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“Dear Kajira,
I recently attended a hafla and saw one of the tribal troupes perform in turbans. It was like seeing an old friend!!! It seems that so many troupes have gone toward the ‘hair gardens’ because turbans can be so hot and uncomfortable, but they’re also regal and beautiful! Do you see any trend in tribal troupes going back to turbans? ~ Katrina”
Dear Katrina,
Yes! I certainly do.
I think hair gardens are a nice alternative to turbans, but agree that the turban gives a group a much more regal, elegant and especially unified appearance onstage, since no one in a tribal group has the same hair.
Some ATS groups have achieved greater uniformity via use of braids, yarn or dread extensions, which also seem to be falling out of fashion a bit, like flower hair gardens. I can’t shake my opinion that a ballerina bun look makes people look like pinheads, no matter what you’re wearing. Those buns are just boring besides being unattractive, and in my opinion, better suited to class than stage. Plus, I will never forget Carolena telling me, “Never allow your costuming to stop at your neck!”
Some groups and individuals these days are trying other head ornamentation: metal jewelry is coming back, lots of hair sticks, decorated chop sticks, porcupine quills and even mini-hats are making a splash on the West Coast Alternative BellyDance scene. But none of these can do what The Turban could as far as uniformity, due to our individually styled and colored hair.
Therefore, I think Masha Archer (Carolena Nericcio’s teacher, and the one who brought The Turban into a bellydance troupe) hit the nail on the head: The Turban is the answer to a uniform appearance for an ATS group.
For me and my dancers personally, The Turban took a break due to fallout from 9/11. I suspect that is true for many ATS groups as that’s when everyone seemed to “loose ‘em.” A lot of things changed after that, including my own troupe’s name (from United We Dance to BlackSheep BellyDance), since the first name now sounded like we were in favor of our government’s decisions (too close to United We Stand) and the fact that MECDA, a well-known bellydance organization I belong to, made stickers with a photo of the incredible Marta Schill in her prime dancing - but her veil had been turned into an American flag!!!! We were appalled, as under that it said “United We Dance.” That was the end of that name and all the goodness and oneness beyond borders we were trying to convey by the name.
Besides Arabic people being shot and killed everywhere across America, so were Sihks and anyone else who remotely resembled someone from “over there,” by Americans who bought into our government’s fear and thought they were probably terrorists like Osama “Bin Gone.”
It was from this climate of unrest and total fear of “The Other” when turbans began to disappear from the ATS costume lists. There was so much anti-Arab propaganda everywhere across the U.S. that we no longer felt safe in turbans (speaking for my group alone).
So we went for less “Arabic-looking” headdresses. It was then when less “Arabic-sounding” music started to became more popular, too. Luckily for us, at the same time musical tastes were changing more rapidly around the world, and availability of more “global” sounds increased, making at least that part of this transition fun and easy.
By now, several years later, we’re all used to “orange alerts,” airport searches, giving up all right to any type of privacy at home, in school, in stores, while driving, while online and at the workplace; Arabic people having been taken to Gitmo and never being heard from again and are finally becoming immune to our current President’s fumbles and mumbles. I think more people now are less afraid of “Arabic-looking” people in most places in America than they were when they were shooting innocent taxi drivers and store employees because they had brown skin, an accent and/or - (gasp!) - A TURBAN.
Half-turbans, or “half-heads” are in full swing and didn’t fully leave us, thanks to groups like OR’s Gypsy Caravan, Tribalation!, Gypsy Fire! and others. Now full turbans are coming back full-force. My own daughter Noelle’s troupe, Tribal Moon, directed and taught by ex-FCBD member Kathy Stahlman, most often wear turbans in their shows.
When I was teaching last Spring (March 2006) in England, I was asked to teach a turban-wrapping class, so I know they’re into it in England, and think it has never left our ATS sister and brother dancers in Europe. I’m bringing one to Austria and Germany with me this month (Feb. 07) so I can dance with my two sponsor’s groups while there (who wear turbans). I don’t know how much they were kept up by ATS dancers in Australia, but it would be interesting to find out. I do know that I have yet to see turbans on any of my now-numerous Taiwanese students, nor on any Japanese performers of ATS yet. This could be a “cultural thing” for Asian dancers - I will find out.
The Turban was even once what made people recognize an ATS group from another while offstage. They’d see a turban and immediately think, “ATS dancer!,” it was so much a part of Us. We could even seek one another out in a huge auditorium filled with beads, sequins, pailettes and glitz by looking for The Turban. I remember walking from my car across the street towards Rakassah West one year long, long ago, to hear a new friend - also wearing her turban - holler from the stairs outside near the dressing rooms, “Hey! You guys! You tribal girls! You look like someone I wanna meet!” But those days are gone now.
In their place I expect ATS dancers to continue to use various forms of headdresses and yes, that does include a “turban comeback!” Once upon a time, some ATS dancers thought all they could wear was black and that they had to look serious - like, all the time! Now they know better and enjoy a multitude of colorful options and are not afraid to show facial expression. I think the same will occur with headdresses, including our beloved turban. It will return and become yet another option open to all of us.
So my answer is a resounding YES, and with that comes my continuos hope for a more peaceful future for All Inhabitants of the Planet We are Citizens of.
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 |