Tribal Bellydance ITS | gaiadunyarai

TRIBAL BELLYDANCE & CO.

"To understand what I am saying, you have to believe that dance is something other than technique. We forget where the movements come from. They are born from life. When you create a new work, the point of departure must be contemporary life -- not existing forms of dance."

Pina Bausch

After the first years of traditional Oriental Belly dance in the school where I was studying, I began to open my researches to a rich season of experimental fusions with other styles, musical genres and contemporary dances, already started in Magica Club.

In 2005, the academy of Les Soeurs Tribales, a pioneer school of fusion avant-gardes in Italy that took inspiration from all over the world, focusing on United States trends in ATS and ITS Tribal Belly dance, opened in Milan.

In 2008, I came back from my travels and the following year I started attending the Les Soeurs Tribales atelier studying with Cinzia di Cioccio, founder of the school and the company, and Grazia Manetti, part of the company at the time.

In 2011, Les Soeurs Tribales proposed me to join the company and I accepted as it was a dream becoming true.

In March 2012, the official debut at the prestigious World of Orient in Hanover with my tribal sisters consecrated a two year long season full of participation in festivals, shows, seminars throughout Europe, especially in England, Scotland and Germany. In Italy we participated in performances, shows and collaborations with many artists, teaching to any dancers who wanted to study the LST format - the new language created by Les Soeurs Tribales, inspired by the Gipsy Caravan ITS format and composed by “combos” (combinations) of steps aimed at creating our own new style made of Modern, Pop, Glamour and Vintage etro chic taste and touch. From the radio hits to the music of the 30s, the company explored all the possible contaminations between dances in a Tribal key, creating small gestures, movements, steps or patterns blended with some original "combos" concepts able to create a really innovative dance.

In the last years, the collaboration with Cinzia di Cioccio continued with an important tour in Indonesia, between Jakarta and Bali, as guess teachers and performers in the Tribal Fest of Jakarta, hosted by Desi Ardi Susanto. It has been a deep moment of consolidation of our harmony, both on the dancing side and that of our beautiful friendship, nourished by yoga, vegan food and an endless love for animals.

In 2016, Cinzia and I proposed a new duet-piece on the bizarre notes of Lindy Hop style. We renamed our duet Les Cigales, a tribute to the company that was in stand-by but in continuous research and experimentation to rebirth - like the cicadas, that never stop singing, or dancing. In the same period, I brought my Tribal experience in the Foesia Bellydance company, creating choreographies and exclusive pieces for the Maya's dream show.

From 2017, I continued as a soloist to carry on the Tribal philosophy in my lessons and I organized seminars entirely designed to spread the techniques and my personal interpretations. I put my ideas and energies in Mandalance project.

Mandalance Dance Tribe is a collective of non-professional but deeply passionate dancers. It arises from the desire to combine studying and teaching with an expressive and scenic research while aiming at wellness, sociality and also the participation in several events and shows with a “repertoire” of classical Oriental Belly dance but mainly Tribal Belly dance, Fusion or ITS.

In this experimental choreographic laboratory, directed by Gaia and carried out bi-monthly in Milan from 2015, the dancers involved refine their technique without ever losing the sight for their tribe, focusing on the group's connection and dance harmony, involving consciousness and responsibility in their artistic work and formation. Like the petals of a flower or a mandala, every single part is fundamental to the whole geometry and in constant growth and change, deconstructing the steady identity of the form as well as of the substance.

The annual training of the base group is located in Castellanza, near Milano, at the Blue Ballet Studio, but some of the participants study independently by the meetings reviews and the group is always open to new aspiring dancers who would like to join the project.

I attended the professional teachers training with Unmata for their Tribal Bellydance ITS level 1 and 2 in 2017.

By now, I am preparing the exams to become a certified teacher of this style.

Early in December, I will be in Indonesia at Tegal, Central Java, teaching and performing my choreographies with my new style of traditions in evolution, between Fusion and structured languages.

WHAT'S TRIBAL BELLYDANCE? AND TRIBAL FUSION?

Tribal Fusion Belly Dance is a modern Western form of belly dance which was created by fusing American Tribal Style belly dance and American Cabaret belly dance. Artists frequently incorporate elements from Popping, Hip Hop, 'Egyptian' or 'Cabaret' belly dance, as well as movement principles from traditional forms such as Flamenco, Kathak, Odissi, and other folkloric and classical dance styles.

Tribal and ATS dance forms are rooted in a movement in the US in the 70's, mainly driven by "folkloric" groups performing at Renaissance Faires in California. Drawing it's movements, costuming, and general inspiration from the tribal cultures of the Near East, Middle East, Northern Africa/Maghreb, and Spain, the then-named "California Tribal" bellydance was, and it's current American Tribal Style Belly Dance (also known as ATS) is a modern style of belly dance created by FatChanceBellyDance director, Carolena Nericcio-Bohlman.

The primary defining characteristic of American Tribal Style Belly Dance is group improvisation. Tribal is generally performed in a group, often at community events such as festivals and parades, with tribal dancers typically favoring a look provided by wide-legged pants gathered at the ankles (also known as pantaloons), tops known as cholis and full skirts incarnations continue to be, a conglomeration of many different influences, not the least of which being what we recognize as traditional bellydance (Raqs Sharki/Danse Orientale...).

Ats started introducing a new dance's concept in tribe and lots of groups arose from that inspiration, with Carolena's students, such as Paulette Rees Denis, Gipsy Caravan Tribal Bellydance' founder which was also my teacher, or the UK tribe of Blacksheep, or many others like Unmata ITS from Sacramento I met in 2017, and many others spread around the world, all they talks about acknowledging different cultures and backgrounds and melting them into an evolving dance form.

In Tribal group bellydance, participants learn a common vocabulary of movement, and through subtle cueing and a lot of practice to develop non-verbal communication, dancers can create a largely extemporaneous performance that appears choreographed to the audience.

Vocabularies vary from tribe to tribe, much like a regional language or slang, and may include individual moves or short combos.

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