What is Tribal-Fusion?

Jamila Salimpor, a bellydance pioneer, and former member of the Ringling Brother's Circus, created the dance troupe Bal-Anat in 1968. She worked with many dancers including Algerian water glass dancers, Tunisian pot dancers, Male Tray dancers and Magicians. The result became a show featuring tribal dances from North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as a Sword dance, Mask dance, and Snake dance. The show inspired a whole generation of american bellydancers, giving way to the rise in popularity of the Tribal Bellydance genre. In the early 1990's Carolena Nericcio and her dance company Fat Chance Bellydance created ATS, (American Tribal Style). The movement vocabulary and costumes were a blend of influences from Egyptian Cabaret, North Africa, Flamenco, and dances of India. The dancers often improvised, using movement cues and combinations, and switching leaders and followers. Tribal dancers danced to traditional world music, along with emerging tribal style music, sometimes played by musicians accompanying troupes of dancers. This music was written especially for tribal dancers, by groups such as Helm, and Gypsy Caravan. Dalia Carella also influenced cabaret and tribal dancers from coast to coast with her knowledge of Dunyavi Gypsy Dance. She also developed her own contemporary fusion of middle eastern, andalusian, and latin dances, "El Mundo". Knowledge was spread by different dancers, all over the US. Tribal-Fusion is the natural progression of these traditions, which includes some other developments. Many tribal-fusion dancers have been influenced by Suhaila Salimpor, daughter of Jamila Salimpor. She grew up learning middle eastern dances from her mother and also trained extensively in ballet, jazz, and tap. Suhaila developed a modern style of her own which emphasized using specific muscle groups to preserve the joints. Tribal-fusion styles have also been influenced by yoga, popping and locking, hip hop culture, goth culture, european cabaret, modern dance, african dances, asian dances, latin dances, and electronic music. The Tribal-Fusion music genre is currently developing as well. Maduro and Solace make Tribal-Fusion music. Musical choices have also broadened, and artists such as Amon Tobin have become popular within the dance community. My own style of Electric Tribal-Fusion comes from years of ear training as a DJ, spinning everything from house and breakbeats, to funk, hip hop, rock, trip hop, brazilian music, underground music, and rare grooves from different parts of the world. I like to find exciting ways of accenting and expressing music. Other inspirations include insects, water, fire, panthers, birds, plants, indian dance, house dance, popping, funk, cambodian dance, middle eastern dance, persian dance, turkish dance, tribal style, vintage soul train videos, dancers who I've admired and studied with....

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