Fusion Bellydance is a general term for styles that combine Bellydance technique to other styles of dance, like Contemporary Dance. Fusion Bellydance is a vast genre and what the dance looks like can vary between different dancers.
A very brief outlook on the history of Tribal fusion and how it was discovered.
The roots of Tribal Fusion are in Salimpour technique and FatChanceBellyDance style, which were developed based on more traditional Bellydance styles in the West coast of America. Simplified the story goes as follows:
Jamila Salimpour started to format the bellydance moves she saw Cabaret Bellydancers execute in their shows in the 1960s (Salimpour-format). She taught Masha Archer, who in turn taught Carolena Neroccio. Carolena brought influences outside Bellydance to her own dance style and created an improvisational format FatChanceBellyDance (FCBD). Jill Parker attended Carolena's classes and later developed Tribal Fusion, which spread effectively around the world via YouTube in the early 2000s. Especially in its early days, Tribal Fusion was considered the dark side of Bellydance with its dark outfits and grave looking dancers. Nowadays there are a lot of variety in costuming and style within Tribal Fusion.
More information:
Fusion Bellydance would not exist without the countries and cultures where Oriental Dance, nowadays often referred to as MENAHT dances, have been danced for thousands of years (the exact time is not known). It includes many different dances from the Middle-East, North-Africa, Hellenistic cultures and Turkey (MENAHT). Fusion Bellydance is based on these different dances, although it doesn't represent the original form of the dances.
The style that was previously known as Tribal Fusion nowadays carries the name Fusion Bellydance or sometimes Transcultural Fusion Dance. Typical for Tribal Fusion is very soft snake-like movements and sharp accents. These two elements can be combined together to form movement layers. Main focus is to create precice and enchanting movements with isolations, where only one part of your body is moving.
Photos: Samael Creative. Hallanmaa perfoming at Pimento Show.
History
About the dance style
Dark Fusion is an umbrella term for Fusion Bellydance that draws inspiration from metal music and grim stories. Dark Fusion dancers may use pagan or gothic themes, metal music and the imagery surrounding it as an inspiration.