tribal fusion

Thoughts About Rules

Sophia Ravenna
This is my thinking face

This is my thinking face

As much as I would like to think of myself as a whimsical free spirit, the truth is I am a definite rules follower. Even if I think the rules are dumb, I will almost always follow them (I have been known to bend certain rules, such as the speed limit). Oh sure, I’ll complain the entire way, and I’ll try to find ways to remove myself from situations where I have to follow rules I disagree with, but in general I like to know what the rules are and I like to follow them. I’ve also been known to get really annoyed at people who break rules, but that’s not really related to what I want to talk about today.

 

There are a lot of situations where there are no hard and fast “rules” to follow. Oh, there are people who will try to tell you what the “rules” are, but those people are often expressing their opinions and don’t have any real authority to make or enforce the rules they’re stating. Cases like this frustrate me, because when I don’t have rules to follow and someone tells me “it should be this way,” even if I don’t agree with them and even if I know they don’t have the right or power to tell me what to do, I’m left with this lingering sense that I have somehow failed, that I am letting someone down, that I have downright offended somebody.

 

Now realistically, I realize that it’s difficult to get through life without offending anyone, and I don’t want to change my life in such a way that I would never offend anyone, because that would be boring, and possibly impossible, because surely someone would be offended by my attempts to be inoffensive. Complicating matters is the fact that although I like to follow the rules, I have a huge contrary streak. So while I will adhere to real rules and laws, if someone tells me “I don’t think people should do X” then I’m rather likely to dig in my heels and say “Oh really? Well, I do X and I love it and I’m awesome at it and everyone thinks I’m cool and you’re stupid. So there.”

 

Obviously I’m talking about belly dance stuff here. When someone brings up a topic like cultural appropriation, or whether or not tribal fusion is belly dance, I get these conflicting emotions. Part of me feels really upset that I might be doing something wrong and I might have offended someone, and part of me wonders who that person thinks they are, telling me and those around me what to do? And because there are no hard and fast RULES about these issues, and no High Council of Totally Legit Belly Dance to tell me what parts of a culture I can put into my art, and how many belly dance moves I have to use to still be a belly dancer, I find myself stressing unnecessarily.

 

Some good does come out of these issues, of course. Every time a subject like this comes up, it forces me to take some time and reevaluate my own thoughts and practices. Have I done something recently that seems like it may have crossed the line into cultural appropriation? Are there ways that I can be even more respectful of the roots of my dance? Are there elements of what I’m doing that I need to research more thoroughly to make sure I’m presenting them in the right light? Similarly, how is my belly dance foundation? Have I maybe wandered too far afield with my music and costuming choices? Is it time to get a little more old school for a bit? How can I better express to my audience the differences between tribal fusion and other belly dance styles, while showing that I think they’re both awesome art forms?

 

I guess my take-away from all of this is that in cases where there is nobody who can establish a clear set of rules, it’s important to make our own rules. Oh, I don’t mean that in a maverick cop who doesn’t play by the book sort of way, I mean in a common sense, what works for me, what seems like the most respectful option sort of way. Make sure that you feel a sense of conviction about your personal ruleset, and that you are confident that you can explain yourself. But also be willing to be flexible, to go back to your rules and change them as you gain new perspective.

Just what I needed!

Sophia Ravenna

Yesterday I was in the mood to do some Datura Online, but I also had a lot of my own stuff to practice so I didn’t want to dedicate 2 hours to diving back in to Raq Steady. I decided this was a perfect time to try the new Intermediate Tribal Fusion class from Ashley Lopez. I’m happy to say, it was just what I needed!

This 50 minute video is structured just like a normal bellydance class — it starts with a nice little warm-up, goes through a series of moves and layers by breaking them down and drilling them, includes some turns and traveling moves, and ends with a short cool-down. If you’re starting out cold you may want to warm up a little more than the video does, and you may want to do some extra stretches to target your own problem areas afterwards, but in general it’s nicely well-contained and perfect for when you have just an hour to work.

