A review by Leia Napoli
Tribal Fest 2011 By Katherine Fahrig
Tribal Fest 11- A Girl's View by Siobhan Ruby McConnell
Tribal Fest 11: A Sensory Extravaganza By Renée Rothman

A review by Leia Napoli

Tribal Beast. Tribal Feast. Tribal FEST! TRIBAL BEST! It was my fourth year at Tribal Fest this recent May. I immersed myself in the whole experience with 6 workshops and two volunteer shifts. I also had a performance slot scheduled for Sunday evening but for many reasons I gave it up, which turned out to be a good thing I suppose. When Sunday evening finally came around my happily exhausted self was content to watch others take their turn on this highly coveted stage.

Like many others who were prepared to jump right into the action Wednesday morning, I arrived Tuesday evening after a ten-hour drive. My windshield wipers had been on the whole time. I wondered with apprehension, "Will we have good weather?" In fact, we did. It was just right; not too hot and not too chilly. In years past Tribal Fest has been unbearably hot in the main event room, which may have AC by now, but did not that one sweltering Saturday afternoon a few years back. The 11th Tribal Fest definitely "Went to 11" (as opposed to only 10 like most volume dials. You'll have to watch "This Is Spinal Tap" if you need more of an explanation). The Sebastopol community welcomes Tribal Festers enthusiastically, which was more evident this year than ever before as Whole Foods and the Marriott both had advertised specials for participants. Maybe next year someone will sponsor a shuttle bus. We can hope! With it's 11th year under its belt, we can only imagine how Tribal Fest will look in another few years.

Tribal Fest 11 defied all my expectations, both positive and negative. Gone were the droves of Zoe Jakes imitators. In their places were the most unique dancers I have ever imagined. I found myself saying multiple times, "Now that is creative!" Some examples: contact partner yoga balancing, ladders and double-long red veils, leather cowgirl hats, bellydancing space invaders, military bellydancers to the pink panther theme song, traditional tribal style to 80's hair bands, full body skeleton suits, full body gold paint, fedoras, ballet, fruit-shaped guitars, lady gaga, blindfolds, and equally unexpected at Tribal Fest; straight up cabaret style! With over 170 performances there was plenty of variety. All of it was welcomed with applause. This is one audience that is difficult to get the cold shoulder from.

Everyone seemed thrilled to be there. Tribal Fest is a highly-anticipated event that not only features more tribal style than any other festival, but for vendors marks the beginning of the season's festivals across the country, as Gita, a designer from Hollywood, mentioned as he fumbled with a mannequin during Wednesday morning's set-up. It also draws performers from all over the world. A handful of performers were from Japan, some from Australia, some Canada, Europe, as well as South America and Mexico, not to mention all over the United States. Erica Peacock was there for her first time from Illinois while Serta was there from Costa Rica. One troupe, Ginger Blue, was split between Germany and Canada, though I couldn't tell by the way they performed together. A duet, Skin Deep Dance, even danced together for the first time at their Tribal Fest performance. It was wonderful to witness these people willing to take a chance and put their faith in the true essence of Tribal Style.

While there were many truly inspiring surprises at Tribal Fest 11, there are plenty of things that you will always see at Tribal Fest: Bellies and bodies of all shapes and sizes, dreadlocks of all colors and sizes, BLACK BLACK BLACK, very serious dramatically frowning dancers who seem to take themselves very seriously, huge friendly smiles on people having a great time, and of course the most eye-popping, mouth-watering bunch of vendors you will ever see in one place. This year hosted over 40 vendors.

Conveniently, it doesn't cost to shop. You can browse all you want; entrance fees are only charged for performances and workshops. The most expensive thing I saw was an antique silver wrist cuff "on sale" for $800. Other items, running the spectrum from piratey steam punk to traditional tribal (yet lacking the "sequins for miles you'll see at other festivals" as the description states) were priced more in my budget. From Tribal Bazar I got a fourth lace choli for my troupe in a color I hadn't seen before. At Super Natural Flowers I stocked up on tiny hair flowers that will stay in even the shortest of fine hair. I also got an off-the-shoulder choli with long net ruffles from Chovihani, a vendor from LA whom I visit every year for her distinctive edgy-yet-feminine designs. All said I spent just under $150 on new stuff. Wish I had spent more. Now I have to wait till next year!

