American Vintage Oriental Belly Dance

In the 1960s and 1970s, Middle Eastern night clubs were opened by immigrants across the U.S. in places such as New York City, Detroit, and San Francisco. Middle Eastern dancers were brought in to perform in these clubs, bringing the “Oriental” styles of belly dance to American audiences.

Belly dance originates from three main branches—Egyptian, Turkish, and Lebanese/Syrian. Each of these styles comes from the folkloric, social dances of the people of various regions in the Middle and Near East, Mediterranean areas, and North Africa. In the night clubs of Cairo in the 1920s, ballet was incorporated into the traditional, cultural dances to polish them up for the stage. Along with glitzy, glamorous costuming invented by Hollywood, a professional, Oriental version of belly dance was born.

American women interested in learning belly dance picked up what they could from the dancers coming through the Middle Eastern night clubs. While the three main branches of the dance share the same, basic movement vocabulary, Americans could not distinguish between the nuances of music, style, and presentation. They blended what they learned together into a distinctly American version of belly dance. A 5-part format developed, with sections of the performance to include an entrance, a slow segment, a drum solo, floor work, and a finale. The prolific use of props such as zills, veils, and swords became distinctive features of the American style, and there was a strong flavor of Greek and Turkish influence. 

 Elena Lentini

Today this style is known sometimes as American Cabaret. This label is problematic, as it leaves out the fact that this dance, though an American “fusion” form, is composed of authentic Middle Eastern dance. Perhaps a more accurate term is American Vintage Oriental, which reflects the Middle Eastern roots while at the same time acknowledging the contribution of American dancers at a particular point in history.

In the U.S., American Vintage Oriental belly dance has evolved into two main “camps,” typically referred to as Tribal and Cabaret. The Cabaret version reflects the glamorous night club style, with its heavily beaded and sequined “bra and bedlah” costuming, usually worn with a skirt. It also retains the airier ballet influence with much dancing done on the balls of the feet, and is most often performed as a solo dance, although group choreographies are sometimes used.

The Tribal style descends from Jamila Salimpour’s troupe, Bal Anaat, in the San Francisco Bay area. Salimpour brought her version of the dance out of the night clubs, to be showcased instead at outdoor Renaissance fairs. She used folkloric style costuming and an earthier interpretation of the blended Middle Eastern dance forms. Individuals performed within the context of a large group of background dancers and musicians. 

 Aida with Bal Anaat

These categories are very general and are meant only to provide a broad framework for understanding the evolution of American belly dance, and in fact many dancers today use a combination of both Tribal and Cabaret stylistic elements and costuming. The dance has continued to develop in various ways in the United States, including the study of specific forms as performed in Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon and other countries of the overall region, returning the dance to its original, distinctive cultural roots, in more “pure” variations. A movement in the polar opposite direction champions personal interpretation and an “anything goes” fusion mentality over the preservation of traditional representations of the dance.

While Vintage Oriental is still performed, it has become something of a dying art. Perhaps it is this forgetting of the Middle Eastern roots of the dance, and the specific blended form that developed in the 1960s and 1970s, that has contributed to the disintegration in some sectors of authentic forms of belly dance in the U.S. Yes, belly dance is a living, evolving art form that welcomes personal innovation, but its cultural roots are inherent to any true understanding and representation of this beautiful, feminine expression.

Belly Dance Evolution Confusion

I want to continue the discussion of belly dance fusion confusion begun in my previous post. Inevitably, the reasoning in many an article and comment I have read is that belly dance is a living, evolving art form, so questions of authentic representation are moot. I agree that certainly over the thousands of years that belly dance has existed there have been gradual changes, modifications, and creative expressions that have evolved over time. We don't have youtube videos from ancient Egypt, only paintings on the walls of temples and tombs. So we can only guess, right? So whatever one wants to do with the dance is okay, yes? No.

Now, I am not a "purist". That is, I don't think you need to travel to Egypt and live with the Saidi people to learn to belly dance, using only Saidi music and wearing the traditional dress. Some Saidi styling can be incorporated while wearing a bra and bedlah and dancing to modern Egyptian music. But think how odd it would be, if you know anything about Saidi, to do that folkloric dance to industrial, gothic music while wearing a corset and ruffled skirt. Costuming is not really my biggest area of concern, but you get the picture. In case you don't...