I found that I really enjoyed having Ashley Lopez as my virtual teacher, she had a very friendly personality in the video, explained things clearly, and drilled things just enough that I had time to understand them but not time to get thoroughly bored. Because this is an intermediate-level class, there’s not a lot of time wasted on getting into the basics of a move, which was good for me.

For the most part I already knew the moves in this video, but she combined them into layers in a different way than I normally do. That’s a big part of why I say it was just what I needed. It let me take things that I could already do, and do them in new and interesting ways. I definitely have a bad habit of falling back on the same moves and layers, so it’s good to shake things up. And since I already knew the basics of what we were doing, I didn’t waste any time getting frustrated and removing layers to be able to keep up.

I think I’ll want to revisit this video a couple of times so I can get the layers into my muscle memory, and it serves as a good drills session since the pace is pretty good. I believe this is going to be a four-class series, so I’m really looking forward to the rest of them, and I may even go back and check out her beginning-level fusion classes to see if they’ll give me some new insight into my basic moves.

As a silly aside, like all Datura videos this is filmed so that you can see Ashley from behind and in the mirror, which is really helpful for seeing the move from all angles. This video also has two students following along, and you can see them in the mirror… which lead to a weird moment where my brain was like “OMG why can’t I see myself in the mirror?!?” Oh brain. You’re so easily broken!

So Tribal!

Sophia Ravenna

I really like doing a tribal hair garden when I do the traditional ATS-inspired costuming, but I often feel like it leaves the front of my head looking pretty plain. Well, NOT ANYMORE! I purchased this awesome kuchi headpiece from a vendor that was sadly going out of business, and now I have mad tribal style. Or something like that.

Of course, now I need to figure out how to make it stay put. I thought that bobby pins would be enough, but no, halfway through practicing a 3 minute song, that bad boy was down over my eyes and making a break for my nose. I think I need to attach some clips and/or combs to it, and maybe also put on a little hairspray for extra grip. Hopefully I’ll be able to make it work in time to wear it for Open Stage this week.

