All you need to know about buying Tribal Videos
Published by Mosaic UK

Jacqueline Jamal

Having been to a Tribal Belly Dance workshop at Majma and seen it performed there so beautifully by Tina, of ‘Fat Chance Belly Dance’ I was intrigued to fine out more. Thinking that flying off to San Francisco might interfere with Sammy starting school, I thought I‘d try and get a video to begin my research at home. That was until I viewed the array of Tribal products that Edwin was able to show me at www.aladdnscave.uk.com. Oh well, in for a penny.... I’ve watched them all. The views are my personal views and I hope that some of them may provide a useful starting point for you. So, get out all of your scarves and make-up and here goes:

There seem to be two main exponents of the style. The first is Carolena Nerricio who started Fat Chance Belly Dance and who devised the Tribal style with her students in 1987. It is a compilation of influences from North Africa, Egypt, India, Spain, Gypsy traditions and a bit of North American – particularly in the philosophy. Because there is a philosophy – for Carolena and the Fat Chance dancers, ‘Fat Chance’ is a way of life. Neither is it a life that has anything to do with being overweight. No, these women work out, drink water, eat salad, wear make-up, do their nails and talk like the Californian new women that they are. What they are is the fitness brigade and if you think they’ll do you a turn for nothing because they’re belly dancers – ‘Fat Chance’.

The most innovative feature of Carolena’s brainchild as I see it is that the group improvises rather that choreographs its performances. (See also comments on FCBD Volume 4, below.) Far from the shambolic arrangement that this suggests, the dancers know what they are doing and look beautiful; I especially liked their Taqasim (slow), sections. NB I understand from Terri that Carolena prefers not to travel abroad so don’t put off any purchases in the hope of seeing her in the flesh.

Paulette Rees-Denis is the accessible spirit of Tribal. After starting in the Fat Chance troupe she moved to Oregon and there formed a small troupe called ‘Gypsy Caravan’. She took with her the style of working in a group and of wearing a rich costume, complete with impressively huge headdress. If I have understood correctly, Gypsy Caravan normally choreograph rather than improvise their group dancing; it is fascinating to note that this makes for a less cohesive performance style than that of their slicker forebears. Members of Gypsy Caravan are often flickering their eyes to check what their neighbour is up to whereas the Fat Chance dancers are at all times completely focussed.

The style of Gypsy Caravan dancers is more individual; for example, group members wear different colour Cholis (tops), as opposed to the almost uniform black of Fat Chance. There is also a clear philosophy of ‘viva l’individuelle’ about other aspects of the Gypsy Caravan performers. One of their numbers, Dulcinea, is often used to demonstrate the moves on screen; she is an attractive and big woman. I think that this all-embracing ethos will have wide appeal amongst those who feel that what is vital about ‘our’ dance is that it is accessible to all. Lastly, there is not the emphasis on use of Zills (finger cymbals) that you will see throughout the rhythmic sections of the Fat Chance dancing. Paulette’s style is more akin to our Brit scene before the big influence from Cairo during the 1990s. The movements seem a mere development from ones with which I started and Paulette builds them in easy stages.

Both Carolena and Paulette are good teachers and they both have their own styles, which are very different from each other. I suspect that readers may be divided into ‘Carolena’ or ‘Paulette’ fans – I’ll leave you to guess into which camp I fell.

Paulette’s Videos:

Tribal Technique Volume 1
Definitely for the beginner, with extensive warm-up and slow pace.

This is also an early video and production is not great - eg creased backdrop is distracting and quality is that of good camcorder rather than film.

Tribal Technique Volume 2
Useful introduction to the structure of the video: Warm up, technique and drills (practice) with dancers of all shapes showing the moves from different angles. I wasn’t too sure of the safety of the warm up both here and in the preceding volume – the trouble with warm up on video is that you can’t keep an eye on your students as they copy. That they need to warm up is important – I preferred to cop out and advise people to learn about warm up locally on my ‘Learn Egyptian Dance’. Yer pays yer money, yer takes yer chance.

I am already finding Paulette’s lack of expression off- putting, ‘ This dance is a celebration of life – enjoy!’. She is looking pretty miserable – her face a mask that interferes greatly with my enjoyment of her dancing and my ability to pay attention to her teaching points. Her philosophy rings true and I am reliable informed by Lyn, our brilliant Editor, that, yes, Paulette is indeed the lovely lady I guessed her to be. I think she just adopts this on-screen mask for some reason that only she knows.

If I give you a list of the movements covered, they may seem unfamiliar but once the TV is on you’ll soon be dancing along: Double Maya; Egyptian Takseem (sic); Pestle; ½ Hip Curl, Small Corkscrew, Ghawazee Accent; Single Hip Bump Variations; Arab Hip Twist; Egyptian Basic with Half Turns.

