematic ideas and I create the music from there. We also improvise new music whenever we can. I love performing with her. I met Tempest when she was on tour of the US in 2009. I saw her doing a presentation on Steampunk
N: I was with Abney Park from March 2006 through November of 2011. At the time I joined, I understood that they were a Goth band and was looking forward to exploring what that meant to me as a musician. At my first real rehearsal, though, Robert told me that the band was going to be a Steampunk band and that really appealed to me. I’d been a fan of Steampunk imagery for most of my life already and being in a Steampunk band sounded like a lot of fun!
I started to write words and sought out the help of my friend Alyssa Rosenbloom. She is a poet and I thought she could help with the lyrics. From there, the album just happened almost effortlessly. Our new album, The Antikythera Mechanism is almost finished and the collaboration is still going strong! M: You like dancers using your music? N: I love it when people dance to my music. I feel honored that so many people would want to use our music in their dance. The more videos the better. The instrumental pieces have their own stories and it’s interesting to see how other people interpret them. M. Now what are your current projects? N: The final touches of Tempest’s new DVD. Our new vocalist has a project of her own called Dogwood and I’m helping her record her CD. We hope to have that done by mid-summer. There’s the new Nathaniel Johnstone CD, The Antikythera Mechanism, coming out in May this year; my goal is to have a new album every year.
And it totally was! It was a really amazing experience to be involved in the beginnings of a whole new scene. I met a lot of really cool people, made a lot of new friends, and got to play in a band that moved the world. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. It was a tough decision to leave when I did. But I had so much music in my head that I really had to take the time to get it out. M: So let’s talk about your music.
were fantastic! A lot of them shared thematic material and I decided that I wanted to make a whole album of this stuff.
M: You’re busy!
Nathanial Johnstone and TempestCarrie Meyer, thedancerseye.com
N: I like writing music for my friends who dance. This started with the Bloomington, Indiana, based troupe Darkside Tribal in 2007. I did a show with them that summer and we played two brand new tunes that I composed specifically for them. Once the music was finished, I asked them to name the tunes so that they would always be associated. This started a trend that when friends inspire a piece, they get to name the piece. M: That sounds like fun! I’m assuming you’ve written something for Tempest? How did you two meet?
N: I like mixing my own work and helping others. When I help others with their own material I can look at their songs differently. I try to coax out new ideas and push them into growing as a musician and composer. M: Is there anything you’d like to add?
Belly Dance and she danced to “Airship Pirate.” Our first improvisation happened at Gothla in 2010. That was a very pivotal moment for me. I’d never done anything like that before and it was just magical. M: Tell us a little about your CD Narratives. N: Narratives started as collaboration between Tempest and I. I had written several instrumentals for her, each of which was a story without words. We did some workshops where we talked about narrative in music and dance and had the participants write out the story they thought the music was telling. The responses
N: Music isn’t meant for a static audience; music is meant to involve people. When in the studio it’s easy to lose sight of that. That’s why I love playing shows so much. It completes the cycle. M: Ooo, I love that quote! Thank you! N: Thank you! For more information, visit www.nathanieljohnstone.com fuse 26
narratives johnstone CD Review: Narratives by Nathaniel Johnstone
I was one of the many backers
in mind. They are layered and have a of crowd funding for Narratives. I was eager mysterious feel. to see what would come of this project and I am not disappointed. Narratives is a wonderIt’s a temptation to review this CD song fully inventive CD; its eclectic collection of by song since they are all so different from songs includes very danceable choices, and each other. Suffice to say that Narratives is is just fun to listen to. As suggested by the a strong, creative offering by Nathaniel and name, Narratives tells stories. Its central well worth checking ... narratives tells out. theme is fairy tales and legends, each stories. given a different treatment/flavor. Nathaniel will be The songs vary in style, as can be expected releasing his next CD, The Antikythera by a musician as skilled and diverse as Mechanism, in May 2014! Nathaniel Johnstone. My personal favorite is “Red,” where the roles of hunter and prey are Listen to songs and purchase the album at reversed. Its Saidi bass line and Jody Ellen’s nathanieljohnstone.com. vocals make me want to listen to it, to dance to it, to share it. ~Medea (Karol Kurtz) “Amanita Ocreata” and “Gamal” are two gorgeous songs which feel like they have dancing
urban gypsy folkloric DVD Review: Urban Gypsy Folkloric Combinations with Sahira
The DVD Urban Gypsy Folkloric Combinations with Sahira is best described by a quote from Mary Poppins: “Practically perfect in every way.” Sahira’s long anticipated DVD does not disappoint either in content or production value. It was worth the wait. Production: Clear with minor (and few) camera bobbles. Camera is set mostly at the “back left corner” angle which affords both a good view of Sahira and of the mirror. There are some angle shifts to allow for variety. Sahira and Urban Gypsy wear colors that don’t match/disappear into the background so
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movement isn’t lost. Audio is excellent overall, although I felt the “Introduction” volume was a bit low and had a slight echo. Instruction and Performance: Sahira speaks clearly and confidently. She shares interesting facts and insights as she teaches; her enthusiasm is obvious in both her tone and expressions. I love how her eyes sparkle when she discusses something particularly exciting! She and Urban Gypsy know the folkloric content and are able to cleanly demonstrate the combinations. The performance segment was on a well-lit stage and quite entertaining. I loved the clever use of zills! Content: The content was focused on the various folkloric combinations and how to use them in an
improv style. After teaching the combinations, Sahira demonstrated them and their recommended cues by dancing with Urban Gypsy so we could see them in action. I also appreciated that she carefully explained how she counted rhythms for zill work, comparing it to the more common technique employed by dancers. I really like this DVD. Although I am not trained in this particular style, I found the DVD instructive and engaging. I now have a new appreciation for this style. This DVD earns a spot in my library. ~Medea (Karol Kurtz)
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mimi fontana Interview with Mimi Fontana, Director of Manhattan Tribal by Kathy Stahlman, Director of Tribal Moon Belly Dance
I’ve been in the ATS® world a long time (in the late 1990s as an early
member of FatChance®, then on my own as the Director of Tribal Moon Belly Dance) and love being exposed to the talented dancers that I’ve met in my teaching travels. Mimi Fontana is definitely one of them! I first met Mimi at Tribal Fest© 12 when I took her creative workshop on 9/8 rhythms for ATS®. I was overjoyed to see her in my workshop on Cues & Transitions. We felt an immediate connection in terms of teaching styles and artistic vision. Mimi’s troupe, Manhattan Tribal, impressed me so much that I asked each of my troupe members to study the Manhattan Tribal video Tribal Revival. If you’re an ATS® or ITS dancer looking for creative combos, that video is a great resource. Below is an interview with my new friend; the lovely and talented Mimi Fontana. Pixie Vision
