American Tribal Style Belly Dance
"Celebrating Women" |
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American Tribal Style Belly Dance
American Tribal Style (ATS) was created in the late 1980's by Carolena Nericcio of FatChanceBellyDance, based in San Francisco. It draws inspiration from different styles of belly dance as well as the dances from India, Spain, and North Africa, to name but a few. The music tends to be much earthier than that of other belly dance styles and the dance is performed in a proud and dignified manner. That said, there is also a strong emphasis on having fun - a true ATS performance will reflect the joy experienced by the dancers as they interact with each other!
ATS is different from other forms of belly dance in that the focus is on the interaction between a group of dancers rather than on the solo performance of an individual dancer, as is the case with the better known forms of belly dance. This does not mean that solos are never danced, but there is always at least one other dancer on stage; by definition, you cannot have a tribe of one! This style is hardly ever choreographed, and even in a performance situation it tends to be totally improvised. A real bond of trust, respect and cameraderie is built up by the members of a group, and this is important in being able to perform this style.
The dancers within a group, or "tribe" learn a simple vocabulary of movements, and these movements are danced with the same structure and stylisation by all the dancers. During the dance, the group follows a leader who will give cues indicating how and when a movement will change - hence any deviation from the stylised movements will be interpreted by the other dancers as a cue to change. The lead will change during the dance so that all of the dancers have the opportunity to improvise. The necessity to pay attention to each other means that there is less audience interaction than is the case with the more traditional forms of belly dance. From the perspective of the audience, the site of a group of women dancing in complete harmony and unison is certainly something special to behold.
The costuming for ATS really sets it apart from other styles of belly dance. It does not represent any particular time, place or country - rather it is very eccelectic! Garments and jewellery from different regions and time periods are used to achieve the desired look and can include: turbans; full gypsy-skirts; tassel and/or fringe belts; choli tops; coin bras; ethnic and/or antique jewellery; long braided or dread-locked hair; flowers; cowrie shells; bells.....imagination is the only limit! But, as the saying goes, the clothes do not make the man (or woman!) - and so, even if the dancers are dressed in the tribal style, if they are not adhering to the rules of ATS they are not tribal dancers!
For original, pure American Tribal Style, visit Carolena Nericcio's website: FatChanceBellyDance