| INSIGHTS OF THE SPIRIT OF THE TRIBES # 3 -
PAGE 2 ‘Fusion’ the Key to Dance, Love, & World Politics THE SPIRIT OF THE TRIBES # 3 - by Chris Coward In Davie, Florida, a town many of us know for the hitching post at McDonald’s, women from across the U.S. gather under … er, unusual circumstances. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, March
7–9 2003, hundreds of us, in glittery tops, huge tiered skirts, tinkling
coin belts, and occasional billowy veil, migrate past a life-sized
equestrian statue to the Bergeron Rodeo grounds. Our noses are greeted by
The occasion is "The Spirit of the Tribes," a bellydance festival. This is Maja’s third annual three-day festival of classes and shows, the largest on the East Coast. We have passed through the bazaar to the "classroom," a partitioned area of the dirt-floor rodeo grounds flanked by bleachers and covered by a tin roof. Huge billboards surround us, hawking Bud Lite, The Roundup, and other cowboy staples, but these are now cloaked with strikingly patterned veils. Dozens of veils, kissed gently by the warm breeze, partition the bazaar from the classroom area.
More than 200 of us mimic Neefa, as we stretch and squat and twirl, our skirts grazing the uneven earth packed by the trammel of bulls and horses. Ahead of me is a mocha-skinned girl whose
willowy body dips and bends. To my right is a larger, gray-haired woman,
whose grace and authority create a different look entirely. I am the clutz
of the bunch. A year and a half ago, at 51, I took up bellydancing as a
therapy for scoliosis and arthritis. I am as uncoordinated as ever, but I
do believe that others—amazingly—find beauty in my efforts. Over the three days, other teachers take the stage. Dalia Carella from New York, passionate and fiery, fuses the dance art of Spain, India, and Turkey. The group Urban Tribal from San Diego, funky and fun, blends African, hip hop, flamenco, Indian, and modern American dance styles. (The head of this group was also the co-founder of the dance troupe Read My Hips from Chicago.) The group FatChanceBellyDance, from San Francisco, fuses the gestures, movements, and cultural influences of North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and India. Maja herself, the festival organizer, was
born in Egypt and influenced by her Algerian, Rumanian, and Russian roots.
She teaches an Arab-Spanish fusion routine—up-beat and wild.
The Spirit of the Tribes imparts to its mostly American participants a full appreciation of multiple cultures—of people and traditions. This, at the most "American" of venues: the rodeo. The students are a mixture of middle-school teachers, chiropractors, college students, owners of the local Mailboxes.. stores, and dancers, students, performers and teachers in Belly Dance from around the country...... Competitive in our "other lives," here we do not judge, but warmly accept. For the weekend, laundry, alarm clocks, and traffic no longer exist. Pettiness, ill-temper disappear. Impending war, corporate chicanery, and the uncertain economy, likewise, are forgotten. As I write this, CNN is my new backdrop. Tomorrow, as marketing director of a major financial-services company, I will face the deadlines and demands of my job. But the Spirit of the Tribes holds a key. The Majas, Neefas, Safas, and Dalia Carellas have spoken. And in their words is a key to dance, love, and world peace. We are all waiting for the next Spirit, this amazing gathering experience created by Maja.
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wafts of incense, fried chickpea fritters("falafel"), and the residue of
livestock. Our eyes and ears are assaulted, as well, by a riot of color
and bustle—a bazaar. More than 20 vendors peddle food, costumes, and
accessories from the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, Central Asia, and
India.