Browsing may be free but who would go to Tribal Fest only to shop? Six workshops may sound excessive but keep in mind that there were 59 to choose from. My chosen few included Sherri Wheatley, Rachel Brice, Therese Wyatt, Suhaila Salimpour, Princess Farhana and Bend's own Kathy Stahlman of Tribal Moon. Sherri Wheatley had some Predatory Combos for us which included a new way of getting to floor for anyone tired of the old down-on-one-knee routine. Her way was more hip-hop/yoga style and while it didn't really suit me I admired her creativity. Rachel Brice's Smokey Combos included her signature "pinball" combo which inspired me to make up my own similar type of combo. I got the hang of some Dynamic Duet moves in Kathy Stahlman's workshop but other participants got even more. Robin, of Lotus Dance in Florida got goose bumps and tears in her eyes during the group finale when the whole room, mostly strangers, practiced new tribal moves together within small groups. "I felt so blessed. I could feel the unification between the women. There was this loving peaceful energy. It was the whole room."

A noticeable camaraderie was also present at Princess Farhana's workshop on Stage Make Up. We sat sandwiched together in front of mirrors, each of us with our boxes of powders, paints, glue, glitter, colors, applicators, etc, and shared opinions and techniques for a whole two hours. After becoming accustomed to the rushed 15 minutes I usually end up with at home, this was a vacation. Two hours to hang out with other dancers from all over and play with make up? Definitely worth the $35!
And it didn't leave me tired and sore like Suhaila's Jamila Format, which was also super friendly. She has a real knack for motivating dancers to be their best. Favorite quote from Suhaila, "You can tell a dancer by her zills. Always wear your Big Girl Zills." And in reference to basic dance posture, "You will be here for the rest of your life." Therese Wyatt of Black Sheep Bellydance had some treasures to pass on to us as well, most notable being the secret to dancing left-sided. While it sounds easy enough, everyone who dances the dominant right sided tribal knows that this is easier said than done. It was extremely valuable to have it explained and demonstrated and then have the chance to practice it. And I was honored that Black Sheep Bellydance would pass along their signature move to the masses.

The workshops take place Wednesday through Sunday and performances take place Friday evening through Sunday night. Programs are printed in black and white and are a full 8.5 x 11. Among other things they include ads, a schedule of workshops and performances, a map of vendors, and a Mohalo Page which voices the appreciation felt by organizers Karjira Djoumana and Chuck. Chuck, who also goes by Mr. Kajira, or Chuckles if you're Kajira, sported a blue gotee this year. Why blue? Apparently there was some sort of contest and the winner got to pick the new color of his gotee. But anyway, programs were priced at an easy $3 each they sold out by 4 pm on Saturday. Ever resourceful and helpful, Chuck and Kajira issued a list of remaining performance times but at least one audience member was heard to say, "Awe darn it, I wanted to get [a program] as a memento of my daughter's performance." With well over 200 performers it seems many friends and supporters were thinking the same thing.

My own program came home full of scribbled notes regarding music I have to check out when I get home (was I the last one to discover We No Speak Americano? I saw three troupes use this dance-hall song!) costume ideas (feather boa on the bottom of pant legs) move ideas (level change in a paddle turn) and dancers I will not miss next year (Colorado's Frank Farinaro). It goes without saying that I will never miss an Unmata performance at Tribal Fest. Unmata, as if they even need to, go above and beyond at Tribal Fest. I'm curious which the audience loved more: 18 dancers in two choruses with a quartet improvising in the middle of it all, or the lighthouse smile beaming from Amy Sigil's face through the whole dang thang? Talk about a proud mamma!

Tribal Fest elicits that type of enthusiasm. At Rachel Brice's workshop we were privy to her stress-releasing techniques as she explained, "All year long [I'm thinking] 'Tribal Fest! Tribal Fest! Tribal Fest!' and then I get here and I'm too nervous to drink it in!" Her remedy for nerves includes Motherwart and something else I wish I could remember. Apparently I was too distracted to get that one in my notes, but whatever it was I could use it if I'm going to perform next year. I can't imagine how nervous I'd be. And yet, I left the festival with it all planned out: next year's costume, songs, etc. Like all great times, when they're over all you can do is start dreaming about next time. Tribal Fest is always the third full week in May. Registration opens in November. See you there.