Kathy Stahlman: You’ve had a very eclectic performance background, from ice rinks to rock concerts. Tell us a little bit about that. Mimi Fontana: I think my dance and movement, plus musical background is pretty key to my development as an ATS® dancer, to the development of Manhattan Tribal, and to how we work as a troupe. I started off as a competitive figure skater in ice dancing, along with dance (tap and jazz) classes. In my 20s and early 30s I toured as a bass player with various rock ‘n’ roll bands. I mean, we would go out for a month at a time doing shows in the U.S. and Europe—it was a pretty serious thing. When I found Middle Eastern dance, I studied and was honored to perform with some really great New York City companies. So my background is pretty varied and has really helped to contribute to what I do now. I was performing as a professional belly dancer in Cabaret styles for about 8 years before I discovered Tribal Fusion, and then it was another few years before I discovered FatChance® and ATS®. KS: When did you discover ATS, what was that journey like? MF: I was performing and taking classes here in New York. The movement we were exploring was Tribal Fusion with a lot of classic Tribal elements. Carolena Nericcio came in for a one- day workshop, and that was it. fuse 29
I remember standing directly behind her. The group I was working with had been doing all our moves basically flat to the front and Carolena said something like “huh, not that…this,” and went into dance performance angle in an Arabic Basic. And I went “SOLD! Where do I sign up?!” I was so impressed with the line, the attention to detail, and how much every little nuance made sense to me. It was a real eye-opener KS: How did Manhattan Tribal begin? MF: I had a Fusion duet group and we had been doing pretty well. We started making the rounds performing at some East Coast festivals, etc. This was around 2006-2007 and I was getting drawn more and more to ATS and the idea of working with a larger group. There were no ATS teachers here at the time. None. Folks were doing other forms of Tribal mixed with Fusion, but nowhere near the FatChance® format. At that time I was teaching about 5-6 classes per week in belly dance aerobics for Crunch Gyms. I pulled a few of the gym dancers in, and convinced them to start taking Tribal classes from me. Heather Bondra and Debbie Lakis, who are still with Manhattan Tribal, were the first. Kate Reid, who had been dancing FatChance® style for a long time in Connecticut, joined us, then Naja Maria Richardson, whom I danced with in my Fusion days, and it just sort of snowballed from there. They stuck with me and trusted my judgment when I said “Okay, you know that Fusion thing we’ve been doing? Well, pack up those Melodias ‘cause we’re goin’ old school!” By this time I had already begun to seri-
ous study with the FCBD® videos, and had taken one of the first General Skills courses, Teacher Training etc. KS: I loved the 9/8 Rhythm for ATS workshop you taught at Tribal Fest 12. That is a challenging tempo for us ATS® dancers. What was the process like to re-work classic ATS steps and our traditional 4/4 count into the 9/8 Rom-based tempo? MF: The 9/8 fusion came from necessity. In our region, many of the bands are Turkish. Debbie and I were asked to do a show at a fairly big New York City club with the band Turku from North Carolina. We weren’t able to do many of their fast songs, because they were in 9/8. I had studied 9/8 and Karsilama styles in my Cabaret days, and had at this point already been playing around with fusing it with ATS®. After that show I realized how many more opportunities would be open to us if I could adapt ATS® movement for use with a Turkish 9/8 rhythm. The process is pretty instinctual. Once you get where the accents lie, and the various zill patterns, all the moves tend to fall into place. There are only two moves I’ve found that don’t work very well with it, but the rest of the vocabulary translates really well. KS: I hope you make a 9/8 rhythm for ATS® DVD, the ATS® world needs it. At the begin-
ning of the interview I mentioned your video Tribal Revival. What inspires your creativity in Manhattan Tribal combos? MF: Honestly, all my creative anything, in any medium I’ve explored, tends to “fall from the sky.” I don’t sit and ponder. As long as I’m well rested, I just kind of zone out and it’s like the Muse drops it into my brain. I feel very fortunate that this happens! Then there are months of reworking, polishing, etc. before most of the complex combinations are ready to be presented. KS: Who are your inspirations? MF: I have so many! A huge inspiration is my teacher and friend from my Egyptian Cabaret days, Ranya Renee. I really feel like I learned how to teach from her, I learned how to perform from her. Also, I took my very first ever Tribal class from Kajira at a dance camp that I’ll never forget. Obviously Carolena and all the FatChance® ladies, whether I’ve gotten a chance to meet, learn, dance, and/or hang out with them, or just had the pleasure of watching them on video. I still try to take as many workshops as my time allows and that is always inspirational. For instance, Kathy, your workshop at Tribal Fest 12 was fantastic. We’ve adapted your way of doing a few of the moves as well as actively performing a few combinations I learned in your workshop. Davina Tribal and their
ATS® sword variations has been a huge thing this past year. Collette Todorov from Oregon has combinations that Manhattan Tribal uses, same for Jen Nolan and Tamarind Tribal. I love a lot of what they do. I think just always keeping open to new stuff is important. Having eight troupe members who also actively take workshops and bring in moves is a real plus too! KS: I completely agree, attending workshops keeps the creative juices flowing! I see that you’ve been to Russia and France recently, what were those experiences like? MF: Debbie Lakis and I were in Moscow in July and it was an amazing experience. Not only to travel to such an interesting place, and be treated so well, but the quality of the Russian Tribal Mafia dancers was top notch. I was really impressed with how quickly they picked up new things, how open they were to learning, and how well run the event was. I taught in Paris in 2010 for the BellyFusions Festival, and again just this past January. BellyFusions was really great this year because we got to connect with many more of the European ATS® Dancers, some of whom I’d only previously met online. And who doesn’t love Paris!? I had to go on a cheese and chocolate detox for about a week after our return! KS: It was so much fun putting together an instatroupe with you, Naja Maria, Tribal Sooz and Heather this past December at the hafla in Las Vegas in support of the FatChance workshops. Where can we find your workshops for the remainder of 2014? MF: I had a great time improving with you and I was
really excited just to be a student! We have some really exciting events coming up in the next 12 months! The “BIG ONE” is that I’ve been invited to teach my “ATS® Meets 9/8 Rhythm Project” workshop at the ATS® Homecoming, hosted by FatChance® in January 2015. The other big workshop will be the second year of our annual NEATS (North East American Tribal Style) Dance and Music Camp in September 2014. It’s a weekend retreat in Cold Spring, New York, and includes ATS® dance classes, as well as percussion classes, haflas, and a show at a sleep-away camp. This year my partner, Carmine Guida, and I will be joined by Tamarind Tribal’s Jennifer Nolan—it’s going to be a really good time! The website for that is www.NeatsCamp.com. All of this as well as our other shenanigans can be found on our website www.ManhattanTribal.com and we also have a Facebook page www.Facebook.com/manhattantribal. KS: Mimi, thank you for sharing your story, and for the opportunity for all of us to get to know you just a little bit better! with electronics and industrial music.
