So I was a little bummed by my visit to Tribal Fusion Fair in San Louis Obispo. Forgive me, I’m having an identity crisis.
I haven’t gone to any hafla’s or festivals in a few years. The first time or two I went to events, when I was actively taking more classes and newly excited by all things tribal and fusion, I felt like my own sense of aesthetic style had finally found itself a home.
I must be getting old and bitter and jaded though. Whenever I saw videos with yet another Rachel or Zoe wanna-be, I just figured the video was a few years old and I’d tell myself that copycat stuff really isn’t characteristic of the tribal scene.
Well from what I watched at Tribal Fusion Fair, the scene is kind of stale. I plan on going to TribalFest 2011 but I really do hope it’s not just more of the same. We’ll see.
I wasn’t able to arrive until about 5pm on Saturday, but I was eager to see some of the dancers who had workshops on Sunday. I didn’t want to sign up for anything unless I really liked the dancer’s work.
Workshops at fairs are a lot more expensive than drop in, and since I live in the bay area (with tons of good drop-in opportunities even if I have to drive a couple hours), I guess I’m fussy about who I’ll pay $40 for one hour class with.
I knew I’d love to see Anaar, Heather Shoopman and Unmata but I wasn’t sure of some of the other dancers.
– Steven Eggers –
Steven Eggers was a wonderful surprise. I’d only seen him in videos. He danced to a mash up of Beats Antique, and while his personae – that of “the most beautiful boy of belly dance”- was a bit too generically Zoe Jakes-ish, he moves beautifully.
Steven’s got really nice fluidity and his long lean arms, torso and fingers gracefully complement his dance. There’s something about the length of them all that adds a particularly nice quality to his performance. (Bummer for us shorties.)
He also did a quick succession of smooth spins that are a contrast to the one move I don’t like of Zoe’s; the ones she sometimes does that end very abruptly in a jolt. Those makes me cringe every time.
-Deb Rubin –
Deb Rubin was a bit of a disappointment. I was intrigued by the topic of her class on Sunday, deconstructing layers, which are really challenging for me. I was so disappointed by her performance, however, I decided against the class.
Maybe it was an off night. Surely it wasn’t helped by the fact that she followed the crowd pleaser Steven Eggers, and then the MC talked about how excited she was to announce Unmata….oops.
Deb’s costume didn’t quite match the music and mood either. The lower half was gorgeous, all white with silver or gold bugle beading that absolutely glowed under the stage light.
Her head scarf though was a darker and heavier looking black and silver, and I found myself noticing it and being distracted.
Also, at times she seemed to be really straining. It’s like Steven under challenged himself and looked effortless and she pushed herself and seemed like she struggled. I thought I saw her grimace. I dunno, it just didn’t work for me.
– Anaar –
Anaar is always wonderful to watch. I think she epitomizes the idea of fusion. She did a nuanced dance with a fan, very subtle with a wonderful sense of humor and play in her eyes. She had a dress that covered her up completely but you could still see her undulations and movements and her handling of the fan was poised with a very slow and deliberate tension. Wonderful!
– Jodi Waseca –
Jodi Waseca was a nice bonus! I saw a video of her performance at TribalFest from this year and I loved it! I admit I’m fond of dark and gothic, but excites me is fusion elements and performers who fearlessly push the envelope.
Jodi had a great interpretation of some very chaotic music,(I don’t know who it was at the moment), and came out with very disheveled hair and dress, reminiscent of some mental horror. I’m sure she’s been inspired by Butoh. (Don’t even get me started on the fabulous-ness that is Butoh, I just went to see Sankai Juku in San Francisco!)
Anyway,Jodi had this really great stiff body shimmy/shiver that was well displayed in her hands. Overall, an intense performance that had me at the edge of my seat, paying rapt attention. Lovely!
– Unmata –
Of course, Unmata closed the show. I do always love Unmata. Amy’s signature moves were ever present as well as the high energy and sense of play that’s often a big part of Unmata. While it wasn’t the best performance I’ve seen of them, Unmata is always a pleasure to watch.
Two of her troupe I’d never seen before, I don’t know if they’re understudies or there’s been some changes in the last few years, but…there it is. Unmata always rocks the house.
Well, actually, I believe it’s the Amy show that rocks the house. Honestly, I can’t be the only one who doesn’t wonder why she doesn’t just perform solo.
– Heather Shoopman –
My favorite performer, however, was Heather Shoopman. Hers was a spot on, crowd pleasing performance that flawlessly blended her hillbilly picking and twanging music with belly dance moves. Sounds absurd but it absolutely worked.
Her moves are crisp and her shimmies travel easily up and down with the music, her gestures, timing and facial expressions were all perfectly exquisite.
Her costume was also wonderful, not because it was remarkably memorable, but precisely because it wasn’t a distraction that draws too much attention to itself, like so many others. A costume should enhance the dancer and her dance. I remember specifically taking notice of how her hip medallions did their job accentuating her hip movement, and thinking “thank goodness for dancers who knows how to costume themselves”.
Flawless.
