Urban Ghawazee

URBAN GHAWAZEE
The Evolution of American Tribal Style Bellydancing

a 40-minute documentary
by Laura Taflinger

Tribal Style bellydancing is an American fusion dance form created in the Bay Area. Characterized by its group improvisation format and artistic flexibility, tribal incorporates dance moves and costuming from many tribal cultures, from Arabic to Indian, with a strong American flair. This documentary explores the history and evolution of tribal as contemporary dancers add hip-hop moves and modern costume accents, moving performances from Middle Eastern restaurants to techno clubs. Ghawazee is an Egyptian word referring to female dancers who often lived on the fringes of society.

Urban Ghawazee was Laura's final project for MediaLink, a 4-month video production job training program at Bay Area Video Coalition. It was shot on DV (and a little Hi-8) off and on during the summer of 2002 and edited on Final Cut Pro in a month. She chose the topic because she'd been taking tribal bellydancing classes and wanted a visually and musically interesting research project. As tribal bellydancing is a Bay Area creation, most of the troupes interviewed are local, and the music is by local artists who are often used in tribal performances.