By Devi Mamak
TRIBAL HAPPENINGS.
Well it never stops does it - and do we really want it to? In this
issue of Tribal Corner I talk to Heather Stants and Sara Plaisted of
Urban Tribal Dance Company based in San Diego. They came out for the
recent 2nd Australian Tribal and Trance Festival. We have also had a
visit from Carolena Nericcio and will tell you all the gossip of
what actually went on at the festival.
I had a relatively quiet couple of months before the two big
weekends which was great. I needed to rest up before it all started!
July saw me in Newcastle for Festival Mystique hosted by Anne
Dunston. The weekend offered many varied workshops and performances
from Tribal to Oriental, Burlesque and even Samba. I really enjoyed
the diversity and I loved the band Samba Frog. I am particularly
fond of Samba as my son Kalon plays with a Samba group and what is
special about the Samba groups from the Blue Mountains, Sydney and
Newcastle is that they have a real sense of community with all the
groups often performing together. Not unlike our tribal soirees
really and man do they have a BIG HAPPY sound or what!
That same weekend myself and the rest of Ghawazi Caravan
participated in Jrisi's latest Hafla on the side. These are always
sell out events with some of the best in bellydance and beyond
performing and we always enjoy being part of this event. Jrisi and I
got to perform our latest duet which was so much fun - height
difference aside!
At the end of August Carolena was here to conduct the General Skills
certificate. This was once again a huge success with people
attending from all over Australia, N.Z. and New Caledonia. This was
the third time I attended the General Skills and I have to say I am
still getting something out of it. Carolena's knowledge of how the
body works is amazing and very interesting. As far as the actual ATS
steps are concerned, who better to get it from than the creator
herself? Next year we plan to have her out here for Teacher Training
so watch this space for more details.
A week later there was the much anticipated 2nd Australian Tribal
and Trance Festival. When I gave up the reigns of festival host to
Debra Napier I knew without a doubt that she would do a fabulous job
and I was right.
There was a wide variety of workshops and the Urban Tribal of San
Diego workshops I attended were great and I came home with something
from each. The market stalls were wonderful and the Red Carpet night
on Saturday was truly inspirational. Heather Stants and Sara
Plaisted of Urban Tribal of San Diego were magnificent but so were
many of the Aussie acts. I have to say that the standard of ATS,
Tribal and Tribal fusion dance has improved greatly in Australia in
the last few years.
The highlight for me was right at the very end of an exhausting
couple of days watching everyone from jam together to live music.
The look of pure joy and exhaustion written all over their faces.
Here is what Richelle from W.A had to say about the festival
TRIBAL TRIPPING
After many, many months of relentless fund-raising and intricate planning,
we are finally here at Tribal and Trance Fest 2008!!
Sixteen gorgeous gypsies from Free Spirit, Tribalive and
Spirit Sisters of WA embarked on another amazing journey.
What
an incredible line up of talented teachers once again, these
included the unforgettable, awe inspiring Heather Stants and
Sara from Urban Tribal of
San Diego, from
Underbelly, Devi from Ghawazi Caravan, Aradia,
Dee from Tribal blossoms, Fiona, the list goes on offering workshops
in fire, poi, sword, veil, tribal formations, flamenco,
zills, industrial just to
name a few. Every workshop I attended
was truly inspiring.
The
Tribal Trivia night on Friday was a blast. An
intimate gathering that gave us an opportunity to
catch up with our Tribal sisters from afar and learn a little more about
each other. A big pat on the back to
Dee and Tribal Blossoms for organising a fun and fabulous event.
The
Red carpet night or The Chakras’ was a stunning display of tribal
dancers at their best. Highlights for me were Melusina,
she is always amazing, Heather and Sara had me totally mesmerised with
their incredible style, so beautiful and breathtaking to watch, Aradia,
love the popping queen, Tribal Blossoms they
rock - and Evangeline and
Cush with their slow ATS improv,
it was seamless and stunning. Well done to everyone who performed.
A
highlight for me was performing at the bazaar with Spirit Sisters,
Amy and Julie our cute little neoburlesque dance
which went over a treat. I think we were running on
adrenaline but what a rush -then it was over to the Sydney Tribal
Alumni to dance joyously together as one, a real treat for the eyes
and ears.
Overall it was a well organised, awe inspiring weekend in which we
take away a few little pieces of magic, my brain and body are still
trying to process all the information. To Deb, Sue, Dee, Urban Qabila and
everyone who gave a helping hand in gratitude we appreciate your
organisational abilities.
So now that we have heard all about Carolena’s visit and Tribal and
Trance fest I did get a chance to sit down and have a chat with
Heather and Sara from Urban Tribal San Diego. Here is what they had
to say.
1] When did you both start dancing?
H:I
have danced all of my life but did not have a classical dance
background. Dance has always been a part of my life. I started
studying bellydance when I was 24 and living in Chicago.
S:I
started dancing at three years old in your basic pre-school
after-school setting, where I studied ballet, tap and jazz, along
with gymnastics. I didn't study consistently because I was always
trying new things; sports, cheer, theatre, etc. I think they all
contribute to co-ordination, performance and athleticism. In college
I also studied a bit of ballroom and salsa when I was in Mexico for
a summer.
2] What styles of dance have you both studied?
H: Bellydance
(various styles) hip hop, a little modern, bhangra, tango,
gymnastics, yoga, pilates
S: Along
with the styles just mentioned, I must say that my movement training
in theatre has been a great asset, along with cheer and dance, as
taboo as it sounds. They trained me to keep in sync and learn to
mimic, especially in improv when following a partner/leader.
