Performance and Community

 

Americanistan is one of the most belly dancer-friendly bands in Eugene, possibly in Oregon.  This makes sense in light of the fact that both Denise Gilbertson and Naylor have belly dance backgrounds in Eugene.  But what really sets the band apart from other belly dancing bands is their enthusiasm in adapting to not only different styles of music for different styles of dance, but also to many different skill levels of dance.  Another dancer, Elena Villa confirms this:

They are very much a “dance band”.  What I mean by that is they tend to be very oriented towards working with and supporting dancers.  Not only that, they work with all levels from seasoned professional to first time performers.  They enjoy mentoring emerging dancers who do not have much experience on the performance circuit or in working with live music.  They are generally supportive and have been known on many occasions to learn tunes specifically for a certain dancer/singer.  I am a case in point, as they’ve been very excited and accommodating about learning pieces from the Medieval Andalusian repertoire which I happen to be very interested in.

 

            I detour here to briefly discuss the art of belly dance.  The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music notes that belly dance, while Egyptian in origin, was shaped by other cultures over the last two millennia.  Currently, in the United States, a few general trends of belly dance seem to have emerged: cabaret, tribal and fusion, all of which may include various cultural influences other than Egyptian. These are the styles of dance whose names I repeatedly encountered in correspondence with both dancers and members of Americanistan.  The definitions of cabaret and tribal seem to change according to what I read or with whom I speak.

In general, cabaret dance is totally rehearsed, more solo-oriented, and emphasizes technique.  Cabaret style music tends to include multiple instruments performing the same melody with a variety of different embellishments suited to each particular instrument.  It is also quite sectional in form, changing tempo and mood in accordance with the dancer.  Tribal is more group-oriented, about creating one mood, presenting an affect or an emotion.  In tribal dance the group takes learned cues from the leader as to what movements come next.  The movements themselves are also learned, but the leader’s decision as to their order is improvised.  Music for tribal dance tends to allow for more percussion to come through, with only one person playing melody at a time.  Fusion can be any combination of dance, including, as I saw in one performance, non-Middle Eastern dance such as flamenco, with the dancer playing castanets. 

Stylistically, Denise Gilbertson defines “belly dance music” in terms of rhythm and meter.  There are at least twenty-five rhythms that are fairly well known.  Of those, 2/4, 4/4 and 8/4 are most often heard, and meters such as 6/8, 7/8, 9/8 and 10/8 somewhat less so.

I noticed at the Cafe Paradiso events that much of the audience seemed to somewhat resemble belly dancers in terms of their dress - Middle Eastern-style prints and ornate hairpieces.  I also observed the women in the audience shouting during and after performances, a type of vocal ululation called zaghareet that is a loud high-pitched trill performed by women audience members as encouragement during bely dance. Americanistan's connection to the belly dance community is a strong one, and at most dance performances it is this community that comprises the majority of audience. Naylor believes that in Eugene, one would not find many "Middle America" types at one of their performances.

 

       You’ll have a community that follows.  And that’s what you’ve got with the audience.  They’re mostly friends and family of the dancers.  Or people who’ve danced before or students.  So you have a sub-community.

 

Denise Gilbertson commented

… there’s a whole community that we’re plugged into that’s all over the state.  It’s a little harder for us to go farther afield than that, although we have gone to New Jersey and we have gone to the Bay Area, and we’ve gone to Bellingham Washington, and we’ve gone to Seattle.

 

Apparently, even those farther afield remember the band fondly.  Quinn Donovan from Bend’s Gypsy Fire belly dance troupe e-mailed me:

I’ve had the opportunity to dance to Troupe Americanistan once.  However, the experience was a very good one: the band is incredibly accommodating, gracious, and a lot of fun to dance to!  Our troupe felt really lucky to have had the opportunity to work with them….Their reputation in the dance community as being a very “dancer-friendly” band certainly was true for us!

 

            Saz player Daniel Eshoo and his wife, tribal dancer Natasya Katsikaris, were guest performers at one of the Café Paradiso events.  They recently moved to Portland from out of state.  When I asked Naylor whether Americanistan might have influenced this move, she told me that the couple had dropped in on one of the band’s rehearsals to speak with them, and then joined them at a birthday party. 

We have a website and we’re known in the belly dance community, so they would have hooked in through dancers, and they may have already known Denise separately.

 

Obviously, there is a meaningful connection between the band’s status as “dancer-friendly” and their strong relationship with the belly-dance community.  An affinity toward not only the music they make, but to the dance and dancers they accompany, is apparent.  Another comment that seems to throw this connection between musician and dancer into high relief is Denise Gilbertson’s rather Zen explanation, where the music and dance become the same thing:

For the raks sharqi [belly] dancer, the goal is to become the visual expression of the music.  This is different from other dance forms where the goal might be to execute the choreography or something else.  The music and the dance are really one in a great belly dance performance.

 

Yet another reason for Americanistan’s close relationship with the belly dance community may simply be the amount of time they have had to develop such a relationship.  Fourteen years ago, Denise and Wayne, as dancer and musician, were able to begin this networking process as a husband-wife team.

Wayne Gilbertson notes that Americanistan has introduced dozens of dancers to their first live music performances, an event that I assume would have significance for a dancer who has only danced to recorded music, as many belly dancers do. 

When asked if Americanistan has a tendency toward virtuosity in their performances, an inclination to wow an audience with technique, Denise Gilbertson responded:

Well, no.  I would say we are more focused on the heart and soul of the music, and ensuring that the audience and the dancers have a good time.

 

In stating:

We like feeling connected to a community and seeing friends at events all around the state is fun for us. We are generally treated very well wherever we go—people are happy to see us. We always try to treat people well, also. Dancers know that we will do our best to help them succeed in their performances, and event producers know that we are reliable and easy to work with.

 

Denise Gilbertson provides an important piece of information: Americanistan treats dancers well and dancers treat Americanistan well; they are happy to see each other.  Knowing how affable the band members are during interviews and performances, I also assume that kindness and respect must play into the professional relationships they forge in the workaday setting, and that this nourishes the bond between Americanistan and the belly dance community.

            Americanistan’s only regular non-dance performances are as a house band at the restaurant Iraila and at gatherings of the Eugene Middle East Peace Group.  Other non-dance performances crop up occasionally, events that include festivals, jams, fairs, benefits and private parties, and that may include performances by all or any subset of the band.  Recently, on the second anniversary of the Iraqi invasion, Wayne Gilbertson played ney flute at a peace event in a nearby town as names of the Iraqi deceased were read aloud. 

Denise Gilbertson points out that another of Americanistan’s goals is to perform shows with a limited number of pre-arranged dance performances and more opportunity for audience members to dance.  It is worthwhile to wonder whether this audience would be one of belly dancers (experienced or amateurs) or if the event would be more freestyle dancing for an inexperienced dancing audience.  Read more.

 

Americanistan: A Look at a Middle Eastern Belly Dance Band, pg. 3