This was my first year attending Tribal Fest. I had heard about Tribal Fest through various Belly Dance magazines which also advertise many other belly dance festivals. I wanted to attend Tribal Fest because it seemed like the one festival with the most bang for your buck. Unfortunately, I live in St. Louis, MO so it was going to be a sizable "buck" so I delayed year after year. What made the difference this year is that I had a milestone birthday and I wanted to buy a really great birthday present for myself. I had not taken a vacation from my job for an entire week since 1999. I am self employed, so, if I do not work, I do not get paid and my rent for my business space is still due. This was going to be a huge birthday present for myself.

I chose Tribal Fest over all the other festivals because Carolena Nericcio was teaching a 3 day intensive and many other dancers whom I admire greatly were teaching workshops all in the same place during the same week. It is the biggest bang for what would be a very big buck for me. I'll just start out by saying that Tribal Fest was well worth every cent! By choosing a festival that has such a large and diverse selection of instructors in one trip, I miss a minimum of time working in my salon and gain a maximum amount of education in one trip, therefore actually saving money.

In order to get the most out of my Tribal Fest experience, I arrived on Tuesday in San Francisco and drove to Sebastopol. My first class was not until 2:30 on Wednesday so I did my pre-shopping. I checked out the venders while they were setting up and made notes of what venders I wanted to come back to after everyone was set up. I started making my purchases around noon and I finished all of my shopping for my "must have" list in about 2 hours and stayed under budget. I have plenty of ATS costuming, what I needed was some Steampunk prices and I found everything I was looking for easily and with many choices. This was the best costume shopping trip ever. Getting to see, feel and try on everything before I bought was worth the trip alone.

Soon it was time for my very first TF class.

Carolena Nericco, "Connecting the Dots... A 3 day intensive".

On day one of this three day intensive, The Mother of ATS taught us how to use eye contact and facial expressions to create a memorable performance as well as proper entrances and exits. Carolena even covered trouble shooting a performance. What to do when things go terribly wrong.

On day two Carolena covered formations, fades, seamless cues and changing the lead.

On day three Carolena expanded on formations, transitions, entrances, exits, chorus and taking a bow. Each half of the class put on a "Show" for the other half allowing us to put into action the accumulated information wrapping up this three day intensive in a neat little bow. The result is that now I feel confident that I have the ability to put on an entertaining, complete and professional looking show in my home town.

Mardi Love, "Select Pieces from Le Serpent Rouge".

Mardi began the class with a short warm up and then moved quickly into teaching us the choreography for "The Man in the Boat". A fantastically fun and flirty throw back to the American 1920's. I selected three combos that I particularly liked, to use in a new troupe choreography that my troupe is currently writing.

I found Mardi to be personable, fun and very approachable. She explained each combo clearly, demonstrated each combo slowly and watched her students to see where we were having trouble and what we needed to go over in more detail. She fielded questions from the students with ease and a friendly, welcoming attitude that was delightfully warm. I will definitely take classes from this dynamic and fuzzy warm star of belly dance.

Alaska, "Hula Hooping Improv Tribal Style With the Ritzy Rouge".

Umm, Hula Hooping Improvisational Tribal Style? Who would not be curious about this class? This was a sold out class with a wait list. I have danced at venues with hula hoopers and I thought that this class would be a great way for me to learn a new skill that would enable me to add hooping to my belly dancing repertoire. I am going to need a lot more practice before that happens. Hooping is fun and challenging in its own right and Alaska adds a whole new dimension to hula hooping. She calls it HITS, Hooping Improvisational Tribal Style.

I had so much fun in this class that I want to get my fellow belly dancers hooping HITS style. I learned several belly dance hoop moves and gained tremendous knowledge about hooping that will enable me to some day, after hours and hours of practice, add hooping to my list of dance skills adding a whole new dimension to our show. My mind is already spinning with the endless possibilities.

