It's been a while since I've been around live belly dancing. Actually, I haven't been around belly dance since my youngest was born, and that was six years ago. Until today he'd never seen a live belly dance show. It's hard to believe it's been that long, but it was well worth the wait, because he was truly excited to see his first show.
Today I went out to the Fall Festival & Marketplace. I'd heard a fellow dancer would be performing there with members of her troupe and her students. Baseema Moirae and I had only been in contact via email and Facebook before, so I was eager to finally have a chance to meet her. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed! Not only is Baseema a beautiful dancer, as are all the lovely ladies she shared the stage with, but the show was fantastic, everything that I've loved about belly dance since I was first introduced to tribal style way back in (do I even want to admit it?) Rites of Spring in May of 2000. They were lively, vibrant, and wonderful to watch.
While I didn't manage to get a lot of good pictures of the event, I did manage to get some video of the dancers that I wanted to share, especially for anyone who doesn't know what ATS® is or looks like performed live. Everything in this video is entirely improvised, which makes it so much more impressive.
This is what ATS® really looks like. I love this beautiful, dynamic form of belly dance. There is something incredible about a dance that can be performed in public in a completely improvised way, yet with the ability for it to look entirely choreographed. This is where my heart and soul are really at, and this is the form of the dance that truly calls to me.
All belly dance is beautiful, and I've often enjoyed shows of all varieties. I've seen plenty of traditional Egyptian and Turkish dancers and have found them to be absolutely stunning dancers, but that's not what I do. It's not the form of the dance I'm drawn to. I've always had my heart in tribal style, straight from the beginning.
For me there is something lovely and rich about tribal style, especially American Tribal Style®. There's a magic to the dancing in tribal improv, but it's more than that. There is something absolutely stunning about the way it all comes together. It's more than just the dancing. It's also the costumes, the rich colors, and the lovely textiles. From the tassels to the big, heavy coins, I love it all, especially the "hair gardens" that have become so popular in tribal style. These performances speak to me, and I hope to share some of that with my students.
Before long this is going to be an option for my students. We'll be working on putting together our own student shows where my dance students can show off what they've been working on for friends and family. I've already had a few students talk to me about a potential future of performing at some low-key town events and the like. It's wonderful to be able to introduce them to this aspect of the dance community. Maybe next time we'll plan to make a day of it and everyone can go out and enjoy the show!
Comments