ATS, Tribal Fusion and Tribaret dancers?

[Miranda Phoenix]

I have taken lessons in Egyptian, "pan-arabic", ITS, Tribal Fusion and Goth/Theatrical belly dance. By far and away, the Goth/Theatrical class was my favorite, with Tribal Fusion a close second.

I'm a tassels and lace kinda girl, for sure. Cabaret costumes are so beautiful, and so not me. :lol:

Miranda

 

[Anthea Kawakib]

started Oriental, now do both

I do both, but am not here much. Am thinking I need to fix my signature & make it linkified if I keep posting tho...

I always get the feeling that we have a very big group of cabaret dancers here on the forum, so I wonder: are there any ATS, Tribal Fusion and Tribaret dancers over here?

I count myself in as tribaret.

 

[Amulya]

I do both, but am not here much. Am thinking I need to fix my signature & make it linkified if I keep posting tho...

Keep posting , you're most welcome!

 

[alosha]

Since I do tribal style but use veil too, tribaret, right? Hop on over to the youtube thread where I posted my solo, and play 'name katrina's genre'!

 

[Amulya]

Can't find that thread

 

[alosha]

Can't find that thread

http://www.bellydanceforums.net/video-clips-youtube/9046-video-saturday.html

 

[Amulya]

Since I do tribal style but use veil too, tribaret, right? Hop on over to the youtube thread where I posted my solo, and play 'name katrina's genre'!

I just had a look . You could call it tribaret. Your dancing still got some cabaret in it I think, it doesn't look pure tribal to me.

 

[sstacy123]

Yes that would be nice. There is such a division between cabaret dancers and tribal dancers, I don't see why that is, why can't people appreaciate each other? But yes some tribal fusion dancers take themselves a bit too serious, and so do some cabaret dancers.
The only thing I can't stand in tribal fusion is when dancers take things to the limit: trying to outdo each other in weirdness. I have seen some outrageous clips on youtube LOL.

Here in Birmingham the Cabaret group and the ATS group don't seem so divided...a lot of cab dancers and ATS dancers are friends with each other and go to each other's events, perform at each other events...there does seem to be more of a divide with the tribal fusion group though...don't know that there are any negative feelings there though.

 

[Prusilusken]

I am currently taking classes in both ATS and Tribal fusion "on the side", along with a bit of gypsy (a variety of styles) Tunesian and the list goes on...the teacher I have chosen to help me explore these genres (one of saddeningly few that teach them here in DK, I am afraid) also has a background in drama and acting, a great fountain of knowledge that she shares with us as students also.
She certainly has her own style, but that doesn't mean that she does not respect and knows about traditional genres. Far from it! She has clearly done extensive research over the past decade and often her classes come with whole history lessons. :lol:
I really appreciate and respect her as a teacher for that.
I can't picture myself taking classes with anyone who didn't know - or care.

I doubt that I'll ever give up "cabaret" altogether though, especially since my teacher in that area (among others) has just finished Beata and Horatio Cifuentes' CATT and is totally on fire, hehe...if there's one thing I can't help but love in any kind of teacher, it is well lit, well nourished sparkling enthusiasm! :dance:

That being said - I am very much in love with the ATS concept and fusion and (melo-)drama - and more than occational darkness.
I have missed having a "complete" outlet in my dance, and I have very much felt that working with "non standard" bellydance has finally thrown that door wide open for me - and it feels like home.

I do not at all feel accomplished enough to dare try to mix it up even more and go for tribaret - but I hope to get there. It looks like FUN!

My last words in this post:
ATS and everything even remotely in that category is VERY new in Denmark (part of an overall cultural stubbornnes and overly conservative national attitude which I find quite embarrassing but symptomatic for this country - personal opinion, feel free to disagree fellow Danesters) but I am already sensing small cracks and ripples that I am H***bent on patching up from the very beginning. I really want to do my share, as I think it would be a very great shame if the already small pool of dancers we have here should suffer the completely unecessary blow of being torn apart and split into near-parallel societies.
I can't do it alone, but it won't stop me from giving it my best and hoping everyone else up here will support the idea.

Now gotta go!
Leaving for the movies - Avataaaaar!!! :dance:

 

[Eala Serenarian]

I'm not sure what style I am, being as I'm primarily learning from DVD at the moment. However, I'm intrigued by the Tribal Fusion style (Sharon Kihara et al) and have ordered an instructional to try.

 

[Hypnos]

Ah! I am a gothic fusion girl. I go to egyptian belly dance classes though just because the teacher is really awesome and encouraging and it can't hurt to have two styles of dance at hand plus no one really teaches tribal or gothic style round here. However, I feel that because I've been a Goth for God knows how long, I feel like I'm able to do Gothic fusion well because it's just what comes naturally to me lol!

