Beware The Wolvces (6:00) Illinois, USA
Choreographed by: Improvisational Approach
Performers: Kamrah
Videographers: Greg Inda and Eva la Feva at Newport Theater
Music: Beware the Wolves – Psyclon Nine and Earth Shaker by Paul Dinletir
What dance styles are being fused?
American Cabaret “belly dance,” goth dance club (includes Krumping, waving, pop, and lock)
Artist Statement:
Transnational/transcultural fusion dance encompasses subcultures, and goth is one such subculture that was popular in the fusion world in the early-mid 2000s. Gothic fusion “belly dance” was my gateway into the fusion world in general, as I had been trained in American Cabaret and Lebanese raqs sharqi styles and not in FCBD/ITS. My primary inspirations are Asharah and Tempest, as well as the aesthetics of the “shocking” and “extreme” goth subculture, which includes dressing in dark colors with Romantic and Victorian influences in style, a “serious” expression, interest in morbid themes, and embraces a wide range of alternative musical genres including darkwave, industrial, and black metal. My technique is grounded first and foremost in the movements often called “belly dance,” adding in techniques and aesthetics appropriate to the piece. This piece is firmly grounded in the strong torso isolations and arm frames common in “belly dance” (primarily American Cabaret style, which is also a fusion) while adding what I call “core fusion” movements, popularized in the US by dancers like Zoe Jakes and Rachel Brice, such as complex layering, sharp isolations, and flowing arm patterns that are influenced by hip-hop, Krumping, and pop, lock, and waving styles. These dance styles are also commonly seen on goth clubs’ dance floors. Keeping in the improvisational and spontaneous spirit of raqs sharqi and of goth dance clubs, this piece has not been choreographed and is all improvisation.