Tribal Fusion Belly Dance is a modern Western form of belly dance that was created by fusing American Tribal Style belly dance and American Cabaret belly dance. Artists frequently incorporate elements from Popping , Hip Hop , 'Egyptian' or 'Cabaret' belly dance , as well as movement principles from traditional forms such as Flamenco , Kathak , Odissi , and other folkloric and classical dance styles.
27-561: Tribal Fusion Dance is a branch of the American Tribal Style Belly Dance , or "ATS" movement. ATS, now known as Fatchance Bellydance, was popularized in the early 1990s by Carolena Nericcio, the director of Fat Chance Belly Dance. This style fused several different dance styles outside of the Belly Dance genre, and was a codification of her teacher Masha Archer's style. The first Tribal Fusion dance company (although there
54-623: A "Fusion." Rachel decided to refer to herself as "Tribal Fusion," to reflect that she was fusing the style of Fat Chance Belly Dance with other styles. This term stuck, and its definition has morphed as dancers have pursued it as a style of its own. "Most people can agree that the poster girl of Tribal Fusion Belly Dance is Rachel Brice . Yet she herself writes, 'The real dance heroes that created and fed my personal dance lineage: Jamila Salimpour taught John Compton and Masha Archer, who taught Carolena Nericcio, who taught Jill Parker, who taught Heather Stants, who taught Mardi Love, who all taught me.' It
81-469: A dancer might employ popping in response to hip hop music. Fusion dances are held periodically in many cities across Europe and the United States. Many are organised events open to the public; others are small, private gatherings. "Fusion festivals" are held at various locations. These are typically three-day events in which various dance styles are taught during the day and social dances are held in
108-401: A new dance style, recreating an already established dance style, combining existing styles of movement, or any combination of the above. The Fusion dance community emerged in the 2000s in the United States, and later spread to Canada, Europe, and other regions (although some think it might have started as early as the 1990s ). The first national event that was officially for Fusion dancers was
135-592: A significant impact on tribal dancers and opened up the floodgates of Tribal Fusion innovation." An early example of Ultra Gypsy's work was filmed by the cable TV program "The Cutting Edge", produced by Jerry B in Berkeley, California in 2001; directed and edited by D. Sosnoski. Stephanie Barto, a student of Nericcio, brought ATS to the Midwest with a group called Read My Hips , founded in Chicago with Heather Stants . Later, during
162-413: A theatrical element to the dancing. Jamila Salimpour taught Masha Archer, who formed the “San Francisco Classic Dance Troupe”. As a trained painter and sculptor, a core part of Masha’s teachings was the goal of creating art through dance. One of her students, Carolena Nericcio, took this goal to a new level by creating an original dance form, which is called “American Tribal Style” belly dance or “ATS”. It
189-449: A typical dance, a lead-follow approach is used in which one partner prompts moves and the other responds to them. To a greater extent than many other dance forms, fusion decouples the dance roles from their historically associated genders. Fusion culture also places significant emphasis on consent between partners. Fusion dancing emphasises musicality . The music style may influence a fusion dancer's choice of dance style. For example,
216-797: A weekend event held in both San Francisco and Sacramento, was a Lindy Hop event that likely had a strong influence on the growth of Fusion. The event featured a significant amount of non-Lindy Hop music (Blues, Rock 'n' Roll, and a smattering of other styles), encouraging dancers to fuse their Lindy Hop movements with other styles of music. Similar influences probably came from other Lindy Hop events and possibly some non-Lindy Hop events as well. Fusion dance may employ any dance technique, or arbitrary combination of techniques, associated with any type of dance. It usually incorporates dance partnering techniques such as connection , extension-compression, and frame , and may also utilise other techniques such as ballet technique , contact improvisation , and popping . In
243-427: Is a type of contemporary social improvised partner dance that combines different dance styles to create a new aesthetic. It does not require conforming to any particular defined dance styles, but typically uses a lead-follow approach that emphasizes musicality . It is performed within a community of social dancers that have a variety of views on what it means to Fusion dance, though typically involves creating