Jenny H. Ho Photography fuse 43
Raqqin’ the Retro VINTAGE COSTUME CARE* by Princess Farhana
Vintage belly dance costumes
and antique stage accessories are a personal passion of mine…to look at, to own and to wear. Fascinating in their staggering variety, they can run the gamut from clumsily constructed home-made affairs to Egyptian, Lebanese and Turkish couture costumes, to ethnic pieces that were not made for stage use, but to be worn as real clothing, for everyday use or as ceremonial or bridal wear. Many of the most well-known belly dance costume designers have been in business for years, and like the top fashion designers, have had different design concepts and in many cases, full collections for every season. Older oriental dance costumes were made by hand and constructed to last literally a lifetime. Of course, there has always been the cheapie airport specials—basically souvenirs for tourists—but even those used to be constructed much better than they are now! Lately there has been a trend among all styles of belly dancers to return to the glamour and over-the-top design of the older style costumes with copious amounts of coins and fringe dripping from every possible area on the garment. It’s no secret that many older belly dance costumes can be had for a song and be made beautiful and serviceable again, through a little loving care. If you are planning on washing a vintage belly dance costume, or a costume that has been fabricated from antique textiles, mirrored fabric, or one that is hung with heavy coins proceed with care. Many older cabaret costumes were never stored properly-or ever washed, for that matter- and because of the accumulation of sweat or skin oils from the previous owner(s), fabric deterioration due to normal wear and tear, or in some cases, exposure to sunlight, the fabric itself may be compromised, and this is especially true of velvets and brocades. Many vintage cabaret costumes were often made by hand by the dancers themselves, with the bra constructed from a regular lingerie bra. This is not to say that some of the homemade jobs weren’t spectacular, or well made. Many of them are simply amazing. But once fuse 31
ten to forty years go by, the older fabric of the base-bra—it and the synthetic padding— will probably be breaking down and losing its shape. Appliqué designs may be fraying or coming off; coins may be missing due to wear and tear on the threads that fastened them; metal snaps, hooks and closures will probably be rusted; and the costume’s straps might be stretched out or actually coming off the costume. Since these older costumes were often hand-beaded by the dancer who wore them, sometimes the beads, fringe and loops weren’t knotted securely, or the knots themselves have frayed. In many cases, if one piece of fringe falls apart, it will create a chain reaction on the entire row of fringe. Older sequins may have lost their color and sheen and have a clear appearance; some decorative crystal stones may be missing. In order to make these elderly beauties danceable again, you will have to have expert handsewing skills, and will probably have to make new straps and closures, at the very least. Dancer Ozma of Japan says she always “bleeds” the cups of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s era costumes she restores, by picking out the deteriorated nylon Tricot padding from the bra cups. I have never done this—I don’t have her patience! I usually just add new full-cup pads to the brassiere cups (more to hold the shape of the cup than to pad it) and then hand-sew a new lining over the pads.
Bedouins. Also, the more lavishly a piece of older material was decorated with embroidery, variously applied metallic strips, metal alloy buttons, mirrors, or sewn-on appliqués, the weaker it will be, due to age and deterioration of the fibers.
As for custom made ethnic or tribal costumes, many of the fabrics used in their construction are serious antiques. Dancers hunt far and wide for antique trinkets and textile treasures to make their costumes special, and though some of the fabric finds are still gorgeous, they can be extremely fragile. Even older cotton pieces may be delicate in condition and have some dry rot, especially if the material was exposed to the sun, dust or elements—think of pieces originally used by nomadic desert-based tribes like Berbers, Kuchi or
This is especially true of antique Assuit, a traditional, handmade Egyptian cotton mesh fabric embellished with designs created from small strips of real silver, woven and/or hammered by hand into the mesh. Coming from the Egyptian village of the same name, the new Assuit is mostly mesh fabric, with silver designs, while the older type of Assuit was mostly silver (with the designs left in the color of the mesh) which made it extremely heavy.
Lengths of vintage Assuit are usually astronomically expensive, because the sheer mesh base fabric has become so heavy from the silver decorations, it is prone to rips and tears, plus the fact that as the silver oxidizes due to age, and it can weaken the base fabric. Other vintage ethnic textiles may have been constructed by hand, embroidered with metallic threads, and large beads or pearls; or hung with decorative shells, beads, bottle caps, buttons, small mirrors or bells, all of which will weaken the fabric due to weight. Many ethnic fabrics were woven by hand or embroidered with material threads that were not commercially dyed, and therefore are not colorfast.
item, refill the tub, and repeat the careful swishing until the water around the piece is clean and clear. To dry the antique material, gently roll and pat the item carefully in a towel, then lay it flat to air dry on a few layers of fluffy, clean towels. Do not hang it up or the fabric may stretch out; never put it in a dryer, the heat and tumbling action are the kiss of death! Have a serious look at your antique or vintage costume pieces, maybe do some research on the Internet or consult a costumer or antique textiles dealer if you possibly can, and try to assess the fabrics used on your costume, its age and durability. You may ultimately opt not to wash them. If you have a costume decorated with coins that have tarnished and you want them shiny again, you can clean them individually with jewelry polish (not commercial brass or silver cleaner) applied with a Q-tip. This is a painstaking process, but will shine up the coins and if you apply the polish carefully, will not stain the rest of your costume. If the coins are sewed on in rows, you can take a piece of heavy paper or cut a length of plastic off a shopping bag, lay it underneath the row of coins, and polish them that way, protecting the material they were mounted on. This works well for real coins, and manufactured costume coins or coined trim.
of metal polish. This also cleans up rhinestones and crystals- I use this method on all my antique tiaras…and believe me, I own a lot of them! It works just as well for jewelry made of pot metals or “paste” (vintage faux jewelry) as well as Kuchi jewels or ethnic items made from low-quality silver or mixedmetal alloys. The toothpaste is less acidic and much less abrasive than metal or even jewelry polish, and will remove dirt or tarnish without damaging the patina of the item. I usually apply the toothpaste by hand and gently rub it with my fingers, but you could also use a soft child’s toothbrush to do this. After you’ve shined up the item, rinse it off with tepid water, and pat it dry with a soft cloth. Care for your vintage costumes and accessories properly and lovingly, and you should be able to restore them to their previous beauty, as well as raq them proudly onstage!
