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I just wanted to share a wonderfully positive
experience I am having working with live musicians. My tribal bellydance troupe "Tribalation!" is going to be featured in
an all-tribal dance show with the music group Americanistan later this month in Eugene, Oregon([late] June [...], in case
you are in the area! Our own MED-list member Denise Gilbertson, Dunyah al Hana, is the director of Americanistan. When
Denise asked me if I wanted to do an all-tribal show I thought first about the music. Americanistan plays for Middle Eastern
dance events all over the Northwest, and much of their sound
is geared for cabaret style dancers. I had selected three
pieces from their 2 new CDs that I wanted them to play ("N'Etana", from Mosaic, and "Camel Caravan" and "Spirit of Mother
Earth", from Journey East, are excellent for Tribal dance, folks!) but I wondered if we'd be able to put together enough tribal-sounding
material for a whole show.
I need not have worried! Denise worked with me over the past few weeks to develop the plan
for instrumentation and sound we were looking for, and it all seemed to come together yesterday as my troupe practiced with
their band. What a group! Their talented musicians can play a diverse assortment of fabulous folkloric sounding instruments.
We had big sassy percussion with doumbeks and tars, somber clarinet, folksy sounding sipsis, zurna, mizmar, and cumbus, mysterious
duduk, shruti box, and ney flute, plus oud, saz,
riqq, shakers, and many instruments I cannot even name. One haunting
wooden flute and tar piece actually brought us to tears! We put together over an hour's worth of amazing sounding music,
and I can't wait to present this at the show. The musicians were fun and easy to work with, and they actually listened to
what we wanted and watched the dancers to know when we were ready to end our songs. One of the band members, Fred, is excellent
at transcribing music, and! he was able to figure out the notes to "Salamaat" just from my dance partner Arwyn and I singing
it, and then he turned around and played it for us on his erhu, a stringed instrument that sounds like a rebaba). Wow! What
a guy.
I encouraged Denise and Wayne of Americanistan to consider putting together a tribal CD next, and they said
they just may do that. Anyway, I just wanted to share my very positive experience in working with live musicians, and I hope
that you all out there have such marvellous experiences, too! (And if you get a chance to dance with Americanistan, grab it!).
PS though I do not benefit monetarily from mentioning Americanistan, the directors, Denise and Wayne Gilbertson, are my friends.
(Hi Denise!). You can hear some clips of
music on their website at www.americanistan.com.
happy dancing,
Sabine from Eugene
a.k.a. Kathy
Forrester
Tribalation! dance troupe
and Middle Eastern Dance Guild of Eugene
www.medge.org
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