Aloha Dear Readers,

I'm fortunate to have an ongoing Question-and-Answer column in the international bellydance publication, Zaghareet! Magazine.

It's my favorite trade magazine because it has so much information, doesn't exclude any styles and gives voice to all who wish to contribute. It has articles tailored fro beginner to teachers and I always learn something new from its pages. It's by far the thickest magazine in this genre to boot!

The editor, Sharina, has graciously allowed me to publish my past columns here on my site. They may not be in order, though I did try my best. The important thing is that you can read them now, if you didn't subscribe to Zag! back then.

The columns began in 2006 and at first Sharina and I were stumped for a title. After much thinking and going back and forth, she finally said, "I'm going to call it 'Kajira Tells It Like It Is,' because you DO!" That's the story of how the column's title came to be. And I must say, that was quite a compliment to me, because complete honesty is something I always strive to present - "pretty" or "popular" notwithstanding!

No portion of this article may be reprinted without permission. Contact Kajira for inquiries.

“Hi Kajira!
I’ve never been one for chiffon and glitz, so when I discovered tribal-style dance several years ago it just clicked! It was so powerful and elegant... and FUN!!! Recently I took a friend to a local hafla so she could see what I’ve been talking about, but the “tribal” troupe that performed was more “fusion”, so even though they did group improv, they were anything but elegant (or FUN!!!). Do you think that we tribal “purists” will eventually just be “fused” out of existence? ~ Melody”

Aloha Melody,
No, I don’t worry about true tribal bellydance disappearing in favor of dance fusions anymore. I did at one time before I realized that people really *are* beginning to “get it!”As I travel the country and the world teaching this wonderful dance, I am constantly reminded just how important and popular it is. Every day there are more and more people just discovering it and falling in love with it.

There is room for every artistic expression, and some will always have a larger fan base than others. As long as there are people who love it, that expression will live on. When speaking about bellydance (as opposed to many other art forms), we’re especially lucky as many of us are teachers. This means there are always new people being drawn to the form.

Once people have a taste of what this style really is about (“it’s much more than a series of steps”), they usually don’t stop doing it. If they do, it’s certainly not any sooner than any other bellydance style. So try not to worry. More great news: it’s just now beginning to grow in England lately. Same with several European countries. It’s taken some time for it to really catch on, as there are so few qualified teachers of ATS-style tribal there. I just came back from teaching in Yorkshire County in England at a bi-annual, long-running and popular event, Jewel of Yorkshire. The dancers loved the style but bemoaned the fact that there are no teachers they can continue their studies with near enough to them. Demand creates supply sometimes in dance, and I have a feeling some will be pursuing teacher training next year.

About the tribal fusion troupe you saw: I have a hard time understanding how a group performing group improvisation could not be having fun, too. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and think for a moment whether it’s possible they fused with modern dance. If so, perhaps they were trying for uniformly blank faces. Or, perhaps they were trying to convey a sense of calm serenity and inner peace?

As to the subject of inelegance, well, not every fusion style dancer wishes to be elegant in their presentations. If they fused with hip-hop, they would celebrate inelegance (but still have a lot of fun doing it).

If it’s none of the above, perhaps it’s as simple as being new to performing. That is the most likely candidate here, I think. After all, haflas are often safe, supportive environments for new performers to try things out in public before they hit a stage somewhere, so maybe that’s what was going on.

It is also sadly possible that this group doesn’t have fun in class while learning. As difficult to imagine as this idea is, some teachers’s personalities are simply not of a fun-loving nature. Some are very disciplined and serious, to the extent that they forget why they started dancing and why their students are there. These people are very closed off and not at all demonstrative emotionally. Under this teacher, a similar pall is cast over the class, and only a few personality types will be able to excel under these circumstances. Many students leave their first classes of this type in tears, and some never do return to dance. I hope the group you saw don’t fall into this category, but if they do, they are aware through this performance that there are other ways of dancing available to them. That’s a positive possible outcome at least.

In closing, do not worry about the Tribal Style you love disappearing. It isn’t, it’s growing! Remember that new tribal converts are popping up worldwide. And yes, fusion is growing fast, too. This can only be in both styles’ favor. There is room for both to continue to thrive!

With Aloha,
Kajira Djoumahna

Winner of 2 awards for Favorite Instructor (IAMED & Zaghareet!’s Golden Belly Awards), 2 awards for Favorite Event and Promoter for Tribal Fest (Zaghareet!’s Golden Belly Awards - thanks to all of you readers!) and some honorary awards for DVD content and outstanding achievement. Author of the Tribal Bible, 2 instructional DVDs, producer of Tribal Fest and Maui Intensives, global workshop teacher and director of BlackSheep BellyDance CA & HI. www.BlackSheepBellyDance.com