DIY, hair accessories, kuchi, stuff on my head, tribal fusion 2 Comments

My Dance History

Sophia Ravenna
Performing an ITS sword dance with former classmates. Also, proof I wear colors other than green.
 If you’ve been around my blog for a while, or you’ve read up on my history at all, or you even read yesterday’s blog post, you know that I danced ITS for a couple of years. I studied and performed primarily under Anaya Tribal, but also here in Tucson as part of the Tucson Tribal Bellydance Collective (shown above).
I got my start in bellydance taking a few private home lessons from a friend who used to be part of a tribal improv troupe. She taught me some basics before becoming too busy to keep trading lessons with me (I was teaching her jewelry making), but I continued on my own at home, working with what she showed me and trying things that I saw in videos. After a couple years I got bored dancing alone at home and thought it would be fun to be in a troupe like my friend talked about, so I needed to take classes and find friends to dance with.
My search eventually lead me to Plaza de Anaya in Tempe — Ok, I got a coupon from the Ren Faire and decided to take a free class. After trying a class and seeing how little I really knew, I was hooked and wanted to learn it all. I decided to drive up to Tempe every week (3+ hour round trip) to study with Anaya Tribal.
I spent a couple of years dancing ITS and I loved it. I enjoyed the follow-the-leader mentality, I liked that everyone got a chance to be the leader, I loved spinning around in a 25 yard skirt and feeling like a princess. I went every week unless I was sick or out of town, I did my homework, I took whatever workshops my teachers recommended. We had student recitals twice a year where I got to dance with my classmates. What a blast!
Although I loved dancing ITS in a group, I also did some solos here in Tucson since I didn’t have a group to dance with. Although I never really thought about it specifically, I think my ideal situation would have been performing long shows with an ITS group where we did group improv and had some featured soloists (one of whom would be me, of course). I also wanted to teach bellydance someday.
I took workshops in various other styles but didn’t absorb a lot of it, for two obvious reasons: one was that I took workshops willy-nilly without really knowing if they were going to give me what I needed at that stage in my dance life, and two was that I really only knew how to dance ITS, so a lot of what was being covered in the workshops was not really accessible to me.
I continued to love ITS, and I even began taking extra ITS classes with Fonda in Tucson, but I started to wish I could study more tribal fusion. No one was really teaching what I wanted to learn in Tucson, I couldn’t go to Tempe twice a week to study with Mia Donna, and I didn’t want to give up Anaya Tribal. In fact, I joined their student troupe -and- the Tucson Tribal Collective.
Then Jolie moved to town. She was only going to be here for about 6 months, but she was going to teach classes for that time and I figured well, I had better learn everything I can from her during that time, so I bought an unlimited class card and added her classes to my rotation. If I remember correctly, that meant I was dancing with Jolie Mon and Tues, Fonda on Weds, Anaya on Thurs, and then I had troupe practice for Anaya and/or TTC on at least every other Sunday. I was dancing a lot, and I loved/hated it. I love to dance but my inner introvert wanted more time at home to bead in front of the TV.
When Jolie decided to stay in Tucson and invited me to join the student troupe she was forming, I had to do some hard thinking. I was starting to get burnt out on driving to Tempe 6 times a month, and I was starting to think about my future as a dancer. I realized that my end goal was to be a tribal fusion soloist, and that dancing ITS wasn’t helping me towards that goal. I left Anaya Tribe, and eventually also the Collective, and focused on tribal fusion.
During this time, I was also really discovering my limitations. Start a move on the left foot? Nope. Do an undulation without a floreo? Nonsense. Chaine turns? I think not. My body did not like stepping outside of the comfort zone that I had built for it. ITS had such specific ways of doing things, to make sure everyone looked the same while dancing together, which is great for ITS and lousy for trying to learn anything else. Two years after starting tribal fusion with Jolie, I am still struggling with habits that I developed as an ITS dancer (for instance, my husband likes to tease me because I still look for a leader to follow during choreographies that I could do in my sleep).
I don’t regret the time that I spent learning ITS. It did a lot to build my confidence, helped me develop a sense of rhythm, taught me to play the zills, and introduced me to some great friends. But if I had to do it over again, knowing then what I know now, I would have made more of an effort to practice general dance skills alongside my ITS moves. I would have forced myself to do everything on the left as well as the right, and I would have played with layering and other challenging concepts at home. I spend a lot of my time now feeling like I am making up for lost time, time that I could have spent developing myself as a dancer, rather than just as an ITS dancer.
Ultimately, this is why I disagree with the assertion that one NEEDS a foundation in some form of tribal group improv to be a tribal fusion dancer. Most of what I learned in ITS classes has not served me in tribal fusion. I could have just as easily learned my Basic Egyptian, Arabic, Turkish, 3/4 Shimmy and more from a tribal fusion teacher, and been developing skills as a soloist as well.

ATS and Tribal Fusion

Sophia Ravenna

To continue on the theme from last week’s post “There is no high council of tribal fusion” I’d like to talk about why I don’t feel you need to learn ATS (American Trobal Style), ITS (Improvisational Tribal Style) or SGI (Spontaneous Group Improvisation) to become a tribal fusion bellydancer.

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of the post, let me clarify: I love watching ATS, ITS, and SGI. A highly-polished troupe performing these styles of dance presents a really exciting performance. I especially love advanced ATS troupes specifically for their dynamic formation changes which turn the dancers into a living kaleidoscope. I also think that these styles can be a very good introduction to bellydance for those who are intimidated by dance and performing, as the “follow the leader” nature means you don’t have to stress about remembering a group choreography or carrying an entire performance as a soloist. I spent a couple years learning and dancing ITS with Anaya Tribal in Tempe and I enjoyed my time with them.

That said, although tribal fusion evolved from ATS/ITS/SGI roots, it is now its own distinct dance. I feel like if you want to be a tribal fusion dancer, whether as a soloist or as part of a troupe, you will be best served by finding a really good tribal fusion teacher who will teach you how to dance the style you want to dance. A good teacher will teach you the basic tribal moves taken from ATS/ITS/SGI, such as Basic Egyptian, Arabic, Maya, Snake Arms, etc, but they will also teach you the skills that set tribal fusion apart from the dances it evolved from.