Tribal Technique Volume 3
This is a recent addition to the products. The dancer is recommended to refer first to Volumes 1 and 2. I would have thought that a dancer with experience could pick up the style from this volume though. There are useful subtitles to give the names of the movements as they are being performed. It includes several steps and variations, a review and drill in duets, showing a short performance from all angles. Paulette is a great teacher and the Improver could get going on Tribal using this video.

Tribal Technique Volume 4
Running Time: 61 mins. Music available on CD.
There is a warm-up, a review of previous learning, 6 simple combinations and 4 more complex ones. A fair starting point for the intermediate or advanced student. The language might have you foxed but using the review to get up to speed you can learn a number of movements and see how to combine. All movements are then demonstrated by the troupe so if you learn by observing, you might notice different leads and formations and could probably pick them up with a bit of work.

I was much happier about Volumes 3 & 4. Both had improved quality of picture, background, slicker dancing and more smiling.

Paulette Rees-Denis and the Gypsy Caravan 1995-98 Caravan Trails
This is a series of live performances. We see the group dancing in the streets before entering venues, we see different costumes, some nice sword dancing, some effective special effects such as slow motion or sepia tone. We also see a Zaar which I found over-stylised and therefore not a relinquishing of control which is the whole point of Zaar. Also prolonged interviews with members of the group and the band through which I squirmed and cannot imagine that anyone would want to watch repeatedly as one might rightfully expect when paying for a medium like video. There were those expressionless faces again – notably Jeff Rees, musician (and partner) and Paulette’s tortured farewell: ‘Happy Dancing’. Quality of film was so poor on the hole that visibility was affected.

If you are starting out with Tribal, what you can see is a range of dancing, a range of types of venue and get a feel for what it is like to perform in each, what works what doesn’t. Or you may be collecting the full set – otherwise it’s hard to see that this video would be a first choice when buying.

Initiation and The Turning, produced and directed by Paulette Rees-Denis
If I wasn’t committed to this review, I would not go there. I am somehow reminded of those spooky expressionless faces from the earlier volumes and I feel a great sense of unease. These videos are for the serious Paulette fans only. The first is described as a music and dance mythical extravaganza, where a dancer, Beauty, goes on a journey of self-discovery. The second is a Creation Myth. At this point, either you draw nearer or you go and make a cup of tea.

Each have some occasional nice flashes of dancing, often assisted by slow motion. They show a range of styles other than Tribal and you might like them very much. For my money, they are both rather dark and difficult to see in places and I found the narrator’s jokes corny. It was like a school play. I wouldn’t pretend never to have produced a student show but I’m not selling the videos (£26 each)

Carolena’s Videos:

Fat Chance Belly Dance Live £25
This is a video from the Fat Chance camp that is similar in format to the Caravan Trails video above. We see the troupe in action at a variety of venues – see the admiring glances of their audience – including the spectators at a huge ball game. The quality again is not great. Running time is 1 hour and 40 minutes so what you do get is an overview of Fat Chance – what they look like, what they do, why they’re a legend and why they are unique. They belong to San Fransisco and they are Carolena Nericcio. They wear a uniform black Choli, are fit, are famously tattooed, do strong stomach pulsing, fluttering, relentless Zill playing, back bends to die for – they are a WOW! This video wouldn’t necessarily be your first choice to see these things – the shots are rarely full-length and I found myself getting bored but you do see the group at work.

Fat Chance Belly Dance Tribal Basics Volume 1 Revised. Dance Fundamentals.
Running time 75 mins
The film quality is good. Carolena covers posture, stretches, a breakdown and drill of the basic slow and fast moves. She then does a full review and simple combinations and transitions. There is a short performance by Fat Chance. It is not necessarily a video for the beginner. You would need prior knowledge of Warm Up and to be well acquainted with your body and its limitations. The Nericcio style does not cross-over directly from other styles, it is its own thing. The teaching is good with some great stretches and useful detail on posture and arms. It includes a section on Zills and the amazing Double Belly Roll.

Fat Chance Belly Dance Tribal Basics Volume 2 Make-Up and Costume £25
Oh joy. Dressing up. All you need to know to create the tribal look and some lovely insights into the importance of group relationships to the success of improvisations. Whether you’ve never been to a Boots counter or whether you’d like to know just how they get the headresses to stay on, this volume is for you. I imagine you can re-coup your expense just by charging more to perform in subsequent full splendour. NB it takes 2 hours to get made up and dressed in the tribal manner, so no nipping out to so a quick restaurant job 10 minutes after putting the fish fingers on the table at home.

Fat Chance Belly Dance Tribal Basics Video Workshop Volume 3 Zils £22
Running time 30 mins.
This is a comprehensive tutor on how to play Zills. I found Tejal’s coverage of this topic easier to follow in her video, ‘Improve the Belly Dancer in You’. Nevertheless, if you want to play Fat Chance style, Carolena teaches by explaining and counting the various rhythms used. You will have everything you need to know to be a Tribal Zill player, including which elastic to put on your cymbals, which rhythms to match with which steps, the different patterns of sounds, how to count your music, how to make different sounds ... er it’ll just be the practice now then.

