Customer Reviews

Tribal Revolution: Tribal Fusion Bellydance Performances

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The dances on this dvd seem rushed somehow. As though it was a quick shoot, then badly edited. The performers were beautiful, performances were cut strangely, many times the film editing zero'd in on the boobs!

This dvd is ok. not wonderful like some of the others.

There is a lot of Tribal Bellydance out there these days. Most of it can be compared to the infestation of teenage vampire novels and movies that we are currently experiencing: addictive, dark, eclectic, brooding and getting old.

I enjoyed much of this DVD. Not all of it, but that comes down to personal taste, doesn't it? Some of the dances on this DVD may be pushing the "Tribal Fusion" envelope, but I don't care. At least I found it interesting to watch, and there are parts I have gone back and watched again and again in order to learn something new and add variety to my own practice.

The Good:
Mira Betz opens with a mystifying "cabaribal" piece whose emotion blows me away. I will admit to warming up by shadowing this dance on a regular basis.
Zoe Jakes and Kami Liddle do some good stuff- although it's not their best (but I've seen them live a few times so...)
There are a few duets that I found were well put together, such as Ultra Gypsy's.
Aubre - holy rubber-bodied snake girl dance! I don't know if I love it or I hate it, but I can't stop watching it!!!
Subee Djinn: There is a very cool connection there - like those ladies can see into each other's souls.


The Bad: (take with a grain of salt!)
I could have left the faux-20s fan dance by Princess Farhana (who seriously needs to work on her isolation skills!)
The quasi-jazz stripteasesque number by the Nekiya. Totally NOT into that style of fusion.
Oh - and Domba's "African Fusion" features some epic blunders (If you're into that style enough to watch it all the way through).
Katie Kay, I admit was entertaining for the first minute, then I just spend the rest of the time wondering whether her face would freeze into one of those fake pouts she was pulling.

The upshot:
What I do like about it, I like enough to give it 4 stars.

I would have rated this video higher had it been longer than it was; each dancer only had one performance, as opposed to other comparable DVD's that give them two or more dances. My favorite dancers were Kami Liddle and whoever the first dancer was (her name slipped my mind). I didn't like the afro-fusion thing much, mainly because when I hear African drum beats, I don't expect a bunch of peppy blond girls to be dancing to it.

While I never really liked Zoe Jakes, this DVD was made early in her career it seems, and her segment here is kind of laughable. She is hardly the well-refined dancer she is today, doing a dance that not only does not follow the music very well but also has her doing some crazy spins. I'm glad she sorted out her style eventually, but I am still not one of her fans.

Much better than Tales of Desire 2. While there were many performances on here I didn't care for, three stood out. I was unfamiliar with the first dancer, Mira Betz, but was pleasantly surprised. Two dancers attracted me to the DVD, Zoe Jakes(who went on to become a Bellydance Superstar) and Ariellah (of the Indigo and WorldDanceNewYork), and neither disappointed. Skip Tales of Desire 2; get this one instead.

the purpose of this dvd is to show you how Tribal fusion started. So if you think that the dvd is going to be anything like the cover, it's not! There are a couple of dancers that are dancing in traditional TF attire, but the majority seem to be in cabaret costumes and dancing cabaret style. Not to say they arent good dancers. i was just expecting more established TF style.

This is a very entertaining DVD for all belly dancers, no matter of your style preference.