 

[Farasha Hanem]

We have a small ATS troupe that joined our class either last year, or the year before, and I've never seen any "cliquishness" (is that a word? lol) among the group as a whole. In fact, what I love about our class is a feeling of sisterhood (hope that doesn't sound corny! ). The ATS troupe teaches an ATS class after the cabaret classes are over with, and I'm having so much fun learning this style.

I'm so very glad to have found a group of wonderful friends that aren't given over to cattiness and "prima donna syndrome." It...well, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside that all of us share a love of bellydance, whether it be cabaret or American Tribal Style, and that my friends are as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside.

 

[Tikvah]

Most of my dance experience is in cabaret of some variety, however I've taken ATS from FCBD, tribal fusion with Jill Parker (man I miss SF), and a random assortment of workshops of any style I could get my hands on (right now I'm taking West African dance through the university I work at). I usually describe my own personal dance style as just fusion bellydance....I would call it tribal fusion because I usually dance with a tribal posture with ATS style moves, but tribal fusion means something completely different to most people these days (for instance, I was told that I don't dance tribal fusion because I smile or have emotion when I dance).

 

[Farasha Hanem]

but tribal fusion means something completely different to most people these days (for instance, I was told that I don't dance tribal fusion because I smile or have emotion when I dance).

Forgive my gut reaction...

AWWWWWWW, PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT, who told you you don't dance Tribal fusion just because you smile?!? Who says you have to always have an all Goth and emo look on your face when dancing this style??? Look at Sharon Kihara! She wears a lovely smile on her face when she performs! I've also seen Mardi Love dance with a coy smile on her face. Even Rachel Brice cracks a smile every now and then.

I have a few performance videos of the Indigo Bellydance tribe, and yes, even though most of the time they have an expression on their face like they're going to skewer you and have you for dinner...literally...they're not always smile-less. I'm learning ATS and want to eventually get into Tribal Fusion, and I'm certainly not
going to dance like Xena Warrior Princess in battle mode all the time---only if I feel the performance calls for it. Don't let others wipe the lovely smile from your face!

My continuing problem is still being such a newbie as to be nervous over whether or not I'm executing the moves correctly, and being so nervous, I look like a deer caught in the headlights, like this: oO;;;;;

Is there such a thing as "deer caught in the headlights" fusion? XD :lol:

 

[lizaj]

Most of my dance experience is in cabaret of some variety, however I've taken ATS from FCBD, tribal fusion with Jill Parker (man I miss SF), and a random assortment of workshops of any style I could get my hands on (right now I'm taking West African dance through the university I work at). I usually describe my own personal dance style as just fusion bellydance....I would call it tribal fusion because I usually dance with a tribal posture with ATS style moves, but tribal fusion means something completely different to most people these days (for instance, I was told that I don't dance tribal fusion because I smile or have emotion when I dance).

You lucky girl to have had such "tribal training". You sound a lot like me and my mates...we can break into smiles and we like our "ATS" posture and moves and are positively old fashioned.

 

[Prusilusken]

...(for instance, I was told that I don't dance tribal fusion because I smile or have emotion when I dance).

LOL Who ever told you that obviously has a lot to learn.
No need to listen to criticism from people who don't know nearly enough about the subject in hand to tell you what you can or can't do.
If I were you, I'd instantly file comments like those under "Urgent! Important!" in that box with a slit on top carefully labelled "Shredder"...

 

[TribalDancer]

ATS based Tribal Fusion here. Primarily group improv with some choreographic tendencies.

 

[Tikvah]

LOL Who ever told you that obviously has a lot to learn.
No need to listen to criticism from people who don't know nearly enough about the subject in hand to tell you what you can or can't do.
If I were you, I'd instantly file comments like those under "Urgent! Important!" in that box with a slit on top carefully labelled "Shredder"...

Oh, I don't listen to them. I've been bellydancing for long enough that I know what my personal style is, and I know what I've learned from various teachers It's just that most people see the stars perform either looking angry or emotionless, so they try to emulate that. I'm not saying that I smile all the time...for instance, I did a veil piece to a steampunk song that warranted a more pensive look.

 

[meddevi]

Forgive my gut reaction...

AWWWWWWW, PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT, who told you you don't dance Tribal fusion just because you smile?!? Who says you have to always have an all Goth and emo look on your face when dancing this style??? Look at Sharon Kihara! She wears a lovely smile on her face when she performs! I've also seen Mardi Love dance with a coy smile on her face. Even Rachel Brice cracks a smile every now and then.

while we're at it, Goth isn't about looking sad/angry/pissed/constipated either. And definitely not emo. Emo = BAD.

Really, ANY good performance of ANY style of bellydance, the dancer should be able to exhibit a range of facial emotion/expression, reflecting the music and the movement. It shouldn't ever be one look, plastered on.

 

[Shanazel]

(Old fashioned AmOri Shanazel slides shyly into the discussion)

What's emo? (I could google it, but figure I'll get a more concise and interesting explanation here.)