FAQ
- What do you teach?
- How long will it take me to learn?
- Where are classes held?
- How much do classes cost?
- What should I expect?
- Do I need any previous dance experience?
- What should I wear?
- Do I need to bring anything else?
- What music do you use?
- Am I joining a 'tribe'?
- I have another question...
Q. What do you teach?
I present purely American Tribal Style® (no GC, BSB or other improvised dance formats, no combos created by other dancers, no choreography and no fusion) in the way it was intended by its creator and curator, Carolena Nericcio. Any steps you learn in my class other people who have studied ATS® will recognise and you will be able to dance together. Even dancers of other improvised Tribal formats as well as Tribal Fusion widely recognise that ATS® is one of the foundations of their dance and many have studied it. I include a variety of isolation exercises in class to help with muscle memory and stamina.
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Q. How long will it take for me to learn?
There is no real answer to this question because everyone learns at a different pace. However, if you attend classes consistently every week, pay attention and practice at home you should have a good understanding of what's going on within a few months.
Do not go hard on yourselves and expect to be perfect straight away! You may be sharing the class with others who have taken it once, twice or maybe more before now, so please don't judge yourself based on the abilities of others.
Once you start taking classes it will quickly become obvious that to benefit and progress well you should attend regularly. I include an amount of review in the Level 1 class that I feel is appropriate. Level 2 doesn't include a review of Level 1 movements. The main feature of American Tribal Style® is the uniformity of steps so several dancers can dance together improvisationally. To achieve this magic of improvisation all dancers need the same vocabulary. Without it the outside dancer can easily follow, but the result is the frustration of the more knowledgeable dancers who have to slow down to accommodate the newcomer.
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Q. Where are classes held?
Classes are held at the Phoenix Centre, 132A Mile Cross Road, Norwich, NR3 2LD - GoogleMap
The history of the Phoenix Centre
The Phoenix Centre is based in the former Baptist church on Mile Cross Road, Mile Cross, Norwich. The campaign for local youth facilities began in Mile Cross in 1985 when a group of local parents who were concerned about the lack of local leisure and social opportunities for young people made an approach to Norfolk County Council’s Youth and Community Services for a centre in Mile Cross for the young people of the area. In 1988, local parents achieved their goal with the official opening of the Phoenix Centre on Peterson Road.
Unfortunately in May 1998 severe restrictions in funding led NYCS to make the difficult decision to close almost all of its youth centres across the County. The Phoenix Centre was one of over 30 centres which faced closure. Local parents once again became concerned about the potential lack of local facilities that the closure of the Centre would create and began a campaign to save the Phoenix Centre.
A group of local volunteers, calling themselves The Mile Cross Phoenix Children’s Project, was formed and began to explore the possibility of running the Centre. A fund-raising campaign began and a formal request was submitted to NYCS for permission to take over the management of the Centre. Negotiations with NYCS went on for over a year until in August 1998 it was agreed that the Phoenix Centre could be handed over to the local community.
In March 1999 The Project became a Registered Charity and in November of the same year, the Project’s trustees became the official lease-holders of the Phoenix Centre. Since that point, the Project has gone from strength to strength and has developed a wide range of new activities and groups. In 2006 after an almost nine year campaign the children’s project moved from the worn out portacabins on Peterson Road to the former Baptist Church on Mile Cross Road. This was bought and refurbished with £500,000 funding raised by the volunteers of the children’s project.
Q. What do classes cost?
Classes run in blocks of 6 weeks, which are payable in advance to secure your space. A course of 6 classes, one per week, costs £30.
Q. What should I expect?
This dance is growing in popularity all over the world and gradually we are reclaiming the term 'bellydance' as something to be proud to study and enjoy. For too long this art form has been misrepresented and not given the respect it deserves.
If you want to learn how to dance provocatively, this probably isn't for you. Any dance can be performed inappropriately. We won't be doing that to our beloved American Tribal.
Now that I've got that off my chest...