270-487: Is an emerging style of tribal fusion bellydance that uses cultural elements of the mid-1800s through the 1930s. The rising popularity of this style is partially due to The Indigo and their show Le Serpent Rouge. Vaudeville bellydance often uses jazz, swing, blues, Balkan, or Middle Eastern-derived music ( Beats Antique is a prime example). The costumes are perhaps the most recognizable feature of vaudeville bellydance because they almost always incorporate style influences from
297-569: Is from ATS that Tribal Fusion set its foundation." Mardi Love, a pioneer in Tribal Fusion, was an early member of Urban Tribal with Heather Stants, later joining The Indigo with Rachel Brice . Zoe Jakes was a long time and contributing member of The Indigo, going on to create her own form of Avant Garde belly dance with Beats Antique . Rachel Brice also greatly contributed to the popularity of movements similar to popping, though she credits Suhaila Salimpour and former troupe mate Ariellah Aflalo as
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#1732894973439324-676: Is the artist who popularized Rajasthani cowrie falls for the hair, using colorful, hand dyed yarn to braid cowrie shells together. She also created one of the most popular belt styles of the mid-to late 2000s by combining Indian mirrored "shisha" with Afghan Guls (beaded medallions), and adding colorful yarn fringe (such as Colinette Pointe 5). Tribal Fusion is closely related to Dark Fusion pioneered by Ariellah Aflalo, and Improvisational Tribal Style (ITS) bellydance pioneered by Amy Sigil. Tribal Fusion and ITS are both descended from American Tribal Style (ATS) while Dark Fusion exists between Tribal Fusion and Gothic belly dance . Vaudeville bellydance
351-485: Is this lineage of teachers that has created Tribal Fusion Belly Dance. In the 1960s, the belly dancer Jamila Salimpour created the company “Bal Anat” and performed with her dancers at California Renaissance fairs. The need to fit belly dance into a renaissance style led to a show that drew from the tribal dances and costuming of North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. Props such as masks, snakes, and swords added
378-524: The Houston Fusion Exchange, January 4-6, 2008 . The Fusion Exchange was held in a different city each year for 7 years including, Houston, Portland, San Diego, Boston, San Francisco, Las Vegas, & Denver, and had a huge influence on the growth of Fusion around the US, inspiring many local scenes to start their own monthly or weekly Fusion events across the US. Another huge influence on Fusion has been
405-517: The Jazz Era and earlier. As the name vaudeville bellydance suggests, this style is deeply inspired by pre-WWII vaudeville acts, often incorporating comedy into performances. Vaudeville bellydance can also be called tribal vintage style, although vaudeville bellydance is typically inspired by a more narrow time period. This form is closely associated with Burlesque fusion bellydance and much overlap exists between them. Both styles have strongly influenced
432-824: The Recess Production events, which started with the Aspen Blues Recess in Colorado, in August 2008 and ran over 60 events between 2008 - 2018, branching out to Europe in 2012 . Another influence was the Tangoed Up In Blues workshops first held on May 20-22, 2005, in San Francisco, played a role in the Fusion community. The purpose of Tangoed Up In Blues was to bring the blues and tango communities together, compare and contrast
459-517: The acts presented at haflas and festivals across the country. Tribal Fusion dance evolved closely with developments in the electronica and world music genres. Early Bay Area DJs who contributed to the form include Cheb i Sabbah & Bassnectar . The movement carried over into the music produced specifically for bellydancers, also called Oriental music, giving rise to the creation of the electronica Oriental genre. Artist Jeremiah Soto of Solace and Eventide Musical Productions produced some of
486-460: The early development of Tribal Fusion, Heather Stants worked to introduce new elements to Tribal Style bellydance, including a minimalist aesthetic, underground electronica music and elements of modern dance . In 1999, she formed Urban Tribal Dance Company in San Diego, largely influenced by hip hop and street dance styles. In contrast to many other tribal fusion performers, Urban Tribal Dance Company