Taking an ATS/ITS/SGI class will teach you those basics, too, but it will also teach you a lot of things that you will not need in tribal fusion, and some that will actively hinder your growth as a tribal fusion dancer. These skills include:

-Cues (not needed in tribal fusion)

-Follow the Leader (also not needed)

-Combinations (some people do use combos in tribal fusion)

-Formations and Lead Changes (again, some basic knowledge of formations can be good when dancing with a troupe, but lead changes are not needed)

-Very specific ways of pairing movements in different parts of the body (ie, we always use these arms with a maya)

-A specific movement vocabulary which is designed to be assembled into group improv on the fly, and which will usually include a set of rules (ie, we always do this move twice, this move can be done in 1/2 and 1/4 turns but that other one only has a full turn version).

-Dancing as a group (this can be helpful for tribal fusion troupes, but not for the soloist)

Studying with a well-trained tribal fusion teacher will give you the following skills that are not usually covered in ATS/etc classes:

-Traveling movements. While some group improv formats have combos that involve traveling, it is not as involved as movement can be in tribal fusion, especially as a soloist who needs to fill a whole stage.

-Complicated layering. You will learn exciting, sometimes brain-numbingly-difficult combinations of layers, which will make you a versatile dancer and able to more quickly pick up new layering tricks in workshops.

-A wide variety of movements, drawn not only from ATS/ITS/SGI roots but also from traditional bellydance, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, Latin, African and other dance styles, depending on your teacher’s background and tastes.

-Musicality. Although some very experienced and talented ATS/ITS/SGI groups show amazing musicality, for the most part these styles accompany the music rather than interpreting it. Because the tribal fusion vocabulary is less specific and involves either working as a soloist or as part of a choreographed movement, there is more opportunity to really interpret the music at even a beginner level.

None of this is to suggest that either of these styles is better or worse than the other. They are both beautiful, valid dance forms that people are attracted to for different reasons. Some people enjoy performing both, and in fact there are many troupes whose performances contain a mixture of group improvisation, choreographed tribal fusion group pieces, and solo numbers which may be improv or choreo.

In closing, I would like to say that dancers who chose to solely pursue tribal fusion bellydance should at least educate themselves on the influence of ATS and major ITS and SGI groups on the growth of tribal fusion. You don’t need to take an ATS class, but you should definitely sit down at your computer and watch some Fat Chance Bellydance on YouTube, read up on the evolution of tribal fusion, and be aware of the roots of the dance you’re performing so that when you are asked about it by the general public, you can give an educated and enlightening response.

Come back tomorrow to read about my specific experience with being an ITS dancer who switched to tribal fusion.

There is no high council of tribal fusion.

Sophia Ravenna

So, the wonderful thing about the internet is that things that were posted years ago will suddenly and randomly make a comeback, as one person comes across it again and posts it, and then other people agree with it so they post it… That’s happening right now with a post someone wrote quite some time ago about the state of tribal fusion. To say that I disagree with that particular blog post would be a bit of an understatement. It annoyed me enough that I felt I had to get something off of my chest:

There is no high council of tribal fusion.

No one gets to tell you what can and can’t be done in tribal fusion, or who you have to study with or how you have to dance. No one gets to dictate your facial expression or what moves you’re allowed to use. No one gets to tell you that you aren’t tribal enough. There is not a secret cabal of bellydancers who have codified exactly what percentage of your movement must have originated from bellydance, and which styles you’re allowed to fuse, and how many sparkles your costume may have.

Are there rules to tribal fusion bellydance? Of course there are, but they’re the same kind of rules that would apply to any dance form. Off the top of my head, they include:

-Study with the best teacher(s) you can. Depending on where you’re located, that might be an ATS, ITS, Tribal Fusion, AmCab, Egyptian, Turkish or just general bellydance skills teacher. If there is not a good tribal fusion teacher in your area, you’ll have to use videos to take the basics you’re learning and modify them to fit the aesthetic you prefer. If you have the opportunity and money to study with multiple teachers in different bellydance styles, that’s even better, although you may not want to do that right away as a beginner as it can get confusing. But if you learn multiple styles, you get different approaches to the same moves, some different moves, different ways to interpret the music, etc etc, and you can combine them to create your own personal style that works well in your body (obviously that only applies to soloists, in a troupe you’ll want to do your best to do the moves exactly how your director does them).