Retro
Dry cleaning for antique pieces is not recommended, however; careful hand washing, in most cases, should be okay. Make sure to use lukewarm water, and a very mild soap. I myself use baby shampoo. When rinsing, do it thoroughly- any soap residue left in the garment will put the natural deterioration process on fast-forward. To wash a vintage textile, fill your bathtub with tepid water and a capful of baby shampoo. Place the garment or fabric into the water, and swish it around gently with your hands. Never ever squeeze, wring or scrub the piece being washed. Simply drain the bathtub as the dirt comes off the
Actually, a handy trick I learned from an antique dealer who dealt in estate jewelry is to clean any older metal items using plain old toothpaste, as opposed to any sort
*This article is an excerpt from Princess Farhana’s new book, The Belly Dance Handbook: A Companion For The Serious Dancer, available at www.princessfarhana.com/shop.htm If you liked this article and would like to read more by Her Majesty, visit The Royal Blog here: princessraqs.blogspot.com
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tribal andin fusion in mexico Tribal and Fusion Mexico by Mittie Babette Roger
Mexico has taken to tribal style belly dance like ATS® dancers take to the right. Fusion, Improvisational Tribal Style and American Tribal Style® have become quite popular throughout the country with teachers and workshops popping up everywhere. After the arrival of Tribal in 2001, it has manifested in many forms under the guidance of some skilled teachers. We’re going to hear from three of the belly dance bombshells of the Mexican Tribal circuit.
Sean Reagan Photography
ELSANNE BARROWS Elsanne was extremely influential in the development of the Tribal movement in Mexico. She moved to San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, in 2001 with no intention of imparting Tribal; she came to learn Latin Dances, but requests from friends to learn what she knew of this “New belly dance style called Tribal” opened a door to the next twelve years of her life which have revolved around teaching Tribal improvisation. “We ordered VHS cassettes (yes) from FatChance® and Black Sheep, ordered our Tribal Bible, and ‘Belibeya’ was born as a performance troupe. Then it became the name of the Tribal festival I organized to bring my teacher Terri Walden down and keep learning. May 2014 is the next edition of Belibeya (8), with Terri, Katarina Burda, and Sharon Kerr, as well as Kathy Stahlman,” says Elsanne.
Elsanne Barrows photo by Scott Belding fuse 42
In 2004, she was asked to teach for the first time on a national level, and thus began a campaign to train dancers and dance teachers wherever she went. This turned into her signature program, “Maestras del Tribal” or Tribal Teachers,
which is currently in its 11th generation with 85 graduates around the country. “Teaching is my passion; I have a master’s in education and an obsession with pedagogy that I get to invest in this course. Community building is another passion. Then the dance...and my life is utterly complete,” explains Elsanne. The Tribal network in Mexico is growing exponentially and she is well connected within it. But she believes there is a more interesting element to the dance scene in Mexico than in the U.S. Sociologically, Elsanne asserts that Mexico is about a generation behind the U.S. in terms of women’s equality. In a sense, this current generation is the first to live economically independent of men. This deep-rooted cultural shift is in its infancy, and part of the shift includes women viewing other women as sisters and co-conspirators instead of a threat. “It’s a fascinating time to be empowering women in Mexico. My entire thrust is building tribes of women who work together to create an impactful performance, and we talk about this issue and consciously setting aside the natural tendency to compete with other women—especially if they come from a ‘regular’ dance background,” says Elsanne.
LUCRECIA NAVARRO “In my heart of hearts my intention is always to play a nurturing role in anything that I do in my life,” says Lucrecia Navarro of Tijuana. “Coming in close contact with dance teachers and gurus from different countries that I had the good fortune of visiting, consummated my devotion for this dance as my form of artistic expression.” Lucrecia was also the first woman in Mexico to be certified in American Tribal Style®, though she considers herself a fusionist. Lucrecia started dancing when she was a little girl, but rediscovered her passion for dance through yoga, and her personal quest of self-realization. She started to study belly dance after a trip to Istanbul where she met regional dancers that inspired her to learn more about the art form. Lucrecia believes that travel is important to the discovery and study of dance and thus predicts that the future of Tribal in Mexico will hold not only the expansion of the network but also more opportunities for financial aid, which will facilitate its growth.
Lucrecia Navarro photo by Scott Belding
LORE ROJAS Lore Rojas, dancer and instructor of American Tribal Style® and Tribal Fusion belly dance, says her dance school is based around “believing in the whole Tribal spirit, a sisterhood where all my students are family and we are more than just a bunch of dancers; we are friends and family.” From watching videos of Bellydance Superstars to studying ITS with Elsanne and certification in ATS® with Carolena Nericcio (creating her sister studio in Mexico), to studying in the Shakti School of dance to nurture her Tribal Fusion, Lore has felt the community at every turn. She also credits travel as an important source of inspiration, saying her studies in India make her “very proud” and that she’s always eager to travel and learn.
Lore Rojas photo by Scott Belding
She also puts on an annual festival called “Sueño Tribal” (Tribal Dream). Next year will be the 7th, inviting national as well as international Tribal talent. She believes that community is key, providing support for the network to grow and flourish.
PERSONAL THOUGHTS All of these women place great importance on community-building and engage it in honest, ethical ways. This is one of the reasons why Tribal has had such an enormous impact on Mexico; it uses artistic expression to create bonds between people and nourish healthy human relationships through inspiration and discovery.
