Carolena Nericcio ~ The Mother of Tribal Style

Imagine this: there was a time in history, a long time ago,

when the bounce and sway of a woman’s hips

was considered so beautiful that they set it to music

and made a dance out of it...

~ Carolena Nericcio

Carolena is the creator and leader of American Tribal Style Belly Dance. She teaches and performs with her troupe Fat Chance Belly Dance. You can have a look at her website here: http://www.fcbd.com

The troupe name comes from the inevitable question every belly dancer will be asked: "Do you do private shows?"  To which Carolena would indignantly reply: "Fat chance!" Her dance moves and costume inspiration stems from middle eastern, indian and north african roots.

Carolena's most incredible accomplishment, in my opinion, is the dance language of cues that allows for pure improvisation. An ATS dancer from Spain, who speaks only Spanish, can meet with an ATS dancer from China who speaks only Chinese. They may not be able to introduce themselves or talk about the weather, but if you set them to music, they will be able not only to dance but to perform - and no one would ever guess that it wasn't long rehearsed choreography. I think it is a dance miracle if there is such a thing, and an incredible experience to witness or be part of!

It is this same philosophy of improvisation that seems to create the ambience of ATS dance. Improvisation forces the dancers to trust each other and rely upon each other. This is evident from the very first session. What a relief from society's constant mental bombardment of focusing on the self to be able to enjoy a dance that trains you to build each other up instead.


That's what the tribal way of life is all about! Thank-you Carolena!