There is nothing necessarily wrong with this look, but it would be an insult to the Saidi to do a traditional cane dance to moody, gothic music wearing something like this. As I said before, the music and the dance are married, and the costuming should reflect the general dance style. As Bahaia said at Island of Isis a few years ago, if you do not like Egyptian music (or Turkish, Lebanese, etc...), you need to ask yourself why, and that maybe this isn't the dance for you. She mentioned that there is a lot of fusion music available using Middle Eastern rhythms and instruments that would perhaps work if one does not prefer the traditional, classic styles. There is also Middle Eastern pop music. Bahaia added that she feels there is too much division between the two camps of "cabaret" and "tribal" belly dance, especially since both have their roots in the Golden Era of Egypt from the 1930s to the 1970s.

That brings me to my next topic, in regard to these two camps. Jamila Salimpour's troupe, Bal Anat, performed at Renaissance fairs in the 1960s, making popular a folkloric inspired look in opposition to the sparkly beads and sequins that were popular in the night clubs at that time. She developed a chorus line format in which individual dancers or small groups would take turns coming out from the group to showcase their individuality. Dancing with snakes was common. Some dancers prefer the covered up, earthy look of Tribal, which originated with Bal Anat. And some think cabaret dance is too flirtatious, and it's just not their style. I would argue that you can dress modestly doing any form of belly dance, and that you can embody the music in a way that reflects your personality, whether you are shy, bubbly, outgoing, funny, loving, ethereal, intense, or fierce. Besides, don't we women have many, many moods? That's what makes us so glorious!

Bal Anat

Jamila was married to a Persian man, and they owned a Middle Eastern night club, where she was self-taught by observing the dancers from various countries who came through. As I explained before, Americans approximated the movements as well as they could. Jamila is a well-respected innovator in the belly dance community. Carolena Nericcio, founder of ATS (American Tribal Style) and Fat Chance Belly Dance, learned from a former student of Jamila. Carolena's format is based upon Bal Anat's chorus line idea, but her technique is her own creation, and the element of improvisational leading and following was added. Carolena is regarded highly in the Tribal world.

Because ATS has the look and feel of a folkloric dance, it is thought by some to be a more authentic representation of what belly dance might have been like in ancient times. Tribal belly dance is often explained as a modern Gypsy styling, taking what one encounters along the way and "fusing" it together. This is not actually the case. It is an amalgamation of dance inspired by the folkloric forms of various tribes of the Near and Middle East, North Africa, India, and Spanish flamenco. If you have ever seen true Gypsy dance, such as Turkish Rom, which is always done to a 9/8 rhythm, you will recognize nothing similar to ATS, except for dancing in a circle. That being said, the Gypsy spirit certainly lives on in the Tribal belly dance world.

The authenticity issue is not one of tribal vs. cabaret. I have never even heard an Egyptian style dancer refer to what she does as "cabaret." This is a generic term used in America and other countries to refer to belly dance that is not folkloric or tribal. The Egyptian term for what is referred to as cabaret is actually Raqs Sharqi. Raqs Sharqi evolved from the Baladi (meaning "of the country"), the social dance of rural Egypt, which was brought to the urban areas during the Industrial Revolution. In the 1920s the Baladi was polished up for professional night club performances, and Raqs Sharqi was born. The Baladi is the mother of modern Egyptian belly dance. 

ATS/Tribal may be understood as a sub-genre of American belly dance, considering its roots in Bal Anat (which was dubbed in its heyday as "California Tribal"); or it can be considered its own thing, a separate style of belly dance created by Carolena Nericcio. There is nothing wrong with Tribal as long as it is presented as an American representation inspired by the ethnic dances of a wide range of peoples, incorporating various movements and aesthetic elements, rather than as a pure form of Middle Eastern dance.

A more recent development is a partial return to cabaret styling by tribal dancers who want the "best of both worlds" and incorporate elements, in costuming and movement, of the two styles. The effect is similar to the blending of various Middle Eastern styles into American belly dance in the 1970s, with a Tribal flair. Therefore, Tribaret is considered by some to be the "new classic" in American belly dance. The best example of Tribaret I know is Carrie Konyha, who also incorporates Gypsy styling into some of her dances.

