Ioleen teaches Maya Dance company's ATS and Tribal Fusion classes. Ioleen has attended workshops with tribal stars Sharon Kihara, Samantha Emmanuel, Marissa from SOMA, Heather from Tribal Angels, Anne from RSDC and Sanet Halck.
Ioleen, Helasha and Tracy (Maya Performance Group) performed at Tribalation 2010 in johannesburg.
While Tribal belly dance (both ATS and Fusion) is quite different to “classic” belly dance, it still relies on the same basic movements, and utilises the same core muscles… think of it as one branch of the great big “Belly Dance Tree”.
For more information on Maya's ATS and Tribal Fusion classes please contact Senta.
American Tribal Style (ATS):
ATS was developed by Carolena Nericcio (director of Fat Chance Belly Dance) in San Francisco around 1987. Based on a style that the Bel Anat troupe brought to the USA in the 60’s, it is a form of belly dance that incorporates more “traditional” styles form all over North Africa, Asia & the Eastern Mediterranean.
Since Carolena was also a student of Flamenco dance, ATS has a distinctive Spanish flair and so the posture is slightly different. Standing tall, the shoulders are pulled back & down, opening up the chest. Arms are usually held high, and the elbows are strong. Most of the moves are performed flat-footed, so this requires a slightly deeper bend in the knees to allow for a larger range of motion from the hips. The movements in this style of dance tend to be larger, slower & deeper than “classic” Middle Eastern belly dance - as such the feel of the dance is much more “grounded” & earthy.
ATS is a complete language in its own, and the dance is usually improvised. There is a set vocabulary of a few basic moves, which are expanded upon with turns, variations & layering. Each variation of these basic moves has a different cue - a turn of the head, a change in arm position or a flick of the wrist will signify a change in movement. There is hardly ever any solo work in ATS – the dance is usually performed by a group. A “leader” will cue the dance moves & variations; as well as changes in the leadership position, so anyone in the group could lead the dance & initiate changes.
Costuming for ATS is distinctive in that it is signified by lots of layering: large flared skirts, big tassel belts, choli tops & turbans in bright colours. Usually a dancer will also adorn herself with flowers and/or ethnic jewellery, and quite often plays zils / sagat (finger cymbals) during the dance. Balancing of swords or baskets is also quite common.
Some call ATS a “sisterhood” of dance – the group is literally a tribe, communicating with each other through their dance. The core moves and cues are common to most ATS groups around the world. In theory, we could meet up with complete strangers from another country, and even though we may not understand each others’ language, could still dance together. |
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 Tribal Fusion:
The term Tribal Fusion is accredited to Jill Parker. One of the original members of Fat Chance Belly Dance, she formed Ultra Gypsy in 1996, taking ATS to a new level. Elements of choreography & other dance forms were introduced, and the costuming & music elements were expanded upon. As the name suggests, it can be a fusion of all sorts of dance styles, such as contemporary, ballet, jazz, hip-hop and even some martial arts. As such it is open to much interpretation, and many sub-genres of the dance have developed (tribaret, gothic/dark fusion, vaudeville). Tribal Fusion as a dance style has become very popular in the past few years, due to the likes of the Indigo, and the Belly Dance Superstars.
Posture is still quite distinct with tribal fusion, not losing any of the “tall, strong arms” elements of ATS. Focus of the movements is more “internal” – governed more by the muscles (specifically the core and the obliques) than the skeleton, as such. This dance form encourages “self-awareness”, as dancers need to identify & isolate individual muscle groups to assist later with layering of movements. Core conditioning is quite important in Fusion dance where more intricate, staccato “pop & lock” movements are a fundamental style. There is a focus on the upper body & shoulders, as the slower, more sinuous movements, and deep back bends that are synonymous with Tribal Fusion require more strength and control than we may be used to.
Fusion costuming is more “streamlined” than with ATS – dancers usually will wear pants & more “snug” hip adornments in order to effectively show off the more intricate hip work that may be lost under more bulky layers. Again, as the name “Fusion” suggests, the costuming could incorporate any elements, but generally the look tends to still be quite ethnic; some dancers bring in more of a gothic or “industrial” feel, and burlesque-style skirts & fishnets are quite in vogue at the moment. Quite often props like swords and silk/feather fans may be utilised. Dancing with zils/sagat is not that common.
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