-Study the kind of dance you would like to add to your tribal fusion. If you study with a tribal fusion teacher, you’ll probably get a little bit of ballet, jazz, hip-hop or maybe Latin dance, depending on your teacher’s tastes and backgrounds. But once you know what other non-Middle Eastern elements you prefer in your fusion, it’s good to take classes specifically for those styles. For instance, I love the extensions and turns from ballet, so I take ballet classes. I also take Femme Cardio because it’s a good workout, makes me think on my feet, and gives me some different movement to try to absorb.

-Practice hard. Practice the things that you’re bad at so you become good at them. Practice the things you’re good at so you become amazing at them. Practice things that feel weird. Drill moves. Put on random music and do improv. Give yourself emotional and artistic challenges. Master some props. Practice your costuming and makeup skills, too.

-Make good choices. Choose music and movement that is appropriate for the venue. Choose a costume that is appropriate for the mood of the piece and the style of movement you’re going to be doing (no floorwork in delicately beaded vintage skirts!). Early on in your performance career, while you’re still developing your style and your sense of what is appropriate, you may want to work with a mentor who will help guide you until these things become second nature.

-Dance with integrity. As long as you are making good choices based on your knowledge and capabilities (ie, fusing the bellydance you’ve been studying diligently and the jazz you’ve been studying diligently, instead of saying “I want to do a belly-tango fusion tomorrow so I’ll just watch a few tango performances tonight, no big deal”) and you dance the very best you can, and interpret the emotions of the song you’re dancing to, you’ll be fine.

I think it’s important for us to remember that tribal fusion bellydance is a very young artform. There’s going to be a lot of experimenting, and there may be offshoots that thrive and become their own style, and offshoots that last only a year or two and prove to just be a passing fad. It will probably be decades until it settles into a semi-permanent form with a specific style of costuming and a core vocabulary of moves, and even then there will be differences, just as traditional bellydance isn’t just one thing, but encompasses folkloric dance and fauxloric dance (inspired by traditional dances but completely made up or given some theatrical spin), and Egyptian, and Turkish, and Lebanese, and AmCab, and probably a few others I’m not listing. So just chill out. Stop trying to apply your rules to it, sit back, and let it evolve. You don’t have to enjoy everything that you see, and sometimes you will see some objectively bad dance performed by people who rushed to the stage without taking the time to really develop your skills. But no one is the one high judge of what counts as tribal fusion.

I’d like to thank Gothic Charm School for inspiring me with the concept of the Secret Cabal of ElderGoths. The Lady of the Manners has such a way with words!