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belly dance reader Book Review: The Belly Dance Reader, by Lynette Harris
What a gem! Complete with a glossary of common belly dance terms, gig form template, rhythm and maqam charts, and maps, the editors of The Gilded Serpent have compiled a true treasure trove of articles for the belly dancer. You may be familiar with the helpful website called www.thegildedserpent.com, but if not, this site has been one of the most frequented resources for the belly dance community online and paved the way for this book’s creation. There are articles on how to read like a researcher, understanding Orientalism, dancing through the stages of your life, the teacher/
student relationship, teaching children, how to go from a hobbyist to a professional, taking over the
Rose, Dondi, DaVid of Scandinavia, and many other excellent performers. There are tips on improvising, strategies for learning to balance anything on your head, and practice tips. It’s loaded with lots of photographs, artwork, and great graphs and illustrations to sim. . . a true treasure plify complicated topics trove of articles for like “Current American the belly dancer. Belly Dance Genres” and “Plutchik’s wheel of Emotions.” Every dancer world, history, and will want to have a copy of this book on their details on the busishelf. ness of belly dance from working with a My favorite part about reading this book was live band to tipthat it was clearly written with SHARING ping etiquette and in mind and the authors do not hold back or marketing. belittle the seeker of knowledge. There are sections on theory and technique, costuming and make-up, and regional styles of belly dance with informative articles written by Princess Farhana, April
~Stephanie Bolton
goddess dance
DVD Review: Vagabond Princess presents...Tribal Fusion Belly Dance: a Workshop Companion (The UK’s first tribal fusion belly dance workout)
The filming style felt quite like an Indie movie in its use of natural light, artistic angles, awkwardly near close-ups with no regard to “mask” the debris of ordinary life that converged in the background (dog relaxing on his bed by the cast-iron hearth, coats on the hooks by the door, occasional bird taking flight across the sky, etc.). Not that it was horribly distracting; on the contrary, it created an amusing “realness” to the presentation of Samantha Emanuel’s surreal fluidity and grace. Cast in a log cabin setting, the textures of the wood paneling and thick network of tree branches outside the windows enhanced the raw, unpretentious essence of the footage. Most of the content is done with a voiceover that is calm, well-timed, and soothing. Thanks to articulate and colorful descriptions, one feels as though they are hearing the contents of this Bellydance Superstar’s inner fuse 35
thoughts as her expression remains emotionless. The funky, jazzy music lends a productive energy to the subtle, gentle tone of the technique drills. The first disc is a very slow-paced, beginner-friendly tutorial on basic technique covering head movement on down to foot patterns. The second disc features a nice arrangement of technique drills and practice sessions followed by instructions on a very intricate choreography where the use of the voice-over is abandoned and Samantha speaks to us directly as she demonstrates. I found the use of “positive imagery” (animated diagrams added to illustrate patterns for movements) very helpful and effective. I loved her adorable “tidy” descriptions that she delivered in a very matter-of-fact manner, seemingly disconnected from any underlying humor. The warmup and cooldown are included on both discs with challenges for both the body and mind. The performances are absolutely remarkable displays of polished precision and stunning spirit; pure elegance! One side note: pay attention to the format of this
DVD. It is “PAL-all regions”, so you might need to make sure that your TV/DVD Player is compatible because my DVD player could not read these discs; however, I was able to watch them on my laptop. Order the DVD online at www.vagabondprincess.com. ~Stephanie Bolton
Tribal Umrah 2013: A California Yankee in King Louis' Court by Paige Lawrence Several years ago a French dancer named Djeynee discovered Tribal Fusion, Amy Sigil, and Tribal Fest. Djeynee wanted to bring Tribal Fest to Europe, but the task seemed insurmountable. I asked Djeynee about Tribal Umrah’s origins and she said “Talking to Amy about it in 2007, she told me: if there is one festival in France, you should be the one who produces it! Tribal Umrah started in July 2009 and Amy Sigil is the Godmother!” In the Tribal world dancers make pilgrimages to meet new instructors and see dancers with whom they are enamored. As a FrancoAmerican, I have dreamt of visiting France my whole life, and as fate would have it, Tribal Umrah became part of the plan. On a whim, I typed “Tribal Fusion France” into Google one day and the first link to appear was for Tribal Umrah which just happened to be the EXACT week I intended to be there. Positive sign #1. Next I contacted Djeynee who is not only the organizer of Umrah but the vera causa of Hot Pot Studio’s sister community in France. She was very happy to hear my inquiry about the event and immediately posted to the Umrah community online that I was planning to attend. Within a few days I had a flat mate for the week, and was purchasing train tickets. When an event organizer goes out of their way to make you feel welcome, you know you are going somewhere special. Positive sign #2. I got to Marseille on a Wednesday (the third day of the event) and the first thing I attended was the instructor “meet & greet.” Within 1 hour of arriving in Marseille, I was on a terrace bar by a pool visiting with Amy, Shelly, Sarah and Keri of UNMATA along with
April Hollon of Verbatim, April Rose Burhnam, Alexis Southall, Sharon Kihara, Deb Rubin, Asharah and Maelle of the Suhaila Company, Kajira Djoumahna of Tribal Fest and Black Sheep Bellydance, “the man cub,” Mr. Illan Rivière and Moona Jaghan of Imajaghan. Before I am a dancer, I am a Tribal Fusion fanboy first and this was like fanboy overload! My first class was a workshop on Group Dynamics with Illan. As many of you are already aware this young man is a fountain of talent, focus, and energy. I always walk away from his workshops with inspiration, new dance ideas and a lightness of spirit. With his extensive dance training in styles beyond Tribal Fusion, his lightness of bearing and lyrical choreographic sensibility is essentially the opposite of my own. As the class progressed I found myself lightening up and letting go of my own habitual earthy, San Francisco Tribal style. It was fast, densely packed with information, and most importantly: fun! Positive sign #3: The international crowd was so enthusiastic and genuine it was a pleasure just to visit. I didn’t spend a single moment wanting for company and everyone I met had a story to share or a question to ask. Lest we forget, this community is very small (if there are 100,000 of us worldwide I would be shocked) so at an international event, every dancer you meet might well be the only Fusion Belly Dancer for 1,000 miles in their home country. I met Germans, Italians, Russians, Ukraineiens, Brits, Swedes, Algerians, Danes, Dutch and Taiwanese. To see the sisters (and one or two brothers) who have devoted their lives to this dance worldwide was humbling and delightful. The next part of the event was the Hafla. One in which I am honored to say I performed. The evening’s program included Billie Bird, Dawn & Alexis, Manon, Cie Satinka, Lucioles, Taisah jah Surya and more. The next
Nei ‘ Mad Photography