The Phoenix Centre is a small community centre that serves the Mile Cross area of Norwich. Our practice room is part of a building shared with an assortment of bands using it for practice, youth and childrens' activity groups. We don't have mirrors or a sprung dance floor - it isn't glamourous but the people who run it are friendly and they don't mind the noisy finger cymbals at odd hours ;)
My classes always begin with a warm up, stretches and a review of correct dance posture. They can and usually include (depending on level) a mix from:
- A new step; breaking it down, cues, transitions in and out, how it can be turned / travelled
- A review of a step learnt previously
- Small group formations for improvisation
- Armwork drills
- Spinning drill
- Zil rhythms and drills
- Chorus with the whole class
- 'Mini-performance' to rest of the class
- On-the-spot 'Show me a...'
After we're done we will do some stretches and a cool down to get you ready to go home.
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Q. Do I need any previous dance experience?
Not at all, we will start from the ground up. Many people (myself included) came straight to bellydance with little prior dance experience. If you are prepared to work hard you will get there.
If you have experience in other forms of bellydance but no Tribal experience you will need to start with Fundamentals as while it is influenced by Egyptian bellydance there are many key differences. You may need to overcome a degree of previously acquired muscle memory, so be prepared for and open to this. For more information about how, read more about ATS®.
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Q. What should I wear?
For your first classes you should wear something comfortable that you can exercise in until you decide that you want to continue with lessons, preferably nothing too baggy on top to enable me to easily check your posture; like a vest or fitted t-shirt. There is no need to bare the midriff unless you would like to! Also layers = good. Bring a cardi or shrug to keep you warm until we get going or for during Q&A / discussion sessions.
When you are ready for costuming, I recommend a full skirt worn at the hips, pantaloons (full, blousey trousers gathered at the ankle) or tights underneath, a shawl or scarf tied around the hips, and a choli top. Triangular shaped scarves work well and are easy to tie securely. Likewise a choli helps focus your attention on what your ribcage is doing, plus the open back style are lovely and airy to dance in. I can provide information on where to find these items should you need it.
We dance in bare feet or soft-soled dance slippers if you prefer, as the floor can get a bit community-centre (although it will be swept before class). Socks may lead to you slipping unless they are those funky ones with the non-slippy bits on the sole so please avoid them. I can provide details of where to get suitable footwear if required.
Bring your Tribal belt / hip scarf if you have one. I have a few to lend out if your hips lack swish! I find wearing a scarf or hip belt draws your attention and helps you focus on that hip line, so do wear one :) Extra-noisy belts are best avoided however as they can be a little distracting but nothing wrong with a bit of jinglybling!
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Q. Do I need to bring anything else?
Please don't forget your water bottle as you should take a water break in class whenever you feel the need.
Bring finger cymbals (a.k.a. zils / sagat) if you have them, their playing will be taught and encouraged as they are an important part of American Tribal Style® bellydance :) If you don't have your own let me know - I have some basic sets available to borrow. If you would like to buy yourself a set speak to me - I can recommend where to get them based on your budget. Like any instrument, you get what you pay for, but they vary and some are easier to play than others. I highly recommend getting your own; so you can adjust the elastic to fit your fingers comfortably but securely for a reasonable amount of time (and so you can practice with them at home and annoy the neighbours!)
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Q. What music do you use?
I try to use a nice mix of music in class and am always on the ear-out for suitable tracks. In class I tend to stick to a playlist so that you will grow to recognise and be able to improvise to them more easily. I use mainly traditional Middle Eastern rhythms, with the occasional modern mix and random track-for-fun! I am happy to provide you with details of any music you like so that you can buy it for yourselves.
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Q. Am I joining a 'tribe'?
If a tribe is a good way to describe the people who come together locally to dance then yes, if you like :)
The 'Tribal' in American Tribal Style® refers to the dancers working as a group dressed in 'tribal' or ethnic costume; kuchi jewellery, indian style choli tops, coin bras, full gypsy-style skirts and performed to ethnic, tribal-influenced music. One of the nice aspects of ATS® costuming is that many dancers sew their own costumes, so if you are a crafter you may get some ideas for future projects.
All the above considered, plus the fact it is loads of fun and great exercise mean that many people have grown to love this dance all across the world, despite it being relatively unknown in 'the outside world'.
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Q. I have another question...
Drop me a line! I live sleep and breathe this dance so feel free to send me a message and I would be happy to answer any questions you have :)
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