3] What inspires you both?
H:Yoga,
photography, seeing dance and theatre shows, movies, pop culture.
S:Music
and art, film and theatre. Watching other dancers in any form.
Nature.
4]
How would you describe UTDC?
H: Contemporary
world fusion dance
S: Organic. Abstract. Layered.
Unexpected. After the show in Sydney a woman came up to Heather and
said she was made of chewing gum! That was a new one. Usually we get
"you have no bones" or "you're an alien."
5] How did UTDC start out?
H: I
moved to San Diego in September 1999. On November 3rd, I started
teaching a tribal bellydance class there. Within a month I had
developed a friendship with my student Mardi Love. Mardi was quite a
lovely dancer and already had a bit of a cabaret bellydance
background. We were sitting at my house after class and I said "Do
you want to start dancing together?" Mardi said "Ok." UTDC was born.
Then I asked a few girls in class who seemed enthusiastic and seemed
like they would mesh well together to join in. For the first couple
of months we just practiced. We did mostly ATS back then. My
experience was in ATS so we stuck to that at first.
6] How did UTDC evolve?
H: When I
named the company it was with the intention of evolving into
something different than ATS. I have always been influenced by club
culture. I spent a lot of time out in the clubs. It took us a year
to start to grow into our name. We were getting excited about all of
the Asian underground music that was becoming very popular. We were
invited to do some stage shows that we felt required choreography
rather than ATS improv so we started working on this. Mardi Love has
always been a talented choreographer and she set us in that
direction. We mixed her love of hip work with my interest in breaks
and without even realising it came up with something new. The first
time we went to tribal fest in Sebastopol, CA most of the troupes
were very into ATS. We presented what we were working on and people
seemed to really like it. It was exciting. We then thoroughly
developed our hip hop fusion stuff and did some things performing
with live djs. As time has passed I have chosen to take our style to
a more scaled down costume to better facilitate my love of floor
work and athletic moves. I have been very interested in taking our
stuff in a more theatrical and interpretive direction. We have been
into that for a few years now. Some of our dancers have theatre
backgrounds. Sina is now my main choreography partner and she
produces theatrical shows and also dances with Desert Sin. I have
also been working for a theatrical performance company called "The
Living Garden." These influences have helped to shape our interest
in more interactive staging. We are also very inspired by
contemporary dance and some of us take classes in modern styles.
This is where we are at now. A little bellydance, a little yoga, a
little theatricality, a little modern dance.
7]
Sara could you tell us how and when you started with UTDC?
I had been looking for a bellydance class when I was
up in LA but never quite found what I was looking for. In 2001, I
moved to San Diego and a friend of mine brought me to Heather's
class and BAM, I knew this was it. The music and the movement were
so different from what I had been seeing and it really excited me. I
would take classes in between plays that I was doing at the time,
along with studying Fat Chance videos at home. I became an Urban
Tribal Dance Company stalker and showed up wherever they were
performing, and would drag along anyone that would come with me. I
had the bug. In 2004 Heather held auditions and I was so excited and
honoured to be accepted. I think by the next year Heather asked me
to join her on the Spark tour along with Jill and Rose of Ultra
Gypsy.
8]
UTDC has been a major player in the changing shape of Tribal style
bellydance. Was it a plan to push the boundaries?
H: It
wasn't necessarily a plan. I think it just happened. I have always
had a strong vision. By following that and working with like minded
individuals it has happened. I never sat down and said how can we
push it. I just follow what feels right to me. I am grateful to have
found partners who have been cool with that and grateful that a lot
of the tribal community has embraced our creations.
S:
We're always trying to push ourselves beyond what we've just done so
that we continue to build and evolve. It keeps things fresh and
interesting.
9] There are so many off-shoots of Tribal bellydance
nowadays. Where do you see it going in the future?
H: I
think it will keep going in many directions. I see people getting
back to basics and really focusing on being bellydancers and I also
see people taking it more theatrical like the Indigo and Barbary
Coast Shakedown with the vaudeville style of show. I think that it
is quite open and that the things that show skill and are well
presented will have some shelf life. Strong dancing technique will
always be important.
10]
Could you tell us a little bit about the music UTDC likes to use?
H: I'm
into so many things. Right now I'm very into strings. Anything with
a violin makes me dance. It changes constantly though. I will always
be drawn to songs with a bit of a down tempo hip hop beat. I usually
use songs without lyrics. I feel it imposes too much on the
interpretation of the piece. It's so weird that we have one piece to
a song with lyrics right now. I'm not sure how I got so into that
song. That is rare.
S: Layers
and variations in the music are always fun to play with, no matter
what style it is. It keeps us and the audience on our toes.
11]
UTDC have become increasingly popular not just in the U.S.A but
around the globe. Can you tell us where you have travelled to?
H: I
have been to England, Germany, Australia, Mexico, and the Dominican
Republic. I have trips booked to Germany, Italy, Holland, Spain and
France in the next six months. The one place I have been trying to
go for a long time is Japan. I was supposed to go last June but the
plans fell through.
12] This is your first time in Australia. I trust you
have had a wonderful time. Any plans to come back here in the
future?
H: It
was great. I hope we can make it back. I'll have to harass the Urban
Qabilla ladies until they ask us back again.
S: We
had a GREAT time! Thanks for having us out here. We don't have any
plans or invitations to come back YET, but we would love to come
again!
Well that’s it for now. We can all have a nice little rest, although
we do have all those Christmas parties coming up. Please send me any
pics or bits of info you may have of your Tribal events. Look
forward to hearing from you all. Bye for now. Devi xx
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