It’s not about vanity and much less is it about sex, contrary to many people’s misconceptions. Instead, it’s all about having fun and gaining confidence in yourself, tribal belly dance leader Mares tells Anna-Marie Galea.
Known as belly-dancing’s rebellious sister, tribal fusion is a modern, Western form of belly-dancing which was created by fusing American, tribal-style, belly dance (ATS) with American cabaret belly dance. Artists frequently incorporate elements from popping, hip hop, Egyptian or cabaret, as well as movement principles from more traditional forms and other folkloric and classical dance styles. It was this peculiar, yet highly energetic, mesh of styles and influences which first drew Barcelona-born dancer Mares to embark on the tribal fusion journey. This journey has seen her form a family of dancers who are motivated by love and respect for dance and above all else, each other.
Photo: Matthew Mirabelli“As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to dance. When I was young, I studied ballet and continued to learn contemporary dance. For me, dancing was never a hobby, but the ultimate way of expressing myself. From when I started studying dance at L’Aula, Escola de Dansa, I was always interested in different genres and was forever trying new things; in fact, before I settled on tribal fusion, I studied contemporary dance with Mossa García, jazz with María Jesús Enrique and hip-hop with Kanga Valls. When I eventually tried belly dancing, I felt like it was lacking something and that’s what got me into tribal fusion. Tribal fusion is a branch of the American tribal style belly dance movement, so there is a lot of choreography and improvisation involved. Tribal Ffsion literally allowed me to combine all the things I had learnt together and evolve them into a living, changing thing. I constantly improvise with my troupe and we change style according to the troupe’s needs. Nothing is static and this is yet another aspect which draws me to it.”
For Mares, her troupe is more than just a group of people who have come together to express themselves and, in fact, she considers them to be her family: “When I first came to Malta to learn English, I searched high and low for a troupe because I wanted a sense of belonging. When I realised that there was very little going on, I started to give workshops both here and back in Spain. It was from that point onwards that the tribes kept growing and growing. Something I am very proud of and have gotten great feedback from is the exchange program which we organise annually between our tribe in Malta (the Serpentamoras) and our other tribe in Tarragona (the Blue Shadows & Miau Tribe).
We primarily dance for ourselves and everyone is invited to take part, regardless of age or physical condition
“I measure their success by the unforgettable experiences which are exchanged and the precious links we have created – I even have students who are learning English or Spanish to be able to communicate better with their exchanges. It is truly wonderful to see women coming together and bonding through dance and having fruitful friendships as a result. My dream is to open this wonderful experience to other countries in Europe and have an even bigger community of dancers sharing their feelings, experiences and lives; nothing would make me happier.”
Indeed, communication is key to the kind of dance which Mares espouses: “We primarily dance for ourselves and everyone is invited to take part, regardless of age or physical condition. What matters the most is the motivation to learn and the passion for dance itself. Tribal fusion is good for absolutely everyone and, apart from the fact that it is good for your abs and glutes and helps to give you confidence in yourself, it is also beneficial to pregnant women, as it strengthens their pelvis and facilitates the birth process. Anyone can join and I insist on beginner’s training in order to give people the tools to understand their bodies better and improve their postures. Ultimately, it’s for all those who are looking for a safe and happy place to express themselves.”
Exuding passion, Mares considers dance to be a form of therapy and art: “In the same way that some people express themselves through music or art, others such as myself express themselves through dance where we adapt ourselves to our feelings and bring everything we are to the different movements we create. There is no hierarchy in my tribe, but just a learning space where we push ourselves to improve and be free of insecurities and restrictions. We do not want this to a mere activity, but a time of beautiful and intimate expression with ourselves. It brings me great satisfaction and fulfilment to see beginners training and growing, because we are a community of people brought together by the greatness and magic of this fused dance style and its philosophy of acceptance.”
www.facebook.com/TribalBellyDanceMalta
This article first appeared in Circle magazine, distributed with The Sunday Times of Malta