Bridie Przibram, "Gypsy Soul".

Bridie is personable, friendly and generous with her knowledge of Polish Gypsy Dancing and came all the way from Wales to share her knowledge. I took this class because I enjoy folkloric styles of dance and they are the root of all the different styles of belly dance. I wanted to learn some great gypsy skirt dance moves and I was not disappointed.

Bridie taught us some basic Polish Gypsy dance steps and then put them together in a choreography. We learned a dance to a beautiful slow song and fast, fun and energetic song.

I really enjoyed this class because the steps and skirt play were fun and Bridie showed us how to infuse each movement with Gypsy soul. How can one not pour out her soul while dancing with the grand gestures and flying skirt work!

Princess Farhana, "Orient Noir: Volatile Combinations".

Princess Farhana has some of the best abdominal technique in the industry and she shared with us all her secrets for great flutters and a multitude of belly rolls and volatile combinations that make the belly do all sorts of strange things. She also covered some traveling steps that add spice to a performance.

Her technique is simple, but takes a lot of practice to master and now I know what I need to practice to take my belly work to 11.

Tribal Sooz, "Thinking Outside the ATS Box (Just a Little ): Duets, Trios and Quartets... Let's Play!"

All that I can say about this class is, "WOW!" Tribal Sooz has an excitement and love for the dance that infected me from the start of class and grew to a crazy level of Tribal Euphoria that left me exhausted but wanting more!

She showed us examples on how to start thinking outside the box and expanded to suggestions and ideas to get us students thinking about how our troupes can use the innovative formation suggestions to begin and end performances. She showed us creative ways to transition dancers in and out of the chorus.

What I liked best about the class was that Tribal Sooz encouraged us to take her ideas for creating dynamic entrances, exits and transitions and adapt them to our style of Tribal dance, be it ATS or ITS. She didn't just show us what her troupe does with their format, but how we can take this outside the box thinking and apply it to formations, duets, trios, quartets, chorus, transitions, entrances, exits and everything about a performance to make it unique and stylized to create our own troupe style.

I attended as much of the shows as I could and I saw a lot of outstanding performances. I particularly enjoyed the performances of Ashley Lopez, a beautiful dancer whom I had only recently heard of and Ami Amore and Molly Mayhem of Exotic Rhythms Belly Dance, who did the best double sword duo that I have ever seen. They balanced swords on 2 different body parts... on their head and foot...at the same time. Wow.

I, of course, enjoyed the performances of all the well known performers like Kami Liddle, Mardi Love, Unmata, Jill Parker's Foxglove Sweethearts and Frank Farinaro who all dazzled the crowd with their technical skills and charmed us with their showmanship. There were many other well known performers in attendance like Rachel Brice, BlackSheep BellyDance, and Suhaila. Unfortunately, I was in class and unable to see them.

Zoe Jakes did the most awesome solo that was really a show within a show. Her presentation was unique, clever, unexpected and had a "WOW" factor that was unsurpassed.

I have seen many performances by many beautiful artists and I've heard others speak of a performance that moved them to tears, but I had never experienced this myself.....until Sunday at Tribal Fest 2011. When Red Lotus took the stage, my breath caught in my throat. Such beauty, such grace, as they continued to weave their magic across the stage, my eyes began to sting and my vision blurred. I blinked quickly to clear the tears so I would not miss a moment of their magnificent performance. Just as I regained control of myself, their dance ended and Fat Chance Belly Dance arrived on stage. All of the resolve that I had gained, broke. The emotions that were ripped from my soul as I watched the originators of American Tribal Style Belly Dance show me how it is really done are too numerous to describe. It was euphoric. After the first song, I was no longer aware of what was going on around me. My entire world existed only with what was happening on that stage. When they finished, to a standing ovation and roaring crowd, I finally became aware that my face was wet with tears and my heart was pounding with passion for the dance.

There could not have been a better end to Tribal Fest 2011, the most fantastic, magnificent, amazing belly dance festival that I have ever attended. I plan to return next year and every year for eternity. Thank you Kajira and Chuck for bringing the gift of this festival this year and every year. See you in 2012!

