Tribal / American Tribal Style of Belly Dance

A style developed by the great matriarch of the dance Jamila Salimpour “, was called “California Tribal”; laterto be called just”Tribal” was manifested through her dance troupe, Bal-Anat. Jamila is often called the mother of bellydance in America (just as Diete Linda is often called the mother of belly dance in Germany). While this form of the dance included elements of Middle Eastern and North African dance styles from Byzantium, the Renaissance, and Victorian era, it was leavened with a good deal of old-fashioned show biz theatrics. Introduced in the 1970s at California-style renaissance pleasure fairs, women who experienced Tribal belly dance became transfixed! It quickly defined itself as a wildly popular American style. American Tribal Belly Dance performances might include the balancing of swords and other props, snake dances, and folk line-dances. Costuming is distinctive with black and silver asuit, and facial drawings to simulate tribal tatoos.The tribal musical instruments used here include a variety of hand drums, zornas, miz mar, and saz. Many similar troupes started to spring up across the country. A later offshoot of the California Tribal troupe, was spearheaded by Carolena Nericcio. She fasioned a style built on a group impovosational technique that is known as “American Tribal Style”. It has a distinctive and colorful, costumed character of its own by use of choli tops from India, tightly wrapped turbans, Afghan jewelry and camel tassels.

(Article Courtesy of: www.learn-to-belly-dance.com)