A little more information on different styles of Belly Dance
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When I asked my teachers to explain the difference between American Fusion and
Cabaret Style Belly Dance, one of them said to me (I think it was Ayre,) "If you ask
100 belly dancers, you'll get 100 different opinions." I had to laugh because, in
fact, a dancer's perspective on the historical cultural context of their technical
style, regardless of the technical style, is often somewhat unique to them; based
on their training, their own cultural or ethnic background, and the experiences,
opinions and education of their teachers, among other things. And, it matters if
their teachers have studied or understand the historical and cultural context of the
form as well. Both of our teachers have written articles on Belly Dance. Here are
their thoughts regarding the difference.
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Introduction to American Fusion Belly Dance with Ayre Briar
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This introductory level class will help students gain an understanding of
movements and technique fundamental to all styles of modern belly dance.
Emphasis will be on isolations and drills to improve strength, stamina, flexibility
and poise. This class will also introduce students to the concept of fusion belly
dance -- a relatively new but exciting dance form in which classical Oriental style
belly dance is fused with elements of other dance genres such as jazz, hip hop,
tango, ballet and more. Each session will have a warm up, technique and drill
section, as well as a short choreography at the end to pull the elements together.
Hip scarves or coin belts are optional, but students should wear loose,
comfortable clothing and should bring plenty of water. No previous dance
experience necessary.
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Introduction to Cabaret Style Belly Dance with Kalila
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Tribal and Cabaret are the two main styles of Belly Dance, of which Cabaret is the
more traditional style, but even within this genre there are various specific
subgenres. "Egyptian" cabaret is a pretty strict style that doesn't allow any floor
work or use of props. It allows minimal veil work and uses exclusively Egyptian
music. So while I perform and teach cabaret, and my training is mostly in Egyptian,
I do use some of the elements of Lebanese and Turkish cabaret such as veils,
props, floor work, and music from Middle Eastern countries other than Egypt.
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Ayre Briar's thoughts about the difference in styles
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Today in America, students can learn many different forms of belly dance
including Oriental style (also known as Cabaret or Arabic dance), American Tribal
Style (ATS), Tribal Fusion, Improv Tribal Style (ITS), as well as Folkloric styles. All
of these styles have their roots in dances that come from Middle Eastern
countries. However, much of the belly dance seen today is a blend of Western
and Middle Eastern dance.
Oriental and Tribal style belly dance seem very different when performed;
however, there is a set of basic movements most dancers agree form the core of
these dance forms. Of course, how these movements are executed and taught
depends on the performer/teacher, and even the names given to these
movements can vary from dancer to dancer. In general, Oriental dance has an
emphasis on isolations involving core muscles (especially the hip area), is
performed to Arabic or Middle Eastern music (typically involving orchestras or
tabla drum solos) and uses props such as finger cymbals, sword, cane, fanveils,
isis wings and veils. Tribal style belly dance also places emphasis on isolations of
core muscles, but puts added importance on upper body posture and placement
of arms and hands. Tribal dance styles can also incorporate props such as finger
cymbals, sword, veil, fans, veil poi and fire props. Tribal style belly dance is
performed to music ranging from Middle Eastern folk songs and rhythms to
modern electronic music and everything in between. Though soloists from both
styles can perform improv or choreographed pieces, a key difference between
Oriental and Tribal lies in group dancing. Typically in Tribal belly dancing, short
combinations are learned along with specific cues for them so that a group can
perform a completely improvised set based on those combination elements to any
piece of music. Oriental group dancing is usually choreographed to a specific
song.
Tribal style belly dance as it is known in America began with Jamila Salimpour,
who worked to create a fusion of folkloric dance styles and costuming from a
range of Middle Eastern countries. ATS, developed by Carolena Nerriccio of
FatChance Bellydance, extended the dance vocabulary created by Jamila to
create a set of movements meant to be performed by a group on an
improvisational basis. From ATS, other tribal belly dance styles have emerged
that give individual groups the freedom to create their own dance vocabulary with
which to do improv style dance. Tribal Fusion describes dance that incorporates
Tribal style belly dance with movements borrowed from other dance forms such as
Jazz, Hip Hop, Ballet, Modern, Flamenco, Indian, Hula, Burlesque and so on.
Fusion belly dance can be performed solo or as a group, and can be improv or
choreographed. Any style of music is appropriate for Fusion. Costuming is quite
open as well, though more traditional Oriental (Cabaret) style costumes or
non-Tribal style folkloric (Baladi) costuming is rarely seen in Fusion belly dance.
