http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetarian-recipes/cool-crudite-veggies-with-a-minted-pea-aI really like the title.
Dip is something new and Westernized I learned from my New York period. It is great allure to give bagel a bite. Since breads at Taiwan are generally super soft like marshmallow, when I first had bagel at campus cafeteria I thought I was wrongly eating a dry-out and left-over bun. Then my friends taught me to put cream cheese or other dips. It is such wonderful experience! I felt for the hard-core Western-style breads since then. Thanks to those delicious dips!
Like dips, tribal bellydance in a way is the same case to me and others here. Many were attracted by the super cool outfit, the snake-like elegant movements and the mystique and yet confident look Rachel Brice had in the legendary BDSS DVD. Outstanding from other dancers who wear two pieces costume with such girlie sweetness and charm, Rachel Brice provides a great example indicating there is more than one style in bellydance world. She shows us that there is always something different from the stereo-type aesthetic value available. I felt so intrigued by the fact that we could have choices.
At that time, very few bellydancers/instructors were available at Taiwan and most instructors we had then taught exclusively cabaret style or something similar to this style – many of them were directly or indirectly trained with Violet Lee, who introduced bellydance to Taiwan from Israel where she persuaded advanced study.
Lacking of accessibility is one major reason that tribal bellydance was not popular while the fact local bellydance community just encountered with bellydance and it was already big enough to explore probably is another major reason.
Around 2005, few years after bellydance was introduced to Taiwan and it gradually developed into a more mature community, people still remember Rachel and her unique style. Some pioneers began to find ways to “be like Rachel,” in terms of performance style, costume, and technique. Till nowadays, the iconic Rachel look in early Indigo period remains the first impression as well as main stream of tribal bellydance to local bellydancers, instructors and students. Public audiences have less impression and understandings on tribal bellydance since the mass media heavily addresses the sexy, seductive, and pretty harem fantasy.
Another reason for Rachel and her Indigo style so well-received by local bellydance community is probably that she didn't use finger cymbals for performance. Rachel does play finger cymbals and she is indeed a very good finger cymbal player. Somehow during the early Indigo period, she didn’t show much about finger cymbals. Since finger cymbal is a musical instrument rather than a dance prop, it requires longer time and much effort to be able to manage it with dance. In the meanwhile, it also requires understandings and experiences on musical theories and Arab/ME rhythmatic knowledge, which most local dancers don’t really have.
That's why ATS is introduced to Taiwan later than Rachel Brice and her tribal fusion bellydance and ATS remains less popular than the Indigo style. It is just like the hard bread or bagel underneath those yummy dips or cream cheese. At first we are attracted by the fresh outlook of tribal bellydance, and as we know more about it, we realize there is much more effort and challenge out there. (I wrote specifically on tribal bellydance at Taiwan for Devi Mamak and I will post the link later!)
Dip is something new and Westernized I learned from my New York period. It is great allure to give bagel a bite. Since breads at Taiwan are generally super soft like marshmallow, when I first had bagel at campus cafeteria I thought I was wrongly eating a dry-out and left-over bun. Then my friends taught me to put cream cheese or other dips. It is such wonderful experience! I felt for the hard-core Western-style breads since then. Thanks to those delicious dips!
Like dips, tribal bellydance in a way is the same case to me and others here. Many were attracted by the super cool outfit, the snake-like elegant movements and the mystique and yet confident look Rachel Brice had in the legendary BDSS DVD. Outstanding from other dancers who wear two pieces costume with such girlie sweetness and charm, Rachel Brice provides a great example indicating there is more than one style in bellydance world. She shows us that there is always something different from the stereo-type aesthetic value available. I felt so intrigued by the fact that we could have choices.
At that time, very few bellydancers/instructors were available at Taiwan and most instructors we had then taught exclusively cabaret style or something similar to this style – many of them were directly or indirectly trained with Violet Lee, who introduced bellydance to Taiwan from Israel where she persuaded advanced study.
Lacking of accessibility is one major reason that tribal bellydance was not popular while the fact local bellydance community just encountered with bellydance and it was already big enough to explore probably is another major reason.
Around 2005, few years after bellydance was introduced to Taiwan and it gradually developed into a more mature community, people still remember Rachel and her unique style. Some pioneers began to find ways to “be like Rachel,” in terms of performance style, costume, and technique. Till nowadays, the iconic Rachel look in early Indigo period remains the first impression as well as main stream of tribal bellydance to local bellydancers, instructors and students. Public audiences have less impression and understandings on tribal bellydance since the mass media heavily addresses the sexy, seductive, and pretty harem fantasy.
Another reason for Rachel and her Indigo style so well-received by local bellydance community is probably that she didn't use finger cymbals for performance. Rachel does play finger cymbals and she is indeed a very good finger cymbal player. Somehow during the early Indigo period, she didn’t show much about finger cymbals. Since finger cymbal is a musical instrument rather than a dance prop, it requires longer time and much effort to be able to manage it with dance. In the meanwhile, it also requires understandings and experiences on musical theories and Arab/ME rhythmatic knowledge, which most local dancers don’t really have.
That's why ATS is introduced to Taiwan later than Rachel Brice and her tribal fusion bellydance and ATS remains less popular than the Indigo style. It is just like the hard bread or bagel underneath those yummy dips or cream cheese. At first we are attracted by the fresh outlook of tribal bellydance, and as we know more about it, we realize there is much more effort and challenge out there. (I wrote specifically on tribal bellydance at Taiwan for Devi Mamak and I will post the link later!)
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