Advanced Tribal Dance 200

[yalcam]

Hey. This was my first burn. It has changed my life and I envy those of you that live in areas that have the huge population of burners which allow your flames to remain so fiercely alive year round. The sensory input from that ever changing world is enough to fully dialate the left-brain. Right brain cannot keep up. That's when reality starts uninhibited without any labels or justifications.

Which brings me to my point. One evening, (Wednesday or Thursday?) when returning from a night in the Unknown, checking out lit-up art, I stopped at Megavolt and watched a couple get married in the booth with the Tesla coil zapping them. Then I walked back along the middle road back to camp. Here’s where I came across one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed.

Right there, under the headlights of an art car and some burring torches were a group of women doing a tribal dance in the sand. It was more like a class of 8 women following the lead of one FANTASTIC tribal dance instructor. She was offering them cues like ‘beckoning’ and other words muttered under her breath that lead to some very intense actions like hitting their hair in the dirt, shimmying left and right, and such. Gawd, how pathetically one-dimensional I sound in my description. It was the single most intense and focused exhibition that I’ve ever seen—a mind orgasm that ended in an ecstatic climax of incredible energy. I loved them so.

Please, if anyone knows of them let me know too. I need to see them again next year with out fail. If by chance any of you are part of the group, well…you are fucking fantastic. Especially the leader. Language is such an inept tool for what you need to be told.

Thanks.
Y

[Ivy]

There are many many tribal dance groups that participate at Burning Man. One of the great things about tribal belly dance is that while the cues do differ slightly depending on where you learn them, they are mostly similar enough that anyone who knows the basics can join in and follow along. It might also explain the verbiage--usually the cues are non-vocal, but if you're dancing with a lot of people with whom you've not danced before, sometimes you have to sort things out.
Without more information, I can't venture a guess as to who they were. I hope someone in that group ses your message and speaks up.
You might look up Ultra Gypsy; I know some of their troupe attened and they are fabulous dancers. you might also look up TechnoTranceBellyDance; I don't know if any of them made it out his year or not.
You might also try posting a message to the burningbellies mailing list asking around (burningbellies@yahoogroups.com).
Good luck!

[yalcam]

Ivy! Thank you for your response. I must admit, I know little to nothing about belly dance. From my very limited experience, I would not have called it belly dance--but I yield to your knowledge.

There were several types of garbs. The (8-ish) dancers that I speak of were dressed in a form of horizontal wrap...strips? While (4) others had cat-like costumes. These 4 girls had their own dance that was interactive with one another. The by standers (not dancing) had a kind of druidic feel to them. They had drums and torches and such.

The dance in questions had...for the lack of better description...a kind of 'King-Kong' feel. If you've ever seen the 1970's movie, there was a dance sequence that brought the big simian out of the mountains. Very darkly erotic and powerfully and intense.

If this is belly dance, then I have been missing something big. You know, labels have a way of cataloging and filing things away as 2-dimensional concepts. I like when my world is rocked...or at least swayed on the skillful hips of a talented dancer.

[Ivy]

I still don't know who they are...a lot of belly dance styles, especially recently are "fusion" styles...meaning they take styles of other dances and work them in. And the costumes...well, belly dance costumes at BM are a little...less than "traditional," if you know what I mean. Where better a place to bust out your atypical, "experiemental" belly dance costume that you couldn't normally wear for a performance?

Anyway, I'm not positive that's what your dancers were doing, but that's the impression I got from your description. I can't really do more than direct you to the sites I listed above. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

[yalcam]

thank you none the less. i will check out the leads you gave me.

BTW, do you dance at BM?

[Ivy]

Yes, I'm one of the coordinators of the burning bellies mailing list and helped organized the psuedo-annual cafe invasion and the dancing at the man this year.
I'm hoping to do more this year, have been thinking about doing a couple workshops.