One of the most common debates circulating the belly dance community is the topic of the growing prevalence of fusion forms of belly dance.

There are three main opinion factions:
those who are staunchly against it
those who are gung-ho for it and
the rest who really don’t care either way, as long as it works.

In the first group, there are those who have never really seen any fusion, but the mere idea of what it could entail sends them into heart palpitations. The others perhaps have been victims of bad fusion performances. Both types simply call on different aspects of human nature: fear of the unknown and “once bitten, twice shy.” It is wise to consider the truth that fear inhibits growth and knowledge, but there’s also something to be said about preserving tradition.

The second group is a bit more diverse, and not so easy to generalize about. Some folks are just looking to shake things up a bit, liven up their dancing, do something a bit different—so they play a bit, adding in some new elements. Others are looking to create a new art-form stemming from their favorite inspirations, carefully measuring out the parts like scientists or gourmet chefs. The need to explore and play are also integral parts of human nature. The key thought here is that mixing pigments on a canvas does not necessarily lead to a good painting, unless one understands the elements of design.

The last group just want to see good dancing. You can’t blame them for not wanting to get dragged into the mess.

Where do you fit in? And where do I fit it into all of this? Good question, but not an easy answer. Well, I don’t know about you, and where you’re coming from…but I do know me. First and foremost, I am an artist. That is my honest-to-goodness profession, and I began my training in the fine arts at the tender age of 3, and finished my “official training” with a BFA at RISD, but the learning still goes on. Therefore, my whole mindset has been sculpted by the teachings of the fine art world. It affects everything I do, so when I began dancing, I looked at the dance as a means to creating a different type of visual art.

Since I brought up the touchy subject of art, I’d like to talk about this word in relation to the belly dance community. Now, there’s a lot of nonsense out there about people throwing stuff together and being unsure what to call it really, they call it art. This willy-nilly behavior doesn’t benefit the dancer, the dance, artists in general, nor the larger community. (Of course, there are those who believe that belly dancing isn’t an art in any sense of the word, and I’m not referring to minds in the general public.)

Abandon the bad attitudes applied to the word, and consider what it truly refers to. Webster’s dictionary has the following to offer us:
-the conscious use of skill and creative imagination
-skill acquired by experience, study, or observation
-an occupation requiring knowledge or skill or a branch of learning

Note the use of the word skill in all of the definitions, and the use of imagination with gaining knowledge. True fusion requires skill, vision, and focus. It means a departure from the norm, and a step into the world of exploration; sometimes creating something new, different, unique, and perhaps wonderful or shocking.

Art also implies the use of education – whether it’s in the process of creating the fusion or performing the piece – and hopefully it’s found within both. This underlying factor means that for the creation process, several things are happening on many levels. First, there is the education involved in acquiring knowledge and expertise in the areas being brought together. Second, there is the formulation of bringing elements of the separate categories together – what works, what doesn’t work – testing it out like any good theory using the Scientific Method. And then there’s what happens when the piece is brought to the audience – for what both the dancer and the audience may learn from the experience. If the artist can, at some level – whether it’s conscious or sub-conscious – consider the effect of the piece upon the audience, then chances are, the piece will be more powerful. Why?

Well, art is the mirror of society. It shows past, present, and future. From one of my artist statements:

“Art is a question and answer session. It's the artist's solution to the scientific method, without the necessity for being precise or having to reproduce a predictable outcome. Art making is simply visual brainstorming, as well as a reflection of the birth process: conception, gestation, birth! So, art making tends to be a process of personal revelation for the artist. So what is the final result's purpose then? The art then acts a means to inform and educate the community; it becomes a visually oriented teaching tool that has the potential to truly enlighten.”

Also, consideration of both self and audience brings the fusion to another possible level. If the piece is successful, it has within it the potential for growth and further exploration.

All forms of art (or more specifically in this case, dance) started somewhere, collided with other ideas, and grew from there. It is the nature of art to evolve, because as human beings, we are always moving, changing, and our individual movements reflect the greater face of society. Most importantly, evolution requires a firm grounding in both tradition and legacy. Without a strong matrix to start from, a “mutation” from the “normal” will not survive the process.

So, stepping away from all these abstract concepts now…what does this all mean to us? How do we apply it as dancers?

As dancers, we owe to ourselves and our audience to strive for the best in our performance – regardless of our level of technique and experience. If we strive for the best, and know what we’re capable of, that’s a solid first step. From there, it’s a matter of evaluating the idea and working through the process.

For me, an idea starts from vision, something birthed by tangible inspirations. Then I consider how it can be a dance performance piece. What would it feel like? How would the movements be? What would the costuming and makeup consist of, and how do I capture this vision best in the music? And how and where do I present this piece to my audience – what is it that I want them to take away from it? How do I want them to feel? (And WHO is my audience anyway?) These questions allow for a positive critique approach from conception to off the stage, and beyond.

This mindset and flexibility is at the heart of “good fusion.” And if we can appreciate the process from both perspectives, we’re all on our way to being better dancers and a better audience, regardless of our personal preferences.

"Mayuri" at "Leela's Arabia Exotica 2005, Hollywood, CA", photo by Mathew Caine

Comments
Tasnim
As an artist myself, I understand that all art is fusion, especially in dance. Middle eastern dance especially flows from the experience and confidence of the dancer with her dance form & with her body, and most importantly her comfort with expressing her soul. Combining these things in themselves is art. Middle Eastern dance is complex and layered. It it a dance of contrast, sublty and sharp, separating the upper body with the lower body and layering the various shimmies as a accent to enhance various parts of the music. Some people demean the dance form by thinking that they'll take class for 6 months & they'll have it down. They don a costume and shimmy for 5 mins and think that it represents the form. This form is more than figure eights, hip circles, snake arms and shimmies. In really exquisite middle eastern dance the movements appear to be effortless, free, and controlled at the same time. That takes years to master. So unless someone has been studying middle eastern dance for years and has mastered that beauty they have no business "fusing" it with something else and saying that it is "fusion" with middle eastern dance. Real artists have a responsibilty to their audience and to their art to represent it in a manner that nutures interest and respect for their craft. Many people already have a negative idea about middle eastern dance, so care has to be given in it's representaion. I'm not saying that fusing two or more dance forms is not good. I just think that you should taste and savor each ingredient first before mixing and giving it a fusion title. Tasnim

alWajdi
Nice article! Tempest, how do you always manage to have such fabulous photos?! Saraab al-Wajdi