Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The Rhythmic Tribal Belly Dance

Tribal belly dance recreates what might have been as far as different tribes and the interaction between them. There is no real evidence as to what really existed but it is understood that tribal belly dance has its roots in folkloric and traditional dance. It has really taken off within the last ten to twenty years.

Tribal Belly Dance is a Western style of Belly Dance derived/fused primarily from the dance/troupe style of Jamila Salimpour in the 70's. This style of dance fuses various folklore and contemporary dance movements, from various countries such as the Middle East. In addition it uses a mix of music, often preferring acoustic instruments, authentic tribal songs or tribal sounding songs. However, recently it has been incorporating a lot of the world trance and beat music.

This intriguing dance is characterized by an improvisational style, with dancers learning sets of steps and moves rather than choreographing entire dances. The dance is also very stress relieving and women often confess that belly dance class is the highlight of their week and that they feel so good when they leave class, not only physically, but mentally as well. Tribal belly dance is a powerful and fun way to express yourself, and share in something truly uplifting with other women.

Its roots are in folkloric and the traditional belly dance. That being said it is considered a recent innovation. It's really taken off within the last ten to twenty years because of the exciting nature of the dance. The visual display of several dancers all performing at once is very compelling and exciting to watch.

Performances are seldom choreographed but rather cued from a vocabulary of movement by a designated lead dancer. This encourages a spirit of team work, awareness and cooperation, all parts of being a "tribe". Performances of this style are quite energetic and exciting to watch. However, a side effect is that dancers who only study this style of dance could potentially be unable to dance without the lead of other tribal improvisational dancers.

http://www.my-belly-dance-4u.com/pages/tribal.html

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