The first thing I noticed after arriving in Sebastopol for Tribal Fest was the pants. Tribal pants were everywhere in town, and they were fantastic. Patchwork, batik, tie dyed, sequined and striped; ruffles, flares, mini and maxi, the pants were sexy, whimsical, earthy, and fierce. It turned out that so were the women in them. No place on earth will you find a more diverse, dynamic, and interesting assortment of women. I met women from all over the U.S. As well as from Colombia, The U.K., Canada, and Australia. They come, girls, ladies, divas, mothers, daughters (and a few boys), to this sunny place once a year, to form a single tribe. And while their pants may be intimidating, the women are not. The women at Tribal Fest are talented, hard working, kind, gracious, generous, and humble. And they can cut a rug.

"This community is so much more welcoming, there's so much more camaraderie than in the 'traditional' world of dance."
Andrea, Texas

What I liked about Tribal Fest was that while its a lot- a lot of performances, a lot of vendors, a lot of classes, a lot of after parties, it isn't too much. You can find parking or just walk from pretty much wherever you are in town. There is easy shade on grassy knolls away from noise and foot traffic, and people use it. There's a lot of shopping to be had, but you have plenty of time to see and touch everything that's offered. If you are patient, you can almost always find a seat at the show.

"The teachers that converge together, the great community."
Abbey from Belly Dance Mafia, San Francisco CA, on the best part of Tribal Fest

Workshops are an important part of Tribal Fest and are what distinguishes it as a serous professional event. That being said, the ladies also have their fun, as evidenced by "We Want the Funk" pouring out of Black Sheep Belly Dance's Saturday afternoon class as the ladies zilled in perfect time. Of the work shops that I took, Kathy Stahlman's Dynamic Duets stood out. This class focused on ATS cuing and dancing in pairs. What I particularly appreciated about the class was their choice to focus more on establishing a dynamic connection between paired dancers, the ability to sense one another in space and respond to subtle clues, rather than the memorization of cues. This made the workshop relevant and exciting for dancers of all backgrounds and styles.

Another great workshop was Anaar's floor work class. This was a technique class in the true sense of the word. The class focused on the mechanics of getting into and out of the floor, hip motion and shimmying with the limited leg mobility of the kneeling position, and traveling steps. She was also careful to discuss appropriate warming and cooling exercises for floor work and issues relating to use of the floor and costuming.

There is no lack of rigor in the training of the women arriving to take class or in the workshops they participate in up to eight hours a day, everyday, throughout the Fest. These women can move, they are unafraid of sweat, and they do it all with professional grace and smiles on their faces. There is also invaluable oral tradition taking place. The Greek class taught by Lee Ali gave us all some great context for the roots of a dance tradition dedicated to evolving in time with its contemporary culture. She told vivid stories of Greek Town in the 1970's, the dancers on tables, dancing twelve sets a nights in flowers up to their knees, and had the pictures to proves it. She taught by doing, and wowed us all with the ease of her improvisation. Artemis danced for us. She was lovely.

"I'm in pain."
Victoria from Texas, with a smile, after taking 6 to 8 hours of classes for two days.

Part of what makes taking class at Tribal Fest special is that you usually get to see the instructors perform, a rare and valuable opportunity to learn by example. There is an astounding amount of live performance at the Fest. I watched more than four hours of performances a day and still missed a lot of great acts. Performances at Tribal Fest range from the divine to the absurd and everywhere in between.

"We got a standing ovation! Okay... so it was only one guy, but none of us knew him, so it counts !"
Margarita O'Brien from Hip Service, Eugene, OR, on performing at Tribal Fest

I particularly enjoyed the interspersing of solo work with group pieces. I think that structuring the performances that way not only helps the show run on time, which as far as I could tell it always did, but also provided the audience with a nice dynamic change. I was most struck by soloists that were fusing tribal movement with other dance traditions, such as the Indian-infused belly dance of Coleena Shakti and the Latin stylings of Lore Rojas.