day I took class with Alexis Southall whose razor sharp technique, unusual musical selections and personal sweetness was just a joy. The highlight of the week was by far the Closing Show. I asked Djeynee to tell me about the closing performances and what things were new or different at Umrah this year. “This year was the first offering an ITS UNMATA certification: 20 Europeans and one Taiwanese girl joined this session. That was also the first time when so many students went on stage with their masters. This year we had: the Pro Track girls with April Rose & Illan, the Cagole girls with Illan, the ITS International girls with UNMATA, the “Working with the moment” girls that were part of the UNMATA 2013 Tribal Umrah Set! The last one was the BlackSheep Bellydance Tribe featuring Kajira and the BSBD + BSBD European Certified teachers + students from workshops at Tribal Umrah. Also for the first time, we had two workshops for free taught by volunteer American teachers: Reed Burnam (April Rose’s husband) and Lil’A (Verbatim). I love these kinds of very supportive offers.” During the closing show I watched two solid hours of performance by Black Sheep Bellydance, Sharon Kihara, Deb Rubin, Asharah and Maelle (featuring an incredible Finger Cymbal duet by the one and only Jamila Salimpour), Illan, Imajaghan and an incredible 40 person group performance featuring UNMATA ITS led by the indomitable Amy Sigil who did the entire event including 40 hours of workshop instruction on a broken foot.... That is hardcore and it showed. The group ITS performance was actually set beyond the stage behind the audience and finished with UNMATA onstage leaving those of us in the audience surrounded by performers. It was a powerful moment. I definitely saw a similarity between Tribal Umrah and Tribal Fest --World class talent, a shared learning experience and real community sisterhood. Tribal Umrah 2014 will be held in the city of Prague, Czech Republic. I hope Umrah continues for a long time. I asked Djeynee what she has in mind for next year and I got nowhere. “Whatever I’m planning to do I will not tell you, ah ah ah. Just wait and see. The only thing I can tell is that I’m collaborating with Stania Muzikova (a Hot Pot sister from Prague!) and I already feel good.” fuse 36
russian gypsy cabaret Russian Gypsy Cabaret—Abandon of the Soul by Viktoria Mitlyng FireBird Dance Place www.bellydancechicago.net
My earliest memory of Russian Romani (Gypsy) dance is spinning, feeling like there was air in my feet and fire in my belly. Then falling while the world still spun around me pulsing with Gypsy song. I had no formal lessons; Russian Gypsy dance was not taught. You learned it as you lived it. I am not ethnically Romani but my nanny was a retired Gypsy dancer from the famous Gypsy Theater Teatr Romen in Moscow. “Spin little one… lift your chin… pretend your arms are wings… now, they are lilies,” she would say as I tried to mimic her magical moves. Her love for Gypsy music and dance was an invitation to learn and a gift I continue to cherish. Now, I share this gift with American audiences and dancers through performance and teaching. Russian Gypsy is a unique form of Romani music and dance in that, while it started as a folk art, it became a part of Russia’s high culture with a powerful influence on the country’s poetry, music and dance. At the same time, Russian high culture shaped Russian Gypsy music and dance, transforming it into a sophisticated performance art.
who could avoid this influence. For Russian poets and writers, the Gypsy became the symbol of personal freedom, spontaneity, and abandon. The Gypsy stood apart from the regimented Russian society and was embraced for this separation. At the same time, Russian Gypsy
This dance form had its genesis in the 18th century, when Count Orloff heard of Gypsy performers whose music was so powerful it could make people laugh or cry. The count went south to see for himself if the rumors were true. He was so impressed when he Michael Rothman found these Gypsy performers that he brought them to his estate to focus exclusively on their art. In 1774, Orloff singers created an entire musical tradition, romansy, brought them to the imperial court. Their transforming Russian lyrical poetry into Gypsy song. music took the Russian capital by storm and By the beginning of the 19th century, Russian and soon Gypsy music became the most popular Gypsy culture became intertwined, shaping the future and sought-after. Russian aristocrats scoured of Gypsy art in Russia. the country to find their own Gypsy choirs. Gypsy musicians were given preference over The beauty of Russian Gypsy dance is rooted in Italian singers who were the toast of the tsar’s traditional Russian Gypsy songs which were not writtheater at the time. ten down or rehearsed. Trusting the artist’s personal intuition and inner feelings was the only artistic truth These are the beginning of Russia’s fascinafor the musicians and the dancers. This freedom of extion with Gypsy music, dance, dress, and way pression, so different from the Italian music so popular of life. There was no composer or musician among the aristocracy, enthralled the Russian audience. fuse 37
Russian Gypsy songs often start with one voice or instrument, joined by more singers improvising on melody and rhythm, intensifying with each verse finally coming together in a crescendo of sound and emotion. The traditional songs reflect the nomadic life of the Gypsies —the life of a Gypsy tabor (camp), the road, horses, the Gypsy song itself and love. Russian Gypsy dancers translate the rich coloratura of emotions and moods which characterize Gypsy songs—from longing and melancholy to joy and abandon—reflecting the intensity of musical expression. The vocabulary of movement reflects the Romani journey from the deserts of Rajasthan to Russia’s snowy steppes. This dance form carries elements of Indian dance with the emphasis on eyes and face to tell a story; flamenco, with its powerful arm and head positions and the use of the skirt; the more sinuous movement of Oriental dance; intricate footwork shared with other Romani dances of Eastern Europe; and flowing movements of certain Russian folk dances. At the same time, this dance form was shaped in St. Petersburg’s (Russia’s imperial capital) lavish restaurants, as a way to earn a living by entertaining the Russian nobility. Following a ten-course meal accompanied by abundant drink at what amounted to a five-star restaurant, the evening was crowned with a performance by a Gypsy choir and dancers. The expression “To the Gypsies!” became the invitation for an evening of joy and spontaneity. That’s where the dance gets its theatrical quality, drama, and flourish. The dancer’s social and financial status depended on her ability to enthrall the wealthy and cultured patrons, to stand out, to be unforgettable. The emphasis on beautiful body angles, dramatic movement of long lavish hair, and the costumes were developed in this performance setting. The professional Russian Gypsy dance costumes are very distinctive, designed to draw and hold the eye. When the dancers make
their entrance, it is as if the very air is displaced with bright and contrasting colors of the costumes, full ruffled skirts flying and fanning out with turns, full sleeves baring arms jingling with bangles, long loose hair falling in shining waterfalls around flashing eyes and shimmying shoulders. While there are no hip isolations in this dance, arm and shoulder movement and the use of striking body angles are superbly intricate and mesmerizing.
heart of this dance, the ability to abandon your soul and feel that fire in your belly, continues to inspire and
transform this dance and move the audience to return again and again “To the Gypsies!”