So what difference will a student see in an Oriental (Caberet) style class vs. a
Fusion belly dance class? In the very beginning, perhaps not much! Both styles
of dance require the same fundamental set of isolations and technique that make
up the foundation of belly dance. This includes isolations in the pelvis and hip
area (lifts, drops, shimmies, circles, figure 8's), the abdominal area (undulations,
rolls, expansions, contractions, flutters), the chest area (lifts, drops, circles, figure
8's, pops), the upper back area (conditioning required for chest and shoulder
work), shoulders/arms (shimmies, snake arms) and hands. Add in turns and some
floor work, and this makes up the most basic skill set a belly dancer (of any style)
should know. However, from this common starting point the two styles of dance
diverge and become more stylized. A student studying Oriental dance can expect
to work on building strength in core muscles to master the isolations that
characterize this style of dance, along with graceful, fluid arms and hands. The
persona of an Oriental dancer is one of strength, femininity and playfulness -- it is
a dance that is meant to look delicate but which requires a great amount of
muscle strength and stamina. Often what sets Oriental dancers apart from each
other is their musical interpretation of similar pieces of music. A student studying
Fusion style dance can expect to work on building strength in core muscles, as
well as strength and flexibility in legs, arms and upper and lower back. Students
can also expect to learn some tribal belly dance vocabulary -- combinations that
can be used in improvisational group dancing. In addition, students will be
exposed to dance movements from a range of non-belly dance genres which may
involve different dance technique altogether. In Fusion belly dance, theatricality
plays a central role and dancers often take on different personas depending on
the piece being worked on. Thus, unlike Oriental dance, there is no one style of
movement or costuming that signifies a Fusion belly dancer. Yet in general, Tribal
Fusion belly dance embodies power, poise, fine muscle control and a very slinky
or serpentine quality that can come across as mysterious. What often sets Fusion
dancers apart from each other is their inventiveness in choreography.
Written by Ayre Briar.
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Kalila's thoughts about the differences in styles
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"Cabaret" belly dance is the style of bellydance you will typically see performed in
restaurants and nightclubs in the Middle East and around the world. It is the more
"traditional" of the two styles, and a traditional 5 part show is usually considered a
"full" cabaret performance. This includes a veil entrance (usually to an upbeat
instrumental), a taqusim (slow and improvised with the melody unbound to the
rhythm), a drum solo, a pop song, and an exit song. It is traditionally performed
only to Middle Eastern music in the Arabic language (or Turkish, if one is
performing Turkish cabaret). The costuming is usually the well known bedleh
costume (beaded bra and belt with skirt and veil.) Though sometimes for "baladi"
style it is performed in a full dress. Baladi, though it has Egyptian folk origins,
usually falls under the category of cabaret, and often cabaret dancers will perform
a baladi song or two within their show. Since it's usually performed at celebratory
type events (like weddings, parties, nightclubs) it's usually very important for the
dancer to smile and connect with her audience. Certain technical aspects like arm
positioning, gestures, and torso movement are also very different from the tribal
styles.
Examples:
Egyptian dancer, Dina dancing baladi- http://youtu.be/eb_8xFbla3g
American cabaret dancer, Jillina- http://youtu.be/Z8tVwbSDP-8
"Tribal" belly dance originated with American belly dance instructors in the San
Francisco Bay area in the 1960's. Jamilla Salimpour is the dancer most often
credited with creating the style. She was circus performer who pieced together
aspects of Middle Eastern dancing that she could learn about and fused and
reinterpreted them through her experience with circus arts and American dance
forms. What eventually came of this (through the reinterpretation and input of
other American dancers that came after her) was American Tribal Style (ATS).
ATS is characterized by always being performed in a group and always being
improvised. The lead dancer gives specific cues to the other dancers, which they
follow. Throughout a song, the lead dancer may change several times depending
on his or her position. "Tribal Fusion" is influenced by ATS, but it can be
choreographed and/or performed solo, and it also draws on many other dance
styles, such as hip hop, jazz, breakdance, Latin dances, vaudeville, Indian
dances, etc (hence the "fusion"). Tribal in general is more "freeform" than cabaret
and is as varied as the performers who do it because it can really include anything
a particular performer decides to include. Tribal is sometimes performed to Middle
Eastern or African music, but it are just as likely to be performed to anything
ranging from rap, electronic, pop, etc. Costumes are also varied and can include
anything from pants, metalwork, and dark colors to flowers, feather, shells, bindis,
and henna. The dancers expressions are not always as "happy" as a cabaret
dancer and often the tribal dancer wears a more introspective expression. The
purpose of the dance is not always celebration, as cabaret dance usually is. From
a technical aspect, it uses "snakier" more isolated torso movements as well as
pops and locks that are similar to some aspects of hip hop or breakdance. The
elbows are typically held lower than in cabaret, and it's typically less "bouncy."
Examples:
Bay Area ATS group, Fat Chance Belly Dance http://youtu.be/aEzgJMKH2hc
Tribal fusion soloist, Zoe Jakes http://youtu.be/GodMzHtiLzY
Tribal fusion group, TribalTique http://youtu.be/w-xEFJ8aMf4
Written by Kalila
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Kalila performing at Casablanca
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Ayre Briar performing at Whole Earth Festival
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