Zoe Jakes

The problem of the degeneration of belly dance occurs with the proliferation of "fusion" which is not true fusion, whether it is classified as tribal, cabaret, or other. There is in many cases no blending together of two or more different styles that a dancer has mastered through years of study and incorporated into a cohesive whole. Tribal Fusion has become a catch-all umbrella for anything that contains some element of belly dance, no matter how small, but is not easily classified. And this validation of anything goes is defended in the name of evolution. Let's take a look at the animal world for an analogy here. The elephant of today evolved from the prehistoric wooly mammoth. We can see that while the mammoth's tusks are larger and he has more hair, he is still clearly recognizable as the ancestor of our elephant. The same cannot be said for the difference in the dances of Naima Akef and Zoe Jakes, for example. Birds may be descended from dinosaurs, but a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a robin have very little in common!

wooly mammoth

In conclusion, as Bahaia said, know what you are doing so that you can do what you want. And I would add that if you are going to call your performance or your class belly dance, make sure you have a solid background in a traditional form and that in your creative expression you do not cross the line into a region that is no longer an authentic representation of the cultural dance. I always explain the origins of ATS when I teach in the improvisational Tribal style, which I consider a reasonably authentic form of American belly dance. If you love Tribal, learn it well! Within the realm of Egyptian dance alone, there are already several forms that can be learned and take years to master. There is ample room for your uniqueness to shine. In any case, know where your dance comes from, whether it is tribal, folkloric, gypsy, or cabaret! Make sure your dance has not evolved from a beautiful swan...to an ugly duckling.

Belly Dance Fusion Confusion

 Bozenka of Belly Dance Superstars

I am disturbed by the deterioration of the art of belly dance that I have been seeing for some time in this country. Yesterday I attended the Belly Flea Agora in Toledo, hosted by Aegela. My troupe performed our new number, and there were lots of great things at the bazaar to see and buy. It is always a fun event, and I love spending time with the larger belly dance community. Perhaps I was especially alert to the type of dancing going on this year due to having a new troupe member participating in her first performance with us. I was terribly afraid that what she saw would give her a really wrong impression of this dance form.

The problem wasn't bad belly dancing. I applaud any woman who has the guts to get up in front of an audience and do her best to represent the dance. My issue is with what I will call fusion confusion. It must first be understood that belly dance is the American name for the cultural dances of the peoples of the Middle East, Near East, and North Africa. Specifically, there are three main branches--Egyptian, Lebanese/Syrian, and Turkish. Other variations come from one of these three basic styles. And of course there are styles particular to the various tribes and regions within each, such as the Saidi and Ghawazee of Egypt.

Raqs Sharqi is the modern form of Egyptian belly dance that is often called "Cabaret". It developed in the 1920s in the nightclubs of Cairo, basically taking the folkloric, social dance of the people and polishing it up for the stage, incorporating some elements of ballet and jazz. Costuming was borrowed from American fantasy, a bra and bedlah (belt) of heavy beading and sequins, with a filmy chiffon skirt, and sometimes adding high heeled shoes. This was the first fusion of belly dance, but it did not stray in its use of classical Egyptian music and movement. It was merely glamorized for professional dancers and movies.

 Egyptian film dancer Taheya Carioka

When belly dance became popular in America, there weren't many teachers of authentic technique available. The "Oriental" dancers (belly dance is danse orientale in French), as they were called, showcased the various styles of their country and region of origin, and Americans could not differentiate between, say, Egyptian and Lebanese style. So American dancers approximated the movements as well as they could, learning from the variety of dancers coming through the clubs and mixing the styles together. This became the next genre, American Cabaret, also called Vintage Oriental or American Restaurant style belly dance. Eventually some American dancers figured out that they needed better training and traveled to Egypt and other countries where belly dance originates and learned specific styles of this art form. Today, especially with video technology and many classes and workshops being offered all over the country, there is little reason why anyone would not be able to find a good teacher and learn an authentic form of this cultural dance.

But therein lies the problem. It seems that many enthusiastic, well meaning teachers and dancers are not aware that what they have learned is not authentic. They don't seem to understand, or perhaps care about, the roots of this beautiful dance. In the name of creative license and self-expression, they have distorted the dance into a circus act of anything goes.

