American Tribal Style Belly Dance - Improvisational Choreography

Improvisational Choreography

American Tribal Style belly dance's movements are inspired by folkloric dances of the Middle East, North Africa, Spain and India. ATS is a method of improvisational choreography, using a vocabulary of movements and cues allowing the dancers to communicate while dancing. The knowledge of the dance vocabulary allows American Tribal Style dancers from different regions to collaborate even if they have not previously danced with each other. Though it is a modern dance, the feeling is ancient and connected, with its vibrant costuming, music, use of zils (finger cymbals), movements and interaction between the tribe of dancers.

American Tribal Style belly dancers always use finger cymbals or zils, but the focus is on the group as opposed to emphasizing solo performance. There are two families of movements: slow movements and fast movements.

• Zils are worn but not usually played while performing "slow movements." (However, for example, if the featured duet trio or quartet are dancing to a Moroccan 6 rhythm, members of the chorus may choose to accompany them through playing their zils.)
• During "fast movements" the zils are meant to be played. The most common rhythm played on the dancer's zils is the right-left-right pattern. Certain "fast" movements require the dancers and chorus to play the military zil pattern. Other, less frequently played patterns, include the Moroccan 6; some troupes experiment with 9/8 Turkish rhythm.

American Tribal Style features call-and-answer performance with other dancers or as a whole group as well as, more uncommonly, solos. Often there is a chorus that provides a moving back-drop while the featured duet, trio, or quartet is the focal point. Dancers take turns coming out of the chorus in duets, trios and quartets because if, for example, five dancers were to come out into formation, the sight-line (view of the leader) is not as effective. Groups of 5 or more are generally used towards specific formations to improve this site-line issue.

The principle dancers and the chorus work in an improvisational manner. Formations for the principle dancers and the chorus is also formalized in the ATS format to maximize dancer visibility to the audience and likewise maximize group visibility of the leader. The leader is always farthest to the left, followers to the right. Dancers angle their bodies to the left to be able to clearly read the leader's cues. The same rule applies for members of the chorus. When the dancers face each other in a circle, the lead is neutral. The next movement can be proposed by any dancer in the circle.

The cues and formations are the secret behind group improvisational dance. They allow the dancers to move together without choreography. Sometimes, troupes will create formal choreography while still using the ATS specific formations and cues.