Dress For The Job You Want

Sophia Ravenna
They say dress for the job you want, not the job you have, so I dress like a faerie whenever I can.
I think one of the hardest parts of transitioning from amateur to pro is investing in good, professional costuming. Although it’s more important to be a highly skilled dancer with great performance skills, audiences and clients are still going to expect you to look the part as well, and that means retiring your student recital clothes and dressing up a bit more.
It’s especially hard for a Tribal Fusion dancer to know what to buy. The internet has plenty of advice for Egyptian-style dancers looking to start restaurant gigs — buy a silver or gold bedlah and a couple different colored skirts, then as you make more money buy a second bedlah, now you have tons of mix and match options — but Tribal costuming is a little less straight-forward. You have to find something that fits your style of dance, your personality, and your budget.
This costume by Anaya Tribal is a pretty good example of a good investment for a pro just starting out. I can wear the bra/belt set and skirt together, or I can pair the set with a green skirt or pants, put them over a 25 yard skirt to go old school, wear them with a bustle for steampunk, or throw on those wings and be a faerie. Likewise, since the skirt is a nice neutral brown, I could wear it with various green tops, or something in ivory or turquoise.
So here’s my hard-earned tips, from one budding pro to those who come after me:
1. Quality over quantity. I have piles and piles of cheap bangles and huge earrings. If I had saved that money instead, I could invest in some gorgeous Taureg jewelry. Once you decide to go pro, stop buying the cheap stuff and set your dollars aside to buy something nice at the next festival.
2. But you don’t have to buy the most expensive thing. One of the things that I wanted when I went to Tribal Fest was a spiky bracelet that actually fit. There were gorgeous antique real-silver ones for hundreds and hundreds of dollars… and a cheap white metal one that fit perfectly and was only $30something. Guess what? Most people in the audience won’t know the difference. Someday when I’m a big shot I’ll invest in the real thing, but this one will serve me well for now.
3. Before you buy something, think of what it will go with. Do you already have something at home that it will match? Does it fit in with the mental image of the next costume you want to make? It doesn’t matter how awesome a pair of dance pants is if you have nothing to wear them with (I’m hoping this one will sink in for me eventually).
4. Make whatever you can. I already know how to make bras and belts and I’m learning to sew with an actual machine now, too. Doing your own sewing will save you some money and also allow you to have more customization in your look.
5. Look for luxurious and awesome materials. Velvet and lace are elegant. Metallics are hot right now. Vintage pieces and things that look vintage automatically make you look fancier. Put out the word that you want peoples’ old costume jewelry. You’ll got a lot of junk but also a lot of nifty stuff that can be repurposed. Necklaces can easily become belly-drapes. Brooches can be pinned onto a bra or belt. Cut things up for their beads. Speaking of cutting things up, you can cut up tacky old dresses and use the beaded fabric for decorating your bras. Go forth and hit the thrift stores.
6. Buy versatile basics. While we may not be able to fall back on a metallic bedleh and colorful chiffon skirts, we can buy good basics that can be accessorized for different looks. For instance, I bought a pair of velvet and lace pants in teal and emerald. Depending on how I accessorize them, they can either be plain ol’ Tribal Fusion-y, faeriesque or mermaidish. A basic black skirt could go vampy, Victorian Goth, elegant and modern, or serve as the base for bright colors.
7. Get a second opinion. Sometimes it’s good to consult with your teacher/mentor, or a dance friend, or a random person who’s in the booth with you. They can give you an idea of how flattering, practical, or awesome something is before you buy.
8. Watch out for dated looks. Fringe belts and yarn dreads are mostly out. Almost no one performs in Melos and a crop-top anymore. Like all fashion, bellydance styles come and go, and while an audience of the General Public might not know the difference, the audience at a bellydance festival will.
Do you have any other tips you’d like to share for building a good Tribal Fusion wardrobe? Share it in the comments!

Teacher Profile: Jolie Roberson

Sophia Ravenna

A few months ago, Jolie Roberson blew into town from Chicago and turned my dance life upside down! There I was, wanting to branch out from ITS and hone my solo skills, and also wishing that I could take a drills class to really perfect some basics. There she was, ready to make me regret my wish by making me layer half-boxes over a tick-tock shimmy.

Jolie’s classes are the perfect thing for the dancer who wants to be challenged. They start with a muscle-building warm-up (which usually involves crunches, push-ups, and other forms of torture… I mean exercise) and then move on to the dancing! The focus is on tribal fusion, with elements of ballet and modern dance.

The Choreo class usually focuses on some aspect of dance within the choreography — whether it’s expressing certain emotions, or traveling, or directing movement with your arms, there’s almost always some central lesson to take away and apply to other dances.

Bellydance 101 tricks you with its name, making you think it will be easy. It is not. The moves may be basic, but Jolie focuses on training you to do them muscularly, with control, at various speeds, and layered over things that you don’t think they should be layered over. Sometimes she comes up with layering ideas that even she struggles with, and we all get to be frustrated together.

Drills and Technique is like a more advanced version of 101, with more layers and doing things for longer. One night we had to spend two entire songs layering belly rolls over vibration shimmies. It’s a great class for discovering what your strengths and weaknesses are then working on how to improve them.

Jolie teaches a couple of other classes that I haven’t taken yet, and has more classes coming up on her schedule in February. She’s also available for private lessons. For more information, you should visit her website Skirt Full of Fire.