Some of the trouble seems to have started following the development of American Tribal Style (ATS) in the San Francisco Bay area. A highly creative dancer named Carolena Nericcio, whose teacher had been Masha Archer (a student of Jamila Salimpour, celebrated founder of the troupe Bal Anat), developed an improvisational, lead-and-follow format using a system of cues and transitions. ATS is based upon a combination of elements, with certain aesthetic modifications, of dances from the Middle East, North Africa, India, and Spain (primarily Flamenco), claiming to be heavy with Gypsy roots. I have previously discussed in "Belly Dance Conversion Story" why ATS is not considered by some seasoned dancers to be a true fusion.  The reason is basically that there must be a mastery of the individual components before combining them into a fusion, whereas with ATS the dance is learned with the various styles already combined.

Still, troupes such as Fat Chance Belly Dance and Gypsy Caravan (whose founder, Paulette Rees-Denis, designates as simply "Tribal" rather than ATS) use music with Middle Eastern rhythms, although in a simplified form so as to allow for the lead-and-follow (like a flock of geese) aspect. With ATS and related forms of Tribal, the roots and spirit of the cultural dances are recognizably preserved as a sub-genre of American belly dance. As with any form of dance, done well, it can be lovely, especially in its simple elegance. At any rate, the founder of ATS never claimed a purity of authenticity. Carolena created her own brand of belly dance.

 Carolena of Fat Chance Belly Dance

Of course, poor education is not limited to the Tribal camp of dancers, and I don't mean to imply that it is Carolena's fault that belly dance ended up spinning left of center. The unfortunate trail is that from ATS "Tribal Fusion" developed, and the variations have been endless, the result often being an almost complete breaking away from the roots, not only of belly dance, but even of the Tribal form! In these concoctions there is very little evidence of belly dance, Tribal or otherwise, except in the costuming, but even here the style of dress may contain nothing of a traditional nature. Tribal belly dance costuming typically attempts a folkloric/gypsy look, incorporating various pieces from different tribes of people. But the current trend in some circles of Tribal Fusion is that the totality of costuming, music, and articulation of movement used can no longer be considered belly dance at  all.

My admonition is simply this: Be as creative, theatrical, and interpretive in your expression as you would like. Just don't call it belly dance if it isn't belly dance!  For example, if you want to wear gothic costuming with metal spikes while dancing to Nine Inch Nails and moving like a vampire closing in for the kill, do not call this belly dance. It is misleading to anyone watching you, regardless of the fact that you do some hip circles and chest slides here and there. Same goes for hip hop and breakdancing influences, or Burlesque inspiration in which the dancer seems to be asking for a spanking! This is all insulting and disrespectful to the peoples to whom belly dancing traditionally belongs. Perhaps a safer label for much of what is presented in such ways is "interpretive dance."

 Gothic Dancer Tempest

Yesterday at the Flea Agora there was blue grass type music, Johnny Cash's "Walk the Line", and that "Hey kids, rock and roll..." song. The music and the dance are married, ladies! Think of it another way: you don't disco dance to Polka music, do you? Before one can fuse anything, one must have mastery of the forms being fused. True freedom comes not by bastardizing this dance, but by innovation within the traditional form (and I do feel that classic ATS or Tribal, as developed by the likes of Carolena and Paulette, can in its own way be included as an authentic variation). There is a circle within which to express oneself artistically. Learn an authentic form, and learn it well. Then you will have earned the right to change it up in your own, signature style. As a side note, American Vintage Oriental style seems to be making a come back, after it had been feared to be a dying art. A blend of traditional forms, it is an important part of belly dance history well worth preserving.

Thank heavens Aegela herself performed toward the end of the show. I could barely contain my happiness at seeing this master of Egyptian dance do her thing. "That's how it is done!" I said to my new student performer. "That is real belly dance."  My student loved the Tribal costuming, and the articulation of movement particular to Tribal, and that is fine. I just want, for her and for all aspiring belly dancers, to really get to the heart and soul of this treasure of the Near and Middle East and North Africa, and to keep in mind that the Gypsies, more appropriately called Romany, had thousands of years to create their fusion. They are true masters. In an era of instant gratification, one must practice humility and restraint. Belly dance takes years to learn. Take the time if you want to be a dancer rather than a poor imitation. Let's stop sending in the clowns.

 Gypsy from the 1900s