Tribal Fusion Dance: The Rock and Roll of Oriental Dans

Tribal Fusion is defined as 1. n. a fusing of many cultures into one synchronistic compilation and 2. v. the act of dancing together drawing from many techniques to create one tribe, a visual whirlwind of shape, color, beauty and harmony. It is an avant garde kind of Oriental Dans, pushing the boundaries and fusing techniques from different cultures and dance to create an entirely new form of exciting dance. It is so eclectic in its style and sources that it can be difficult to describe.

It is strongly based in Oriental Dans traditions and costumes, but also borrows elements from Spanish dance and other forms. It is a uniquely American dance and is quickly becoming the most popular form of Oriental Dans for new American dancers. It concentrates on showmanship and fantasy with a modern twist on an age-old dance.

Officially, it is called American Tribal Style and was created by Carolena Nericcio, the founder of the dance troupe known as Fat Chance Bellydance. Ms. Nericcio remains its premiere teacher. The most famous of her students is currently Rachel Brice. Ms. Brice is the face of Tribal Fusion and a regular on the Belly Dance Superstars Tour.

Each Tribal Dance troupe brings together the elements of costume and dance from multiple cultures that speaks to them and creates a vision of what could be, not necessarily what is. This makes for a wild collage and a great difference in style from one troupe to the next, though some elements do seem to remain constant.

The music that is danced to is also a collage of genres and cultures. It could be a simple drum line, an Arabic flavored composition, something similar to classical, or even Brian Eno-ish ambient music. As long as it has a beat, defined or not, Tribal Fusion- or ATS- can be performed to it.

Tribal dance is performed by the dancers in the troupe as a group or for each other more so than for an audience. This makes it very fun to participate in on all levels. When there is an audience (as there frequently is, since its fans are growing), they are encouraged to be loud and involved. There is almost always a moment where the troupe that happens to be performing will go out in the audience and encourage any and all to also dance with them.

Since Ms. Nericcio has the name American Tribal Style copyrighted, only certified teachers can use the designation (or that of ATS) on any official documentation. This has created a milieu of terms associated with the dance, including the best well known nomenclature Tribal Fusion. If you plan on taking classes in the dance it is probably advisable to take them from a certified ATS teacher, at least at first.

Tribal Fusion is obviously a result of multiculturalism and particularly the melting together of cultures versus various cultures coexisting as separate entities. It celebrates joy, individual and group creativity, and an embracing of all. It can be compared, in a tongue-in-cheek way, to the Rock-n-Roll of Oriental Dans.