What is American Style Tribal (ATS) Belly Dance?
American Style Tribal Style Belly Dance (ATS) is a recent movement in the USA that has addressed the feminist philosophy of empowerment of women through Middle Eastern belly dance.
ATS is a specific form of Tribal Style Belly Dance that is clearly defined and documented. Fat Chance Belly Dance (www.fcbd.com) is one of the largest dance troupe companies, providing lessons, videos, music, costume and comradery. FCBD was started in 1987 by Carolena Nericcio (who I first studied belly dance under). She studied under Masha Archer, director of San Francisco Dance Troupe and she in turn studied under Jamila Salimpour, director of Bal-Anat (www.balanat.com) and is accredited to fostering Tribal Style belly dance in the USA.
Tribal Style dancers often use finger cymbals, but the focus is on the group as opposed to emphasizing solo performances. ATS does feature solos within the group as well as call-and-answer performance with another dancer (duets), or as a whole group. Often there is a Chorus, which provides a “drone” in the background while the featured pod is the focal point. Both the pod and the chorus are improvised in the moment. To clarify, ATS is performed as a group with a chorus backdrop. Solos, duets, and staggered formations are improvisational cued and each of these formations fades in and out through cues by rotating “leaders”.
Costuming in ATS is distinctive in that it is an elaborate multi-layered and ornate esthetic feast. It consists of large full skirts and full pantaloons, Indian-style cholis, hip scarves, tassel belts and/or fringe, and coin bras. The headdress was originally a multi-layered turban adored with chunky antique Middle Eastern jewelry. And now with even more personal interpretations with dread locks and “hair gardens” still adorned with heavy jewelry. Make-up often includes “tribal” markings/tattoos, heavy black eye liner, and false eye lashes. Fabrics are rich and colorful using cottons, silks, velvets, shisha and ethnic embroidery, mirror-work, tassles, cons bracelets and any “tribal” or “ethnic” ties to the women of the past and from distant places. Treasures to connect women to their ancestors and find their places here in the present and pass to the future.
What is Tribal Fusion?
Good question. There is Tribaret a combination of ATS and Cabaret and that can take on several different forms. I personally take some of the movements I learned from studying under Suhilia Salimpour and mix them into my solos and teach them to students to give them options for variety and strength in movements. There is also West Coast Tribal that does more choreographed forms of Tribal belly dance. I also do these from time to time and can teach them. Then there is Combo-Based Tribal that takes mini combos or choreographies that are tribal based and finds a way to cue them together with “filler” moves. Umata and Indigo are both good examples of this. I also teach and perform this way. I find that students and catch on and get a sense of ownership when they have a few mini-combos to put together with grounding moves in between that they can lead or do a solo with. There is also Gothic Tribal that has more of a “dark feel” and “creepy” movements (Arielia.com). Overall there is much more choreography in Tribal Fusion and an urban USA esthetic.
Costuming has changed from ATS in a few distinct ways. One is that often pants (melodia) with bell-bottom and corset type hip belts are worn with fabric hanging from them rather than a full skirt. Hair is in dread lock form with flowers, sticks, and heavy jewelry assembled throughout (the hair garden). There is often no longer the choli but only the coin bra. Vast personal interpretation exists and is encouraged (tribal tique).