The dance eventually moved from the cabaret to professional theater stages—from the Russian imperial court to the stages of major theaters throughout the world. When the Soviet Union came into existence, a professional Gypsy theater was created as the only place Romani performers were trained. Throughout the twentieth century, the Russian Gypsy theater dance became more acrobatic and influenced by Russian ballet. At the same time, as the Russian nobility fled to the West during the Revolution beginning in 1917, the Gypsy cabaret style of dance found a home in high-end Russian restaurants around the world. There is a new wave of interest in this exotic dance both in Russia and in the West. It is now being taught at private dance studios acquiring a standard vocabulary of movements. I do hope that the improvisational
Michael Rothman
Caldera Belly Dance presents...
Kathy Stahlman American Tribal Style® Belly Dance
September 12 - 14, 2014 Silverton, Colorado
A weekend of workshops, vending and performances in the majestic San Juan Mountains.
kathyinsilverton.eventbrite.com
finding inspiration Finding Inspiration by Paulette Rees Denis
Gypsy Caravan at Tribal Fest 13 photo by Carrie Meyer, thedancerseye.com
Inspiration. Where do you get it? How does it move you? What will it do for you? As a creative, an artist, why create? My soul and my body are meant to express, to share, to create some sort of personal but universal beauty. If I allow myself the clarity, the listening, the time to hear and to act on the creation process, and allow it to flow freely without editing (at first), then the truest bits of inspiration can come through. As a dancer, a musician, an artist, many things inspire me: people, nature, words, music, food, candlelight, whatever. Mostly it is about being in the moment and being aware. Listening to what is coming through me. Like an “aha” moment; or letting the words flow when I am writing. Stream of consciousness. Being moved by a melody. Flow. Trust. Freedom. Creativity. Courage. It does take courage to act upon what you are feeling. To trust yourself to let it flow through and out of you in order to feel the freedom of opening up. It can’t be forced. And it does not happen all the time. And your end product may not be what you want. But that does not matter. If you allow the time and space to be inspired, more will come, things may change. New ideas sneak out or come ripping through! I love that. Breaking that down further, as a dancer in my Gypsy Caravan Tribal Bellydance™ world, music makes me move. I listen and it flows out of me, in the studio, in my kitchen, in the club, in the garden. I have to catch that moment and go with it, let it unfold through and out of me, no stopping. The core of Tribal belly dance is that we have a somewhat set format, that being roots based on specific movements which have become a universal wordless language. From those movements we create a series of steps by way of improvisation, that may never be done the same way again. Creating in the moment based on those steps, listening to the music, and who we are dancing with. That is creating magic in the fuse 39
moment. That is the beauty and power of Tribal. To feel that connection with each other and the music, the place where you are, how you are feeling, what you are wearing…all of those do influence what comes out of the body and soul. We raise energy together, feeding off of each other, the beauty, the power, the movement, and the music! Having been a musician as well as a dancer all my life, I have played several genres of music. From organ music, to folksy rock guitar, to goth rock keyboards, to Middle Eastern drums and percussion, and now to country boogie guitar. I love almost all varieties of music, but I go through periods where certain music really rocks my world. Know what I mean? Thinking about my roots as a musician, as a dancer, as a girl growing up in the United States, what are my roots? Dance roots? Music roots? Middle Eastern dance and music has been my passion, obviously 25 years carrying on! And Gypsy Caravan Tribal Bellydance is definitely the roots of Tribal, but not my personal roots. We in the USA really are a fusion of cultures, foods, music, dance; and I have been digging into the early country music, like Hank Williams, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, to a little later Dwight Yoakum, Lyle Lovett, there are many that have been ripping out my heart (in a great way!). These folks are my roots: Americana. This is what is inspiring me to the core right now. Even my grandfather was a country picker, playing at all the barn dances. (I so wish I could have heard him play.) So last year I decided to dive into it a bit more with my dance. From boot scootin’ to Tribal! Huh? How do those two things go together? Well, why not? If I’m feeling it, I need to go with it. Since I dance around my house all the time anyway, singing and busting out the grooves, I opened up my body and soul to bring the two—Middle Eastern and [USA] country—together and see what happened. It has been a creative blast, sassy steps influenced by both—blended, fused, and fun! The Gypsy C dancers flowed with me, trusted me, getting glitter belts and
cowboy hats to play with, feeling the groove, and enjoying the making! We agreed to put together the combo of music styles that would fit my vision, the new steps blended with the well seasoned true Tribal moves, and played with costuming styles that would highlight the feeling. And we took it to Tribal Fest 2013, where I was also teaching a few workshops. In fact, almost all of the Gypsy Caravan International dancers would fly in from around the globe to join us, as well as do some Master Teacher Training Level One and Collective Soul Level Six with me in San Francisco for a week before we went to the festival in northern California, with only a few added rehearsals for this performance. Gypsy Caravan dancer Gina and I sorted through my piles of music to find the perfect songs for an eleven-minute set. Way too many incredible songs to use, I’m sure you can relate to that. OMG, trying to fit everything into eleven minutes! Amanda took the songs and blended them into a medley. That way we could bring in a little of everything we wanted. We collaborated on costuming ideas that would blend our styling. We were so inspired. Everyone worked together, and we were able to stay connected via the internet, rehearsing over video and MP3s and Skype, taking Tribal global! And out came Tribal Roots Americana! I love the fun, the energy, the creative aspect. It truly reflects what my soul felt during those moments. Heartfelt. That is inspiration, with integrity, from the core desire to the outcome of a performance. And here is the clip taken at Tribal Fest 2013 of the Gypsy Caravan Dance Company. Enjoy!