For me though, the show was stolen by two very different armies, Suhaila and her dance company and Unmata. Unmata's tribe took large group cuing and multiple formations to a new level with multiple leaders and and a seemingly endless infusion of dancers to the stage. The energy in the packed room during their 14 minute performance was electric and they proved that they still define themselves by pushing boundaries. But what to say about Suhaila. The training of her dancers is impeccable, their technique and precision sets a high bar for other troupes. But for me, it was the drumming that did it. It might be easy to say that they are pretty girls, young and fit, and that they would be easy on the eyes regardless of what they did on stage. But they came on drumming, and they were fierce, and Suhaila held the stage, clearly still cuing the rhythms, and she was mesmerizing. I was unable to stay in my seat. Neither were the people around me. It was exciting and dynamic and powerful, and everything that we hope to see when we come to Tribal Fest. It made my experience.

"Unmata was amazing. The whole room filled up with energy. I'm going to have to watch it over and over again online to even figure out what just happened."
Devon Polynone from Siren's Dance Company, Eugene, OR

But what really makes Tribal Fest special is the community, the coming together of women from all walks of life into a sisterhood forged in dance. On Saturday afternoon I walked into the annex to find two of the dancers from Bellydance Mafia in matching black and purple doing cat and cow on their hands and knees. They were friendly and talkative, introducing themselves and their San Francisco troupe as they gathered, one by one, to form a circle in the space. They were performing in a few minutes. When they were all assembled they stood together, arms around each other in a circle, and breathed. I was struck by the universality of the ritual. Its what my troupe does before we dance, and something that I saw over and over again throughout the course of the week. Dancers, together, breathing in time, creating circle upon circle of community. It's what makes Tribal Fest special. That, and some really great pants.

Tribal Fest 11: A Sensory Extravaganza
By Renée Rothman

Tribal Fest 11 was a sensory extravaganza: visual, auditory, tactile, and above all, kinesthetic. The degree of creativity in choreography, costume, and vending merchandise frequently inspired awe and always inspired delight. It was a demonstration of a new breed of Americans, an enactment of a “tribal” spirit of camaraderie and joy, of union through diversity, and of self-empowerment in a context of cheer.

The festival, produced by Kajira Djoumahna and BlackSheep Bellydance, ran from May 18-22 at the Sebastopol, CA community center. The lawns in front and to one side were filled with vendors selling all manner of tribalesque gear from traditional to contemporary. Inside were delicious edibles and cold or hot drinks (the coffee was excellent and I drank a lot of it), a few vendors and lots of seating for the ongoing performances on the main stage. Mercifully, the hall is now air-conditioned and with the majority of vendors outside (reducing indoor congestion) the room was very comfortable for watching dance for hours if so inclined.

Workshops began on the 18th and included all the brightest lights in tribal bellydance: Carolena Nericcio, Jill Parker, Zoe Jakes, Rachel Brice, Mardi Love, Amy Sigil, Tempest, and more. There were workshops in jazz-age choreography, Steampunk Savvy, showgirl, Indian, Flamenco, and Afro-Brazilian fusions. Technical workshops featured drums and zills, sword work, shimmies, floorwork, and performance techniques and qualities including style, grace, musicality, precision, dynamics and staging. Carolena Nericcio and Rachel Brice each held three-day intensives; E. Artemis Mourat a two day; and Mardi Love, Zoe Jakes, and Samantha Hasthorpe each held four-hour intensives. In all, there were 57 varieties of saucy tribal bellydance workshops available.

I signed up for Tribal Sooz’s workshop called “Outside the Box.” Sooz is an ATS dancer from southern California with long experience in stagecraft. Our workshop focused on using ATS vocabulary and cueing techniques to direct troupes of 3, 4, and 5 members in complicated passes and exchanges of the lead. “Outside the box” (perhaps ironically) refers to our general habit of maintaining the tribal triangle formation and of transitioning leads via grapevines in a circle. Sooz provided us with many exciting alternatives to the “sister circle” transition, as well as how to create more dynamic interactions with our sister-dancers. This was the first time Sooz taught this class but I don’t think it will be her last. Her enthusiastic and joyous encouragement inspired us all to get to work with our troupes with fresh material and a renewed spirit. Thanks, Sooz.

