Tribal dance - a rose by any other name...

BY Ishtar

First published spring 08 in Mosaic.

Recently, there seems to be some heated discussion around the fusion of belly dance with other forms.  I have been mixing belly dance with other dance moves/concepts for about ten years. My core language of movements is belly dance. I add moves from other dance styles I have learnt including,-Indian dance, contemporary, African, Flamenco. Or concepts that inspire movement or chorographical stories. My interest in art can make me design dance pieces inspired by a painting, in particular the Pre-Raphaelites and the Orientalists.  Dance inspiration can come from reading about mythology, goddesses spirituality, music, rock, gothic, classical and r'n'b. Films, books, cultural and travel experiences. The majority of my performances are however belly dance cabaret. This is because when people book me this is what they want 99% of the time. 

Some people like to be 'traditional' within belly dance. Some times traditional can be decoded as none sexual.  This is reflected in a desire to maintain a 'respectable' middle class value system. When we talk of 'traditional' we must make sure we have a deep and penetrating understanding of that particular tradition. Whose tradition?  Dance is a reflection of life. Does dressing as a Middle Eastern village woman and dancing her dance reflect your life?

Some people don't like fusion, seeing it as a dilution of the form called  'belly dance'. I think if they researched the history of belly dance they would see that is has always been a fusion of sorts. Some suggest that the cultures concerned will feel offended. Today's world is a melting pot. The expanded means of international communication and mix of cultures living in Britain, means we are all influenced by the ethnic communities that live here. This is why fusion dance is actually a true reflection of modern Western life. If we present our fusions in a genuine manner, not with a snobbish tone of imagined 'purity' we can have fun with our interpretation of world dance.

The following is a response to an article on the online American magazine 'Gilded Serpent'.

"To have aspects of your culture imitated is a complement, even if that imitation isn't perfect and is mixed with the taker's own culture. What its saying is: I love what you're doing and want to take a little of it with me into my own world. What's so wrong with that for that matter, belly dancing or raqs sharqi doesn't "belong" to America. No matter what you do, an American dancer can't possibly do as exact a cultural fit as the people from the Middle East can. Isn't it lucky they're more generous with their culture?
If there were no fusion - no dance would ever grow."

Mala Bhargava
New Delhi, India

I remember when there was no 'tribal dance', but then those who found the showy, flashy world of cabaret not for them, seemed interested in folk and beledi. The costume and attire of the cabaret dancer was/is not seen as 'true' belly dance. An American invents a whole new style, 'Tribal', still using middle eastern dance vocab, perhaps with some Indian and contemporary moves and this seems to be well received by those not attracted to the lower caste tacky 'cabaret dancer.' Dancing for money not 'art'. Prior to her tribal revolution, pin-up girl for tribal dance, the lovely Rachael Brice, was a cabaret dancer for ten years. Like Tribal, Cabaret is an eclectic mix of dance styles. Put together to look entertaining to observers.

I love glitz and show biz. I am the third generation of dancer in my Dad's family. My Nana, 'Little Supple', invented new techniques including dancing on a glass stage that she jumped on and off - shocking at the time! My Granddad (who died before I was born) looked/danced like the amazing Fred Astare. My Nana (who was part Middle Eastern) did some international style dances. It was only when I started dancing in my mid twenties (way after she died) that I realized how cool my grandparents were.

OK, so that's my tribe. Here are some questions that spring to mind for me regarding tribal dance. What fascinates me about tribal dance is that while it may seem creative and its invention certainly is very creative, those who adhere to its principles seem very... Tribal. In the definite rules, norms and conventions which seem to manifest into a narrow range of choice of attire and movements. I like the way tribal dancers move, it looks exotic and ethnic and is physically challenging. However, when I get a chance to be creative I have a strong desire to transmit the creative and cultural influences that I have personally been exposed to, as well as the elements that construct my individual physical, mental and spiritual form. To me tribal consciousness inhibits individual expression. How can one do moves that truly resonate with one's individual physique and personality within a limited range of costume/vocabulary? I believe dance has always been a way to forge community bonds and connect with all the other elements of the cosmos; it's good that tribal dance philosophy recognizes this. However, it's strange that some people have tendencies to place things in a hierarchical order of coolness or acceptability. I have heard people look down on cabaret dance, but do these people have what it takes to be that type of dancer? I am very eclectic in all my artistic and intellectual interests, dance in particular. I love to see expression of uniqueness and authenticity. Great technique in any genre creates a framework for the individual to express their personality and individual style. Technique is the pronunciation, tone and vocabulary, that is required to write great prose. Technique without passion and poetry is empty and boring.

