Happy new year!

I've been reading a lot lately about what other dancers think of tribal fusion or fusion belly dance, the scene and it's dancers. It's been about the disappointment they've been feeling about the lack of 'sisterhood' in the dance and the craze to discover the latest cool thing to fuse into belly dance to make them the newest sensation. The lack of originality and of true passion for the dance.

Frankly, I try to keep myself a little out of the larger tribal fusion scene in order to concentrate on my own scene. I'm not shoving my head in the sand in any way. I do take the odd workshop here and there to see other dancers, I watch YouTube every now and again, and I talk to my friends who are some of the makers and shakers in the TF world.

For the most part though, I read about dance (not just belly dance), I find and listen to new music and choreograph what I feel regardless of what the rest of the TF dancers are up to. I have goals and reasons for each of my pieces that I create or perform (as much of my solo work in improv) and those goals and reasons are constantly changing to reflect the changes in my life. To reflect the things that are important to me and to my dance. To reflect what I have decided to explore for the now. I rarely perform solo to the same music twice.

Long ago, I tired of watching the same dances over and over again performed by one of the 'top' local belly dance companies. Where is the creativity? Where is the self expression? Where is the growth?

To me, belly dance is all about self expression and it's a continuation of my life journey (god, that sounds so new age trashy) and so my dance will continue to change. The others? Ah, each to their own, no?