513-568: The evenings. Some festivals emphasise specific dance styles, such as Argentine tango , slow lindy hop , West Coast Swing , or blues dancing , whereas others encompass all dance styles. Michelle Campbell Michelle Marie Campbell (born May 12, 1984, in Iowa ), aka Melisa Can , is retired female basketball player who played power forward . Can grew up in Princeton, New Jersey and graduated from Notre Dame High School . She joined Rutgers in
540-525: The first Electronica Oriental albums, quickly followed by Turbo Tabla artist Karim Nagi , and beatboxing champion Pete List . Many more names followed suit creating a rapidly growing musical outlet for the budding new dance form. Producer Miles Copeland contributed greatly to the electronica Oriental movement signing many musicians and dancers who would become forerunners of the Tribal Fusion movement. Some popular musicians associated with Tribal Fusion bellydance are: Fusion Dance Fusion dance
567-733: The founders of the form, however, the connection with American Tribal Style Belly Dance is what makes it considered "Tribal Fusion Belly Dance", rather than simply "Fusion Belly Dance". Many Tribal Fusion dancers once used the ATS "uniform" as a basis for costuming, the scenario is changing. Additional elements of the costume are strongly influenced by the nature of the fusion - flamenco fusion dancers will wear flamenco skirts , burlesque fusion dancers will wear feathers etc. Costumes are often very elaborate with layers of fabrics, Tulle bi telli , antique tribal jewelry from many cultures, hair ornaments, and permanent body adornment such as tattoos and piercings. At
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#1732894973439594-405: The other extreme, where the fusion has a strong contemporary influence, the costume is pared down to a sleek minimalist style. Mardi Love pioneered and paved the way for many of the elements of the more adorned Tribal Fusion costumes that are popular today. After working with the more minimalist Urban Tribal, she helped sculpt the intricate, vibrant, and complicated costumes worn by The Indigo. She
621-520: The sources. Initial members of The Indigo performance group were Mardi Love, Rachel Brice, Michelle Campbell , Sharon Kihara , Shawna Rai , Janice Solimeno , and Ariellah Aflalo. Sharon Kihara also studied with Frederique (The Lady Fred) and performed with Ultra Gypsy. Today, Tribal Fusion is a rapidly growing and evolving dance form. Some feel it is moving away from its American Tribal Style Belly Dance Roots, and some newer Tribal Fusion Dancers have never studied American Tribal Style Belly Dance. For
648-580: The tribal fusion genre overall. Other popular tribal fusion subtypes include steampunk , Art Nouveau , gothic fusion bellydance , world fusion, theatrical bellydance, and urban tribal which is a hip-hop/jazz dance fusion. Many tribal fusion dancers also practice other movement arts such as aerialism , hatha yoga , hooping , fire spinning , poi and other flow arts , juggling , contemporary circus , erotic dance and burlesque , ballet , global folk dance , gymnastics , and martial arts ; as such, influences from these arts can be witnessed firsthand in
675-537: The two dance styles, explore the tension between new and old in both dances, and provide a fun dancing experience. Its precursor was a Fusion Blues workshop with six blues classes and one tango class in Portland in December 2004, held at Tango Berretín in collaboration with Fusion-PDX. There were also several events that influenced the Fusion community before the name "Fusion" was used. For example... in 2004, Lindy Booty,
702-570: Was known for their minimalist costuming more traditional to modern dance than to Tribal Style. Tribal Fusion was named and largely popularized by Rachel Brice , who was the first to fuse American Cabaret technique with American Tribal Style, and the first to perform as a soloist. In the early days, she referred to herself as "Cabaret with a Tribal aesthetic." Rachel Brice attributes the technique used by many tribal fusion dancers to Suhaila Salimpour . In an email conversation between Rachel Brice and Carolena Nericcio, Carolena wrote that Rachel performed
729-560: Was no name for it at the time, they simply called it Belly Dance Theatre ) was Jill Parker's Ultra Gypsy. Jill Parker is often referred to as the "mama of Tribal Fusion". Ultra Gypsy expanded on the American Tribal Style repertoire of movement, costuming, and music. "In the late 1990s Jill and her dance company, Ultra Gypsy, began to scale down the tribal costume, expand the movement vocabulary, work with modern DJ mixed music and play with theatrical themes in their performances. This had
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