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From
the very beginning, American Tribal Style (ATS) Belly Dance has
been all about synergy-- between dancers, musicians, and their audiences;
between themselves; between different states of being; even between
cultures. Paulette Rees-Denis and Kajira Djoumahna, dancers, teachers
and visionaries in this dance form, have worked independently and
together to create their own kind of tribal synergy.
"My
vision," Paulette explains, "has always been to bring everyone together
to dance -- from across the country or globe-- by having a universal
and basic non-verbal language. Everyone is accepted if they take
the time to learn." Kajira agrees, and points to the spiritual synergy
this kind of unity creates among dancers. It is, in fact, a kind
of healing. "I see this dance transform my life and the lives of
others on a daily basis. It's tremendous," she says. "I think of
it as another tool in our bag of medicines. Each tool in my bag
affects the others, and none of them would be as strong individually
as they are when used together." But, says Kajira, "Like other healing
modalities, belly dance works only to the degree that one allows
or invites it in."
This
healing synergy begins with the individual, then moves outward.
Paulette and Kajira continue to tap into it themselves, drawing
strength and spiritual renewal from the energy it releases.
"I believe I was already on a spiritually-oriented path when I was
led to ATS," Kajira remembers. She is, after all, a healer, a Reiki
Master Teacher, a certified massage therapist, and "a (usually)
solitary practitioner of the Ancient Ways. I am also wounded myself.
In order to help others, I need to help myself."
"The dance makes me feel connected and grounded," Paulette adds.
"Connected to myself, physically, emotionally, mentally, and even
psychically. It makes me be in the moment, being truly present and
aware. This is part of my spirituality. By knowing how to be fully
conscious, I can allow myself to let the dance take me into another
realm of consciousness-- or god-hood if you will. Focusing on certain
repetitive movements, the dance can take you into trance, another
realm of consciousness, a sort of moving meditation, where you can
visit and release, as in healing trance."
"I feel one of the reasons ATS lends itself so well to spiritual
awareness is because it brings us back into a whole being," Kajira
explains. "It helps to reintegrate the triumvirate of body, mind
and spirit, which are artificially separated. Through the practice
of this dance, we begin to remember we are not beings made up of
parts that need to struggle with one another. We know we are One.
After that realization, we remember that what is true above is true
below, and that we are not separate as individuals either. Just
like our bodies, minds and spirits are the people and other living
beings of this planet. One could go on to include all life everywhere."
And
so the synergy grows and reaches out to embrace multiple dancers,
multiple tribes. "In a group," Paulette says, "we start and end
in a circle, creating a safe place, and become so connected with
each other that magical energy is created. It transports us to another
place.
"Tribal belly dance is a group dance or a dance of community," Paulette
continues. "We are speaking the same language but learning individual
ways to communicate it within a similar basic structure. It's the
synchronicity within the dance that makes it so mesmerizing and
powerful."
Kajira
absolutely agrees. "It is through the improvisational aspects of
this form that its healing can happen. This is the 'secret,' the
magic of this style. It is the only thing that sets it apart from
other dance styles on earth. "
Both Kajira and Paulette point to the dance history of ATS itself,
a unique and artistic interpretation of many cultures, many styles.
Its very roots are synergistic. Kajira describes ATS as "ours--
born in the USA." This means, she says, that "we have so much leeway
with artistic vision, music, styling costume-- all because we are
not trying to follow any outside standard. This is incredibly fun,
freeing, and intoxicating."
Paulette
and fellow dancer/teacher Patrice Hawkwood Schank have researched
ATS as an evolution of American modern dance, going back to such
early twentieth century dancers as Ruth St. Denis and Martha Graham.
"It is exciting," Paulette says, "to see the evolution of Tribal
Belly Dance as a modern dance form. We are not traditionalists as
a whole, just continuously searching for ways of self-expression.
"We
are contemporary peoples," continues Paulette, "searching for simple
truths of living and ritual to make meaning of the world, to create
peace and harmony within ourselves and within each other."
This
gets back to that non-verbal language that Paulette and Kajira have
helped create. It brings dancers together and builds synergy. "By
being able to improvise and use our eyes to reach each other, we've
been able to dance together using the basic structure, despite 'tribe'
differences. And it's not just knowing the same step, but how to
read each dancer's moves, which means defining the move very well
and using repetition. I see it including everything from folkloric
to different ethnicities to more modern, like hip hop."
Which brings Kajira and Paulette to the important role music plays
in this process. "I love what my friend Uncle Mafufo refers to as
'down and dirty Middle Eastern rock-n-roll!'" Kajira laughs. "I
like feeling that the music is done with a small, intimate band,
one that is having as much fun playing as I am dancing; one that
uses instruments that do not require electricity to play, instruments
that are organic, wailed on around a campfire."
Still
there is room for innovation and growth-- that, too, is what tribal
synergy is all about. "I have seen wonderful and exciting new ways
of presenting this dance. Some groups are using modern throbbing
techno music, and I think that suits ATS fine," Kajira maintains.
"I feel this way because this music is primitive and similar to
the folkloric. Its repetitive nature lends itself to trance." It
speaks, she says, to "the modern primitive."
Such
big Tribal gatherings as Tribal Quest Northwest, scheduled in Portland
from July 31 to August 4, give new meaning to the phrase "tribal
synergy." Says Kajira, "Large gatherings of like-minded folk have
always been uplifting and synergistic. People are affirmed and meet
others. They gain news ideas and only benefit from working together
and supporting one another."
Paulette
feels exactly the same way. "In the few large festivals I've attended--
Kajira and Ellen's Tribal Fest and Maja's Meeting of the Tribes
in Florida-- the energy has been so positive and inclusive. It's
so fun to meet everyone." For Paulette, however, these gatherings
mean even more. "Not only is it a community gathering, but it's
also a modern art convention-- art of the body with the body."
Still
both Paulette and Kajira believe that it's important to remain grounded
in a certain amount of ATS tradition. "Learn the basics as established
for this form from one of the original teachers," Kajira suggests.
"This is important before you go on to innovate so the form doesn't
lose integrity and become a new form entirely."
While choreography and combinations certainly can play an important
role in ATS, Paulette and Kajira believe spontaneity and improvisation
are vital to the overall integrity of the dance. They're central
to the unique "feel Tribal groups exude," says Kajira. "By this
I mean the feeling that the dancers receive and the feelings the
audience perceives. These internal and external feelings are unique
to ATS because of the improv. I think these concepts are lost on
many dancers who haven't experienced true Tribal for themselves."
In
the end, however, tribal synergy is about "pushing the envelope
and trying new things," Kajira concludes. It's about reveling in
the energy you create together.
"Here's an idealistic picture," Paulette muses. "Let us women dancers
rule the world and it would be a very different place to live!"
That's
perhaps the ultimate tribal synergy.
~end~
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