Observing the comments about many belly dance videos on You Tube one finds a lot of people exclaiming 'That's not belly dance!' said about a lot of avent garde creative or fantasy performances.  I have even seen this said about dancers who are middle eastern but are doing moves (usually sexy floor work ) that some people strangely find upsetting. Other fave insults are,

 'Is that a man?' (usually she is gorgeous, wearing lots of make-up)

'She's fat' (said about those who are a size 12)

 'That's porn'/'They are stripper moves' etc (the dancer is sexy).

...And various other depressing and nasty putdowns.

All belly dance know-all's, listen up! Belly dance has never been a form that has a strict and definitive range of movements, rather it is an archetypal range of erotic, YES EROTIC, movements of the hips and torso that describe the saced geometry of life, the movement of stars, DNA and even the shapes created in the mysterious world of sub-atomic physics.  As well, moves are symbolic of the sexual act and the drama of birth. The movements are seen in the behavior of animals and the natural world generally. How silly to think anyone could know the score on this! The universal movements are subjectively sublime.

Scientists are beginning to realize that even the 'objective' world of the five senses science, turns out to be subjective. We all observe things through the lens of our own experience and prejudice (I am also a psychology teacher and have seen lots of experiments that confirm this). I know what belly dance means to me, I realise it may mean something different to you.  As I am not a mind fascist, I am not upset if your definition contradicts mine. Really good performers are shining stars that reveal their light through technique. How can anyone claim to know all there is and quantify and qualify something as nebulous as belly dance? I have been belly dancing for 15 years and I am still learning. My special interest is the religious and spiritual origins of the dance, which is fascinating.

Belly dance is an archetypal dance form in fact one of the most pure out of all the forms. I believe it is in everyone to belly dance. Let me explain. Many scientists believe in the hologram theory of life, from this perspective we can tap into all aspects of reality from our individual selves. Jung described this as the Collective Unconscious.  Belly dance has always been incorruptible in its basic set of moves. These are its archetypal expressions that are shared universally. Cultures will put their own gestures, expressions and accents over the top, but the fundamental dance language is universal, natural and is the birthright of women from all cultures. Belly dance is the archetypal fertility dance, the dance of life and death and the process of procreation. What do I mean by archetypal? Archetypes are hard to define but easy to understand. They are the language of symbol and metaphor that connects the whole of human consciousness.  The archetypal world is called the collective unconscious and is assessable to all humans. The collective unconscious explains why mythical beings and legends are so similar in cultures that are racially and geographically distanced from each other. It is because they tap into the same metaphysical reality, this is why we perceive archetypes in similar ways. These can range from the sinner to the saint, God and the Devil. sun and moon. 'Belly dancer'- itself is a powerful archetype.  The Collective Unconscious is a concept that suggests that there are ideas that exist outside the individual mind. This explains the similarity of Arabic and Polynesian dance, even though they are not connected culturally or geographically. Furthermore, Neolithic cave art and findings seem to indicate a form of belly dance was practiced in ancient Europe.

The two-piece cabaret costume 'bedlah' adored by some, looked down on as western unauthentic trash by others, is in fact similar in design to paintings of ancient Indian temple dancers (who are the spiritual descendants of modern belly dancing). It is traditional in the sense that this is how most of the world perceives public Middle Eastern dance. Costume is, in part, a response to what materials are available and what inspires us in contemporary culture.