vimeo.com/album/2174468/video/66510275
dancgerous curves Dangerous Curves
by Shannon Townsend
“When one uses one’s body as the substance of one’s art, one can’t remove one’s own concern about that ‘raw material.’ I think it’s a natural outcome of the art; something to be dealt with in one’s own way.” – Cassandra Shore
I am not a restaurant dancer. That isn’t to say I have never performed in a restaurant. But you will not find me on any given Sunday gracing the small stage of Jerusalem’s in Minneapolis unless there is a Guild of Oriental Dance festival going on. I’ve worked the Fringe Festival through two seasons as a dancer, been a part of numerous cabaret and benefit shows, and I’ve had some fantastic gigs over the years. I have been lucky to have gracious clients and wonderful shows to perform in. But there is a simple, uncomfortable fact associated with being a dancer of my size, and that fact is that I get passed up for some gigs purely based on the size of my body. I know. I just broke a rule, right? I acknowledged something negative in our dance culture. Well guess what. I don’t get some gigs because I’m fat. It’s just a plain and simple fact. Now, to clarify, I am NOT hating on restaurant dancers or dancers of small size. Some of my best friends in the dance industry make a good chunk of their living off of restaurant performances and are extraordinarily talented individuals. I love to support my friends, regardless of style or venue. But the fact still remains that oftentimes dancers will be passed up for a specific show or gig based purely on the shape and size of their body, with little to no bearing on talent or skill level. While this is not exclusive to plus-sized dancers, as a size 18, I can vouch that more often than not it happens to someone just like me who has a little too much junk in the trunk (and a few other compartments). As someone whose perception of herself has changed dramatically since coming into this art form ten years ago, this harsh realization brings with it a certain conundrum. I love what belly dance has done for me mentally, physically, and emotionally. I love that it has made me a bolder individual in so many ways. It has given me a strong core and flexibility, better posture, a more diverse body vocabulary and the ability to understand what
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my body says to me. It is beautiful, and has made me strong. But on the other side of the coin is the side of me that feels sometimes browbeaten, the one who gets passed up for being involved in troupe photo shoots because I don’t fit a certain dynamic that the director wants on the advertising, the one who has had to conform to wearing costuming that was flattering on the rest of the group but not on myself. The one who has cried and let her own image hold her back because of the hard and unfounded words of common trolls. I’m not proud of admitting that I have had emotional difficulty handling this sort of rejection but I am also not ashamed of it. Sometimes you just have to own your sadness. Acknowledge it, embrace it, but never let it define you as a person. Because what Cassandra said above is completely true. There are not many art forms that utilize your body as the sole medium, and dance is probably the most robust of them. I run a workshop based on this very theory. So I think part of the natural process of coping with rejection and body image comes specifically from accepting your body in the first place. Listen to your internal voice. If it says something negative, acknowledge it, but don’t give it power. Words are
Photo by Megan Pung of Ilessthanthree Photography
just words, and while they do have the ability to sting and wound, YOU have the ability to just let them make you a stronger dancer. Let them make you braver and bolder than you ever thought you could be. For every passed up restaurant gig out there, there is a cabaret show or baby shower or CD release party that will be happy to give you their money. There is no shortage of opportunity out there. You just have to be willing to think outside the mainstream. And really, I’d rather be bold than be the status quo. As Doctor Horrible said, “The status is NOT quo.”
finishing touche Finishing Touches by Alexandra Moehagen
Ask Alex Welcome to the first episode of
Ask Alex, where I answer the questions you beautiful readers have sent in! Below are the top three questions I’ve gotten recently.
Question
My foundation looks great at home, but once I get to my performance venue, the color is wrong! What’s happening?
Answer
To start with, make sure your foundation really matches your skin. The undertone of the makeup should match your skin’s undertone—either pink or yellow. Double-check this by placing a stripe of the foundation on your cheek, down to your jaw, and checking it under natural light. If your foundation is starting out the right color but shifting over time, you’re running into what’s called “oxidation.” This happens when your makeup is affected by the pH (acidity/alkalinity) of your skin’s moisture and oils, as well as the air itself—basically, it’s the same process that makes metal rust, and it can change the color of your makeup over time.
Question
My makeup gig bag is huge! How can I make it more portable without removing all my favorite products?
Answer
Travel sizes and samples are really helpful here. If your favorite products don’t come in smaller versions, you can make your own with travel-sized containers. Small jars can hold a good amount of foundation, for example. One of my favorite tricks is to shave off a bit of lipstick into a small pill case. I can usually fit several colors inside, and together with a miniature lip brush, this drastically cuts down on my product load. Finding products that do double-duty is handy, too. For example, you can bring microglitter to apply to your eyes AND lips, removing the need for glitter eyeliner and lipgloss. You can also often find two-in-one products to save space, like a blush/bronzer combo that you can use for contouring. And hey, a great thing about replacing your favorite full-sized makeup with miniature versions? It means you don’t have to pack and unpack your makeup case. You can just leave everything in it until the next show!
Question
No matter how hard I try, I just can’t get the knack of false
eyelashes. Any tips?
So how do we prevent this? Well, certain foundations (especially some mineral-based ones) are more likely to oxidize. Get a tester of any potential foundations and try them out for a day before buying. Also, make sure the makeup isn’t expired. Older makeup will be more likely to oxidize.
Answer
Finally, prep your skin before applying the foundation. Cleanse your face to remove dirt and excess oil, and then apply a primer to act as a barrier between your face and your foundation.
2. Use high quality glue. Duo Lash Adhesive is a great standard, and is available at most drugstores.
Yes! False lashes mostly just require practice to master, but there are a few tricks to make their application easier.
4. Let the glue dry for 10-15 seconds before applying the lashes. If you don’t wait, the lashes will slide all over the place. 5. When applying the lashes, it can help to hold the hairs with a pair of blunt- or slantnosed tweezers. 6. Once the lashes are where you want them, hold them in place until you’re sure the glue has set. There’s actually a super-secret way to apply lashes where you don’t put the glue on the falsies, but rather on your eyelid. It’s tricky, and you definitely want to be careful, but it works extremely well. You’ll need to leave your eye shut from start to finish. Using the end of a makeup brush, carefully dab a very thin line of the glue just above your lash line. Let it dry for about 10 seconds (it will dry faster than normal because of your body heat). Don’t put any glue on the lashes themselves. Press the lashes onto the glue and hold them in place until fully dry. Voila! To see this technique in action, check out Cora’s “Fool-Proof Way to Apply Fake Lashes” video at youtube.com/user/vintageortacky. That’s it for this edition of Ask Alex! Got a question? Send it to me at 0safetypinner0@ gmail.com (those are zeros).
1. Make sure they’re not too long—most lashes are wider than your eyelid. Trim them until they fit. You can trim from either end.
3. Hold a hand mirror near your chin and look down into it while applying the lashes.
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