Belly Dance by Vicki

What is tribal style belly dance?

Tribal belly dance is performed by people who prefer a less Hollywood look and style.  It is flavored with folkloric and traditional belly dance, and is a fairly recent modernization in the dance.  It has roots in the Western United States and has spread to the East coast.  During this expansion, it has evolved along the way. There are many types of tribal, from American Tribal Style (ATS) to a Goth Type fusion. An outstanding and extensive outline of tribal and its history is available here.

US based Tribal Style belly dance uses "structured improvisation" – where one person serves as the leader with the other group members in a formation that allows them to see her.  The leader selects from a series of moves known to the group and proceeds to cue the other members as to what she has selected to perform.   Cues consist of subtle hand movements, arm or body positions or even a noise to signal the next choice. Choreography is usually limited except for special occasions or specific points chosen in a song.  The beauty of Group Tribal is in the harmonization of the dancers and the graceful and commanding movement vocabulary.