There is a lot of moralising about costumes, etc. Morals are fine but please don't force yours onto me! Sexual morality is imposed on people by the mainstream attitudes of monotheistic religions. Women moralising about other women is often an expression of jealousy. Since the 20's we have seen risqué fashions in particular with dancers.  One of these was the amazing, dynamic, gorgeous black dancer Josephine Baker. Josephine danced topless. Our culture is desensitized to women showing flesh. Tabloids feature topless women and in clubs and pop videos skimpy and fetish wear is the norm. Strangely belly dancers who wear even slightly revealing costumes get called strippers, etc. The legendary Dina of Egypt has not let that bother her and shows her voluptuous body off to the max even wearing short skirts. The same people who like Dina may scorn and police those in this country who wear similar costumes.

Belly dance has not a definite strict vocab or a moral code. Many belly dancers in the past where also on the game (some still are - not me despite the rumours!) Some people say certain individuals give 'belly dance a bad name'. That does not make sense and is just one more way for those with nothing better to do than to police belly dance. This does not seem to happen in other arts to the same extent.  Sexual morality is a very subjective area. A lot of ideas that may seem to do with feminism or religious conformity actually spring from a primal jealousy. Being a feminist means doing your own thing and allowing the freedom of other women to be who they want to be. I would never want to be the type of women who condemns another because she is different from me. As a dance artist I want to spend my time in enjoyment not criticism

I try never to say nasty things about other dancers in particular those who have made a career out of dance. I think they are making the world a more beautiful and poetic place. Personally, I get angry at George Bush and similar, paedophiles, rapists, etc.

Creative belly dance is what I think I do. When we are not brought up in the Middle East we do not have the cultural input to fully understand the none verbal meaning of gestures, etc. Those of us who are western dancers will always have a western accent, which is fine. All of us are fantasy belly dancers to a certain extent. Those of us who are naturally creative and artistic will always feel compelled to express this.

The Orientalists described dancers and Arab women to conform to a fantasy and myth that white Western society held about Arab women. What we see projected by the media and arts is a fusion of the reality of Arab culture combined with the mystique and/or prejudice held in the minds of the artists. The process of film and photography also has the potential to present the image of the dancer within a preconceived cultural context. How we see the presentation of oriental dance in both Middle Eastern and Western films reflects the ideologies, fantasies and prejudices of those who capture the dancer on film.

Ruth St Denis, Isadora Duncan and similar dancers used eastern art and decoded and interpreted it through the lens of western women. What they did was ultimately a creative fantasy, which is actually a very artistic and interesting thing to do. Ruth St Denis danced till she was old and enjoyed dancing the myths of Goddess including Ishtar and Isis using amazing props, costumes and many chorus dancers.

As I get older I am hoping I will be more of a digital belly dancer. Revealing costumes just don't look the same on older women so I will have to opt for more suitable attire when I feel I need to. However I won't start saying horrible things about younger dancers; I will enjoy them because I know the flower of youth does not last forever.

Belly dance will reflect and absorb the cultures and individuals that practice it. It is the original primal sacred dance that represents the manifestation of the none-manifest. I can see a future world where one can use a digital body to dance, where it is possible to combine art, worship and altered consciousness contained within the one cyberspace experience.

All dancers! You can dance your own dance, you are free to totally express your self; the tribe may not like it if you go against its rules and codes, but you will be free and that is really what dance is about. Belly dance is a divergent form, it is mutable, adaptable bendy, it comes from beyond the rulebook from a place of no language and connectivity. Many people need a holy scripture of 'how it's done'. Innovation makes us insecure about the nature of what is real. The program requests conformity. 

The universe made me a belly dancer by sustaining me in all ways and guiding me to be strong through dance. I keep steady through movement. Dance has always been a form of poetical emancipation of the slave or underclass. Dance is another space where we can be free to enter another more pure reality. The internalized voice of those who seek to police our behaviour (they are there in all walks of life), can stop us connecting. I would encourage any one to make up their own fusions. Dance is a metaphor for the universal processes. We are all on a journey, which we choreograph ourselves.