06.06.08
Tribal Fest 8: The Year of Infinite Possibilities
Talk to any tribal or tribal fusion bellydancer and they will tell you – Tribal Fest is one of those events that you should not pass up. This year, Kate, Shannon and I were lucky enough to be able to attend Tribal Fest 8, and I have to agree with them. As far as life experiences go, I’d have to put this one in my top five.
Tribal Fest is a five-day event that takes place the third week of May each year in Sebastopol, California. Hundreds of bellydancers from around the world descend on this small Sonoma town for workshops, vending, and two and a half days of nonstop performances. Most classes last for two hours, and are taught by some of the day’s top tribal and tribal fusion bellydancers. Attendees range from fairly new beginning dancers to Bellydance Superstars to Ren Faire veterans; without a doubt – there is something for everyone.
When I decided to make this happen, I thought big. I scheduled ten classes. I saved all of my extra cash for nearly six months. I obsessed with Shannon about the classes, performances, and shopping, and couldn’t sit still until we stepped off of the plane in San Francisco.
There were so many classes. I took two banghra workshops – a more traditional one with Vicki Virk of Dholrhythms, and a competition style one with Samantha Riggs of Boom Boom Bollywood, both of which left me breathless. I learned new combinations and stylistic nuances from Shakra, Kami Liddle, Mardi Love, and Heather Stants. Amy Sigil of Unmata rocked my world with a taste of her energy and challenging repertoire. John Compton taught me about the roots of tribal bellydance, and Blue Lotus showed me some fun new American Tribal Style combinations. I even took a Pirate Bellydance class from Samantha Riggs – now that was fun!
The performances started Friday afternoon and ran through Sunday. It was a very cool experience to be able to sit and watch a few performances, go to class or visit the vendors outside, and come back and watch more. There were so many very talented performances, but a few just blew me away. Dholrhythms put on a banghra show that made me want to get up and dance with them. Asharah, who I’d met earlier that day, threw down an amazing gothic bellydance performance with some of the hardest hits and cleanest stop-motion technique I’ve seen. On Saturday, John Compton and Hahbi ‘Ru put on a 30 minute folkloric show – John did the most amazing tray balancing dance I’ve ever seen. And even though these performances (and so many others) were so wonderful, my favorite two were Unmata and The Indigo. Unmata just blew me away. I was on the edge of my seat for the whole show. Their energy and sass were amazing to behold. The Indigo put on a Vaudeville bellydance show complete with an appearance by Brass Menazeri. I’d seen so many videos, but there is nothing like seeing them live. It was truly amazing.
We left Sebastopol on Sunday, heads filled with ideas and memories, bags loaded with goodies, very sad to go. This trip has opened my eyes a little wider and changed my entire outlook on both my dance and my future as a dancer. I have been inspired to practice harder and push myself farther. I’m dreaming big and absolutely dedicated to making big things happen!!
And of course I’m going back next year.
Thanks Brian. And to his lovely wife, and my friend and former dance classmate, Thank you for helping judge our Saturday competition.
