Contemporary Global Dance and Tribal Fusion Bellydance take elements from the traditions of many different countries and combine them with contemporary dance and theater techniques to create exciting and innovative new forms. Outgrowths of Tribal Bellydance, a fusion style of dance that first developed in San Francisco throughout the 1980s, they are fusion styles that are inspired by sources as diverse as the travels of the Roma (Gypsies), the work of modern dance pioneers Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis, experimental theater techniques from around the world, and the evolution of new music that combines traditional sounds with breakbeats, samples, and other modern elements.

These sources also have their own alchemies of tradition and innovation:

The Roma (Gypsies) are believed to have originated in India. They began a migration about 1000 years ago that took them through the Middle East and around the Mediterranean, from North Africa and Eastern Europe to Spain. As they made their way Westwards, they adopted elements of the local music and dance from each of the regions they passed through into their own distinct and complex culture, and made an impact on the local traditions as well. Thus we can find common threads between disparate traditions, such as the intricate footwork and dramatic arm movements of both North Indian Khatak and Spanish Flamenco. Dance and music are central to Roma culture, both in everyday life and as a way of keeping their identity and community through persecution and diaspora.

Tribal's identity as a modern American dance form can be seen in the examples of Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis, the mothers of American modern dance. At the beginning of the 20th century, when dance was mostly either classical story ballets or sideshow vaudeville and burlesque, they invented a new art form. Duncan was deeply influenced by the culture of ancient Greece, and pioneered the idea of dance as a form of personal and spiritual expression, in contrast to the more academic and stylized classical dance that was popular at the time. St. Denis, inspired by the cultures of the East that were being exposed to American audiences at the world's fair and other exhibitions, saw dance as a bridge between cultures, and also as a form of self-expression and spirituality. These ideas, and their curiosity about other cultures -- before multiculturalism, television, and even widespread airplane travel -- were revolutionary at the time, and helped to create the foundations of modern dance. Duncan and St. Denis were devoted to balancing a respect for foreign traditions with the innovations of their personal artistic expression. Their independence, initiative, and outspoken lifestyles also made them early models of modern feminism.

Tribal bellydance traces its roots back to a lineage of women who were innovators within the bellydance, folk dance, and art scenes on the West coast from the late 1960s through the late 80s. From the beginning it has been a dance form that honors new visions along with the traditions of the past. It started with a desire to rediscover the folkloric dances that were the basis for the modern cabaret bellydance routines that were popular in the U.S. at the time. From this grew an emphasis on dancing as a group and a recognition of the ancient history of bellydance as a dance of healing, community, celebration, and ritual. This search for tradition and original sources was then infused with the energy of a new theatricality, a modern sensibility of performance that combined ideas of presentation and stylization to create a new language of dance. Tribal bellydance is now a flourishing movement across the United States and throughout the world, encompassing many different visions and versions.

Tribal Fusion Bellydance takes these ideas further by incorporating elements of other dance styles, experimental theater and new circus techniques, and recent trends in music that combine influences from the traditional and contemporary, the acoustic and electronic. It is inspired by the Roma's cross-pollination of music and dance styles, and by the centrality of dance and music to their culture and identity. It follows in the footsteps of Duncan's and St. Denis' curiosity and innovation as modern American artists creating new forms from traditional sources from around the world. It embraces Tribal bellydance's focus on building community, and celebrating the beauty and strength of women and the power of working as a group.

In recognition of the global and multimedia context in which we now carry on old traditions, as well as create new work, Contemporary Global Dance embraces an even more open palate of fusion and innovation. At the same time it is informed by a template more traditional than the oldest dance, the form and function of the human body. By focusing inward on the architecture and systems of the body we can connect with the timeless, the universal, the elemental. Balancing this quiet awareness with an attention to the immediacy, flux, and activity of modern urban life, Contemporary Global Dance invites audiences to experience dance that is at once relevant and accessible, thought-provoking and spiritual, smart and celebratory.

Because these dance styles grew out of late 20th century America, and they continue to develop and evolve today in turn-of-the-millennium New York City, Tribal Fusion Bellydance and Contemporary Global Dance have a modern vision of the power of creativity and innovation to honor tradition. No creation is done in a void, and in the global village culture that we live in now, we must both acknowledge our influences and honor our new inspirations, respect the sources we learn from and interpret them from where we are, in celebration of both our similarities and our differences. Drawing from the strength of many different traditions -- from ancient sources to contemporary art -- Tribal Fusion Bellydance and Contemporary Global Dance translate them into a new form... a new Alchemy.

For more information about these traditions and innovations see the links page.