Going to the Roots of Tribal Bellydance
Guest Author Maureen Pemberton
The Tartit Ensemble (Tuareg Music/culture) - a review
1. This was a wonderful concert performed by Tuareg refugees from the country of Mali (south of Algeria, north of Nigeria and other West/Central African countries). The Tuareg, or The Blue people of the Sahara,( ethnic Berbers) have their roots in East Africa, as do all the Berber peoples of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria etc). Thus they share many linguistic and cultural aspects with parts of East africa. Berbers are a distinct group from North african Arabs.
The Tuareg like many people who live an "ancient traditional " life, are now under threat, merging into an industrialised, often impoverished, hard world, where money is king. They thus become estranged from the environment, nature and, of course, their cultures and philosophies, in an effort to exist.
2. The Tartit Ensemble are a musician/dance group, now feted on the World Music scene. The group met up in a refugee camp in Mauretania (north west), so the story goes (The Metro, 11 March 2005), after fleeing harassment by the Malian police. Tuaregs are increasingly, marginalised in the Saharan countries as the pressure to industrialise and find monied work increases. It is no different in parts of Mali, where many Tuaregs live. After relocating to Paris, they finally formed a group and were immediately hailed as artists by the world Music community. They now have record deals.
3. The concert itself had very haunting and beautiful African rhythms, as opposed to "oriental" sounds, with heavy, strong dance moves, similar to the shuffling, walking folk or shaabi steps, as demonstrated by teachers such as Tina Hobin and Liza Wedgewood.
There were gentle undulations/camels, fine, expressive hand movements. The dancers were totally immersed in the music with half-closed eyes. They sometimes danced, seated, cross-legged on the floor. It was very sensuous and deep, dancing within, rather than "without". It almost reminded me almost of the African-American blues music; it was very soulful, focused on the moment and again the instrument sounds had that "blues" feeling, which is hard to put down in writing.
The women did most of the announcements in this concert, in clear French. I am very proud to say, I understood most of it!
4. The women are quite powerful in this particular society. It is matrilineal, hence everything (property, name, etc.) is passed through the mother, not the father - echoes of an earlier way of life, where humanity saw women as the source of life. It is the Tuareg men who wear the veils (against the desert sandstorms), but the women are "bare-faced"- no veils.
The Tuareg women wear African styles braids, with shells and they have long blue robes, parts of which form a head covering. The blue colour offset their gorgeous smooth cinnamon skins. The women dedicated a haunting song to all of the women in the world, in honour of International Women's Day. They may have come from the desert, but this group knew their politics and the world very well.
5. I could see that this is where some of the roots of Flamenco music come from: some of the rhythms, the fast, syncopated clapping, the irregular beats - it seemed so familar that I knew it wasn't a coincidence. The Tuaregs, after all, formed part of the ancestry of the Moors who came to/invaded Spain in the 8th century onwards. Here too, you can see the inspiration for ATS - the circle, the community feeling, the earthiness, the spirituality, the intensity, the moves.. .
The dance between the men and the women (as both sexes danced either in turn, or together) was very natural, often erotic and sensuous, a genuine interplay of communication and acknowledgement of each other.
6. The male and female dancer faced each other, seated and danced, with upper body moves (undulations, rib circles/moves) and with expressive head moves, turning this way and that, closed eyes, and delicate hand motions. The men were equally sensitive with these moves, yet masculine. One of the male dancers, a tall, striking man in blue, had the most elegant hands I had ever seen, on a man (long and graceful). He was also very athletic and flexible, displaying many movements, not out of place among the Gnawas of Morocco (leaping and floor walking). Back to the seated dance, the man, facing the woman, always seemed to defer to her. While he was playful, he was serious, too; he didn't push his luck too far - always moving in time with her, not dictating. The seated woman was dignified, statuesque and masterfully and quietly controlled. There seemed to be a quality of inner stillness, which was very attractive to the audience.
This is the culture where courtly love has it roots, spread by the Moors. It is a reminder of goddess worship and a deep respect for women within the community. The Tuareg retain many of these ancient values, but they and these values are fast dissappearing
7. The concert ended in thunderous applause. No one had been sure what to expect, except the North africans in the audience. One dancer said that wherever one went in the world we were all truly one, we are all the same, why do we fight and hate one another, words to that effect. Seeing them in the foyer where they were selling a beautiful array of traditional jewelery, artefacts, records, etc., (for this is how they live - some of the women also worked in a women's co-operative), I sensed a feeling of quiet sadness.
What had they gone through to be here?
This concert was so humane, beautiful and touching, as well as from the soul, I recommend that you catch them, when they come around again. This was a priceless experience!
Maureen is an accomplished dancer and teacher, she has had a variety of dance articles published. She teaches in the west Midlands. For classes and performances, please contact her on: oris.pemberton@btinternet.com
For more about Maureen please look in the Circle of Ishtar.