Thread: What is Gothic Tribal?

Originally Posted by Emmab81

I would suggest that belly dance has 'core elements' that we associate with belly dance but to my belief there is no reason why those core techniques must be done with middle eastern music, there is no reason that they can't be done to pop music, techno, hip hop etc. The moves are no less relevant to belly dance because the music is not traditional.

Then your definition of "belly dance" is completely different to mine. To me, the core elements are the movement vocabulary (which is shared with many other dance styles), the musicality and the music. Just a movement vocabulary does not make it belly dance - I can use many of the moves in dancing at a party - and we did use many of them in jazz. Neither of these were belly dance. Without the music - which needs some nod to the dance's cultural roots - it cannot be belly dance - it maybe dance using belly dance moves - but with that mouthful why not just say "dance".

I once saw a performance which was very Egyptian in it's way, yet it had a gothic feel to it. She used an Egyptian drum solo in a version that sounded a bit 'darker' and 'industrial' but was very much like any other drum solo and her costume was a very classic kind of black Egyptian bedlah, yet there was something gothy about it all. In that case it's not some far offshoot thing that has nothing to do with belly dance anymore.

I don't think it's easy to make crisp definitions of what belly dance is and what isn't, but there are some clear cases of course, I'm thinking gaisha-clogging-bhangra-malaya-fusion for example.

I think Gothic style fusion belly dance is extremely riveting to watch. Especially when it's done well, the whole audience is spellbound. It seems to go deeper, more emotional, and the moves are all so deliberate - no flinging hips into shimmies or out of control turns or flinging about the stage, the energy still seems to come out though. I also love how the face is a really important part of the dance, the expression can be joyful, cheeky, sultry, dark, secretive, all in the one dance. The music can be amazing too. I am a cabaret girl all the way when I perform, but how I love to watch Gothic belly dance.

Has anyone tried the new Elysium Classes Online that Ma'isah is doing?