The monophonic unison chant, then polyphonic motet. Renaissance then Baroque then Classical then Romantic then Impressionist. Then revolutionary Twelve-Tone. 20th Century -- neoclassicism, expressionism, serialism, electronic, aleatoric, minimalism. Myself, I can only enjoy up to Classical… As a classically trained musician (violist) I enjoy listening to, and performing, any composer up to Beethoven. I could maybe sit through (as a spectator or performer) Impressionist composition, but have no interest if the program features a wealth of Romantic and beyond. Each of these styles of music has been built upon the style that has gone before it. Each composer of a new period paved the way - perhaps by enduring jeers from the audience, perhaps by living in poverty because of it. Even Beethoven, who some say was the greatest master of all, discarded conventional forms and themes in his later work, and was found by his audience to have works difficult to understand as they were used to conventional compositions. Does it sound as though this discussion has no place in an article about belly dancing? I believe it does.

We are faced with a new wave of belly dancing, called the American Tribal Style (ATS). It has been summarily dismissed by many as "that's not belly dancing." Go back to the list in my first paragraph: Renaissance was built upon chant; Baroque upon Renaissance; Classical upon Baroque; and so forth. Haydn, regarded as the father of the symphony, and an early teacher of Beethoven, saw the genre of the symphony grow from its quiet simple beginnings to a new level expression. Even if he did not originate the full expression of a Classical or Romantic style of symphony, he is nonetheless regarded as its originator. I would doubt that anyone would say that one could not call the works of Beethoven or Stravinsky symphonies because they do not resemble the symphonies of Haydn. Yet, this is what is happening with the dismissal of ATS as "not belly dancing."

We love to throw around the term "our dance is an art form" yet we are not allowing it to form and change as any art form has done for centuries. For instance, I don't know whether Michelangelo would faint or applaud at seeing works of Dali. But Dali is a painter, an artist. Did his work not grow out of the works of masters who went before him? Did not Beethoven's style grow out of the works of masters who went before him? Did not ATS grow out of the belly dancing that came before it? ATS may be difficult to accept (as was Beethoven and the masters after him…. As was Dali and the masters after him…).

ATS is an artistic expression grown out of the expression of belly dancing. Its music is anything from true folkloric to more "new aged" style. It relies heavily on percussion but also presents the beauty and haunting melodies of the nai and violin. Its costuming, while a convention all its own, is reminiscent of gypsy garb and heavily adorned with folkloric and tribal jewelry and fabrics. While one can viscerally not like a composer or artist based on his or her artistic works, it is sad that ATS is dismissed - not because one has seen a performance and does not like it - but rather it is dismissed because of closed minded quick opinions. The ones who hold fast to the opinion that our dance is an art form are usually the exact ones who hold fast to the opinion that ATS is not. One cannot claim to own an art form - the meaning of the verb FORM is to shape, to develop, to arrange, to arise. ATS developed and was shaped from Carolena Nericcio's experience with belly dancing (and it has been further shaped and formed by dancers who studied initially with her). That does NOT make it NOT belly dancing. If belly dancing is an art form that gave rise to the expression of ATS, then dancers cannot put their noses in the air and sight unseen (as often is the case) declare that ATS is rubbish and not worthy of the attention of dancers. The movements are different - yet there is a sameness; the music is different - yet there is a sameness; the costuming is different - yet there is a sameness. I would ask that dancers not dwell on the differences, but rather acknowledge the sameness. When one has seen ATS and decides that she/he does not care for it, that is one thing - just as I don't like playing Stravinsky or going to Cubist art exhibits. But to trash the entire form without personally having seen it, that is what I object to.

Lest some of you wonder where this soapbox came from, I have been dipping and dallying with ATS for about a year now … at first by seeing it mentioned on the web and then by watching videos. Last year I got to see a performance in person by representatives of Fat Chance Belly Dance, and thought, seriously for the first time, that this might be a nice thing to introduce to Boston. This past March, I traveled to Florida, for a three-day convention called "Meeting of the Tribes" hosted by Maja of the Nile. It was three days of intensive workshops by John Compton (a folkloric dancer from CA), Gypsy Caravan (OR), Fat Chance Belly Dance (CA), and the Ghawazee Troupe (PA). I'm a dancer with 26 years' experience and I had two left feet, believe me. Although the movements are simple and quieter than what we are used to with solo cabaret dancing, they are not easy. Each hip or traveling movement is accompanied by a specific arm movement. I learned that this is necessary because, when done correctly, this dance is improvised (not choreographed) and that the arm movements are very important in order for the leader to signal transitional cues to the other members of the tribe. It is incredibly difficult to be the followers and to only see a hand/arm cue from the corner of your eye while you are looking straight out to the audience.

There were three things that made most powerful impacts on me. One was the fact that the dance is often improvised, at two levels. Depending upon how large the tribe is, there may be two groups going at once - the focal smaller group that comes out center stage, and the larger group, known as the "chorus line." The leader stands in the left position of either of these groups and through cues, transitions the group from one step to the next. The longer the tribe works together the more eye contact, facial signals, tilt of the head, etc. conveys a transition or the message that the leader would like to pass the leadership onto another dancer.

The second impact was in dealing with stage presence and audience appreciation. Everything is danced and presented to give the best show to the audience. Posture and overall stage presence was emphasized uppermost in everyone's workshop. I guess I may have been somewhat guilty of a preconceived notion that just because ATS does not have all the glitter and glitz of cabaret dancing that it does not shine every bit as much. As a matter of fact, between posture, costuming, and precision (nothing sloppy allowed when you are dancing as a tribe), the mere impact of seeing a good tribe on stage is enough to excite an audience.

The third thing that hit me the most was the sense of community in this dance. A troupe is defined as a group of theatrical performers. A tribe is defined as a social group comprising numerous families, clans or generations… a group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest. A troupe and a tribe are similar enough for the purposes of dancers dancing together, but the meaning of tribe is so much richer, and that's what I saw when I went to Florida. Many women literally caravanned together to get there from all over the country - including, in some cases, husbands and children. They danced together, vended together, ate together and roomed together - all the while inviting anyone into their tribe to join them and their festivities. As tight as they were, they were not exclusive unto themselves. The comradery and generosity of spirit is nothing I have ever experienced before at a dance convention. These women were genuinely supportive, showed steps, answered questions about music and costuming, and were so excited to find that I was a novice to ATS.

I'm painting a rose-colored picture, because, at this point, that is all I know. I am offering ATS classes to the best of my ability this coming Fall, as I think it is time for the dancers in Boston to be exposed to more than the same-old same-old. A new art form shaped from the old.