Fat Chance Belly Dance Tribal Basics Volume 4 Advanced Workshop
£34. Running time: 75 mins. 1995
This Volume builds on the Tribal Basics Volume 1. Amongst the movements that are considered advanced are the beautiful hand Floreos (Spanish inspired), Deep Bodywave, Choo Choo arcs (!) and that famous flutter. The movements are taught at different levels and layer together to achieve the complete look. It is not that any one part is too difficult. Just that the whole is perfect.

There is footage of each step being performed and the troupe is immaculate. Every face at the same angle, every part of the body down to the little finger is in sync. The way that this is achieved is twofold: The Fat Chance style has only a limited selection of movements categorised in the familiar Taqasim/Rhythmic/Walks sections. The secret ingredient for me was the improvisation. The drills are all geared towards learning to improvise as a group so that there are no nervous glances to the dancers at either side. Dancers move as a body and take it in turns to lead or follow. There is no individual who outstrips her neighbour, not even Carolena; each shines in her turn as leader of the improvisation.

Carolena undoubtedly is a show-woman but all this know-how is poured into her troupe – and her videos. Such is the dedication to the ethos of group improvisation. The uniformity is carried into the costume with the characteristic and fantastic headwear being each dancer’s expression of individuality. Oh yes. And each has her signature eyeliner design. The devil is in the detail. So you’ve got job on if you’re going to learn all this. There again, its worth £34 to learn the Flutter.

Fat Chance Belly Dance Tribal Basics Volume 5 Cues and Transitions. £25
Volume 2 shows the importance of group relationships to the technique of improvisation and Volumes 1 & 4 give the steps with which to improvise. Volume 5 gives the key to Fat Chance’s success in improvising performance: following visual, and mutually understood, cues or signals.

Carolena makes a really nice point in the introduction, which is this: We improvise in life all the time – kissing when we meet, avoiding walking into people in the street (well, mostly). It is upon this human skill of using visual cues that she builds her ingenious system. She also adds – come up with your own ideas, use this video as an example. She can look a tough cookie on screen but this too, belies a warm spirit.

Each cue is explained, demonstrated and drilled by the troupe. The movements being linked are all covered in Volumes 1 and 4 so you may wish to refer to these if you can’t pick it up from Volume 5 alone. Carolena covers postures and stretches and explains that the common transitions are between fast to fast movements or slow to slow with the less common links being between fast and slow or vice versa. The key is in understanding the centre of gravity for each movement – highly scientific but easily explained on screen. I loved it. Oops, and there’s also that flutter and body wave again. Excuse me, I’m off for a practice.

Fat Chance Belly Dance Tribal Basics Video 6 Improvisational Choreography £25
In this video Carolena explains the formations which have worked for Fat Chance as they adopt their leader and follower style. To recap, Volume 5 shows possible Cues and Transitions (what we’re going to do now is ...) and Volume 6 shows exactly how one dancer will move seamlessly into position as the leader whilst another resumes a following role. Carolena covers solos, duets and trios in both fast and slow dancing. To commit to this further spending you are presumably dedicated to the whole Fat Chance look and may even be teaching a group, in which case, the outlay may seem a small price to pay. You might also purchase this Volume if the question of where group members can stand to optimise their view of a ‘leader’ is one that keeps you awake at night. The quality is good, Carolena’s explanations characteristically clear and the video starts with a section where Carolena is explaining her philosophy, which the would-be psychologists amongst us may enjoy.

Fat Chance Belly Dance: Tatooed One 1992
So far I haven’t much mentioned the tattooing that goes with North American Tribal Dance; there are some pretty impressive ones including my favourite of a grapevine completely encircling its owner’s torso. This video is for you if you just want to sit back and witness the origins and style of Carolena Nericcio and Fat Chance Belly Dance. You will see heavily ornate costumes, musicians, zills, solos, backbends, jewellery, dancing with jar balanced on head, sword, floorwork, Taqasim and Rhythm and the Tatoos.

So, are you off to join the Gypsies or fancy your Fat Chance?
You will have to work very hard if you want to look the part of a Fat Chancer. Given our climate you are going to have to be especially dedicated to your fitness programme. But you might adopt aspects of their work that you particularly admire or enjoy. A flower here, a back bend there. Integrate it with your own style and you too, will be a WOW! On the other hand, you and your friends will enjoy being able to access the impressive look of Gypsy Caravan. They are not perfect nor are they perfectly formed (in the commercial sense) but they are women like us who like to dance well, look fab in their rich costumes and enjoy dancing together. Do me a favour though: ‘This dance is a celebration of life, enjoy’. ‘Happy Dancing!’

Paulette Rees-Denis will be coming again to Britain in 2003.

All of the above videos, as well as ‘Jacqueline Jamal Dancing’ and ‘Learn Egyptian Dance’, can be purchased from Aladdin’s Cave on 01691 624380 or visit www.aladdinscave.uk.com

Next issue: The Tribal Cd’s.