Shopping is, of course, part-and-parcel of the bellydance festival experience. I arrived with intention: to buy a pair of Melodia pants, a TF 11 tee-shirt, and henna tattoos. But first, (before I even made it to the door) I fell in love with a Tuareg leather arm bracelet from Judith’s Head. In addition to the well-known Tuareg male crafts of highly polished, geometric silver pendants and earrings, these colorful leather crafts made by Tuareg women are beginning to find their place in our wardrobes. Plus they are more affordable than the silver pieces. Once I bought the arm cuff, having opened my purse strings, I ran over and picked up a pair of red Melodia capris…and I didn’t take them off for the rest of the fest!

In addition to the Middle Eastern jewels and crafts—Kuchi bracelets, shisha belts, and piles of gorgeous tassels—we saw costume pieces produced by some very skillful artisans. Leather, lace, feathers, silk and silver delighted our eyes and inspired our fantasies. I fell in love with Flip ‘n Tribal Design’s original, richly dyed, lace belts and bras, and I wasn’t alone: I spotted them layered onto the costumes of several performers. Yasemin Yildiz creates modular costume pieces that can be used as belt additions, headbands, and/or neckpieces—very clever and beautifully crafted. Debi and Nic produced exquisite henna tattoos (I loved my Tuareg-style ankle art). I wish I could tell you about all the inventive and creative crafters but you’ll have to come to the next TF and see it all for yourself!

Tribal Fest, however, is really about the dance and this year was exceptional. The trend seems to have moved past the dark, Gothic styles with their driving, pounding techno music that filled the stages when last I attended TF. This year there was more musical and choreographic diversity as dancers explored the fusion of tribal bellydance with a variety of theatrical and ethnic forms. Dancers came from nearly twenty US states: from the redwood forests to the Gulf Stream waters, as the song goes, including Hawaii and Alaska (which were not states when Guthrie wrote the song in 1940). They also came from Australia, Canada, Chile, Columbia, England, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain and Wales, making this festival a true representation of the international appeal of tribal bellydance.

I was sincerely impressed by the high quality of the dancers. Overall, their technical skills were solid and their inventiveness on full throttle. My hands-down favorite was a magnificent performance by Zoe Jakes and company who are among the driving forces of tribal fusion. Jakes appeared at one point as a goddess-like figure wearing antlers and attached to two attendants via a stunning white, beaded costume. Through her alchemical kinesthetics, Jakes’ whole torso turned liquid as she executed a long series of complicated abdominal isolations and extended shimmies. Beautiful. On the other hand, I won’t claim to understand what the skeleton dancers were all about and why they were sandwiched between the Jakes/Kami Liddle duet that opened their set and the antlered-goddess sequence that closed it. It seemed like filler rather than an integral part of a three-part suite. Nonetheless, watching these icons of tribal fusion perform was inspiring.

In addition to the brilliance of the likes of Jakes, there are a great number of up-and-coming soloists and troupes to keep our eyes on, especially in the idiom of ATS. Troupe Hipnotica of Washington and Rare Elements Dance Collective of California created new transitions, floor patterns, and leader/follower formats. Divine Chaos Tribal of Arizona figured out how to do an improvisational gypsy-skirt dance using ATS-style cueing. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention two exciting male soloists, Paige Lawrence performing in a dark, punk style and Frank Farinaro whose more traditional style performance received a standing ovation. All the dancers of TF 11—women and men—expressed confidence, fierceness, and courage in their performances and I felt that tribal pride for days following the festival.

Many tribal troupes travel together to Tribal Fest (sorry, I couldn’t resist that alliteration) seeking fresh inspiration and a deepening of their bonds. Kim and I have traveled to TF together six times and have developed our traditions: we stay at same motel, eat breakfast at the same restaurant, and only begin to wind down our weekend when we reach the windy mountain road to our homes in Boulder Creek, CA. I arrived home Sunday evening with chapped lips and a sore throat from two days of ululating and three hours of non-stop post-mortem chatter with Kim as we drove home from another exhilarating weekend at Tribal Fest. If you haven’t been to a Tribal Fest yet, mark your calendars for Tribal Fest 12 happening next May 16-20. See you there!