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Tribal Fusions: Exotic Art of Tribal Bellydance
Tribal Fusions Exotic Art of Tribal Bellydance
Actor: Tribal Fusions
Director: n/a
Genres: Special Interests, Educational
NR     2007     1hr 4min

"The Bellydance Superstars have, in the space of four years, performed more than 480 concerts in 18 countries to over 1 million people and more than 60 television shows to over 100 million viewers. Their DVDs and CDs are ...  more »

     
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Movie Details

Actor: Tribal Fusions
Director: n/a
Genres: Special Interests, Educational
Sub-Genres: Dance, Educational
Studio: Cia - Copeland Int'l
Format: DVD - Color,Widescreen
DVD Release Date: 09/11/2007
Release Year: 2007
Run Time: 1hr 4min
Screens: Color,Widescreen
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 5
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Languages: English

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Movie Reviews

One Question...
C. Moore | Houston, Tx | 02/09/2008
(2 out of 5 stars)

"...How is it that 6 Indigo troupe members were present at this shoot and there wasnt a single group performance from them on the entire dvd?

I've seen and met some of the bellydance superstars as well as the Indigo, and anyone who can say the same cant help but love these people for what they do... BUT, this dvd is a disappointment.

Why?

Well, as a performer I believe dance is a form of expression best experienced when the performer invites the audience's participation- be that on a physical, mental, or emotional level. Since this is a dvd you really cant participate physically, but that isnt the problem with "Tribal Fusions".

The "Follies Berger" and "Monte Carlo" dvd performances prompt the audience's engagement mentally and emotionally. On those Dvds there are formation changes, difficult layering of techniques, use of props, a strong sense of musicality (wikipeida this term if you're unfamiliar with it), and yes, great costuming. These are components I not only enjoy (emotionally) but I also think about, deconstruct, and analyse to further enjoy the performance. It just makes a piece richer.

The "Tribal Fusion "dvd really delivers in only one or two of these areas; In my honest opinion, "costuming" and "layering of difficult techniques" when you take into account SOME of the dancer's skills.

The low degree of musicality with the majority of the dancers is a problem. I wont name names specifically, but if your whole performance relies HEAVILY on isolations, they better be in synch with your music. I'm a HUGE fan of isolations, but they dont make a performance worth watching alone.

Also, I get that alot of the performers are goth inspired, but I do think most would (and have) claimed to be inspired by vaudville and burlesque. You wouldnt know that from their lack of facial expressions. Anyone who has seen good burlesque knows the facial reportiore of the performers contains a lot more than the "intense pseudo-seductive stare." That gets SO stale SO quickly unless you are really layering your dance with difficult or interesting techniques. Snake arms and shimmies arent enough to keep an audience member's attention especially if they arent accompanied by some kind of portrayal of enthusiasm.

My chief complaint is the lack of an indigo performance. The only way we can see you girls together is either in person or on pirated, unauthorized videos on the web! This was the perfect opportunity for people to become more familiar with the troupe. It almost seems as if this dvd's purpose was to showcase the "stage personas" of the individual dancers. There's HEAVY emphasis on stunts, so-called styles or stage presence, and costuming that the girls are already well-known for individually. As a result, most people find this video to be lack-luster and predictable.

This dvd could have REALLY shined had the performers come together and showcased their combined strengths. Instead it kind of forced the audience to compare those strengths and subsequently it highlighted their weaknesses."
Deliciously rough.
Madame Paige | Minneapolis, MN | 10/02/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)

"I have been waiting for a high quality all-tribal fusion performance DVD for a couple years now. When I heard this was coming out I was really excited and expected the level of quality I found in the Solos from Monte Carlo DVD. I was left a bit disappointed:
-low picture quality (blurry even)
-poor camera work for the dancer's cut
-somewhat dull sets

That said there are some very redeeming qualities about the DVD: the roughness of it is growing on me rapidly. I was expecting the polished shine of Solos from Monte Carlo, so at first I was really disappointed, but I appreciate the unmanufactured, raw feel to the cinema. Over-production has it's pitfalls as well.

Zoe Jakes and Rachel Brice are breathtaking. Mardi Love, Cami Liddle, Sharon Kihara and Moria are phenomenal. I liked Dusty Palk's fluid walk, break dance-inspired piece, tho it is not the caliber of the aforementioned. Urban Tribal is modern dance meets bellydance. Not my cup of tea personally.

Overall, I definitely recommend it. Enjoy!"
Solid DVD
A. Nicholson | 10/18/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)

"I actually enjoyed Tribal Fusions more than Tribal Revelations because it featured actual tribal dancing. Everyone is right concerning the 'sameness' of movements and costuming. However, after all of the 'difference' in Revelations, I wanted a tribal DVD with solid performances which Tribal Fusions gave me. While I enjoyed the `performance edit's video quality, I did not enjoy the `dancer edit' which featured pixilated shots and a distant camera angle.

I typically have two reactions when I watch one of Rachel's performances: either sheer awe or total boredom. Unfortunately, I experienced the latter for her first solo, but the former for her second. Sharon Kihara did a great job of incorporating West African influences alongside popping for the first performance. Kami's duo with Sabrina featured gorgeous Thai inspired costumes and I loved Zoe's Tribal Fusions performance/music. Unfortunately, the weird jump cuts interrupted my visual pleasure. Moira gave a rousing drum solo and great floorwork. Like Zoe, Sabrina harnessed a goth appearance and mingled it with a West coast style via freezes and drops. Mardi Love's initial performance did not garner my love, although her second did. While Dusty could probably dust me under the carpet with her dancing, she lacked the intensity/fluidity of the other dancers and her freezes seemed overdone and not as sharp as necessary. Urban Tribal's performance was well-crafted and stylized overall, although the cameraman showed difficulty videotaping the group performance.

Even when I didn't feel the solos, I recommend the overall quality of each performance. My only remaining problem stems from the cameraman's filmic gaze, which strayed from the dancer's presentation to her body during the second array of solos. Plus, in certain routines the director (or the video editor) jumped randomly between shots and created visual discontinuity."
Disappointing.
RomDeussen | Utah | 02/21/2008
(2 out of 5 stars)

"On a good note, I bought the Beats Antique CD based upon the CD included with the DVD, but the CD is only 5 songs long, and 2 of them older Pentaphobe songs so it's not worth the cost of the DVD alone.

Before reading on, I am not Indigo bashing. I am a huge fan of the LSR work and the individual dancers themselves. Just not here.

As for the DVD itself, I am less than enthused. I adore Rachel Brice, Mardi Love, and Zoe Jakes' dances. However, on this (fuzzy) DVD, they seem tired, unenthused. Brice, who is a stunning dancer, executes what has become almost a prerequesite arm extended drop, isolations, and her amazing belly rolls. However, this is very close to her first performance on the BDSS review. Mardi Love has a repeated "hand behind the head, slowly pull out" that is executed no less than four times. Again, I love these dancers, but this DVD seems like it was filmed at the end of a long day. Zoe fails to have captured on film her "naughtiness" of the looks she shoots the camera on other DVDs.

Moriah's makeup is so heavily done, the lighting so dark, that she registers on my screen like a pretty bride of Dracula from the Coppola film, but seems personality-devoid. Her dancing also seems like a merge of Brice, Kihara, and Love, so also misses a personal style.

I am less than impressed with Samantha and Dusty, and Urban Tribal. Dusty's robotic locks and pops contradict the fast, sloppy hands waving about. Samantha is a spring-off of the Indigo style and seems lackluster in comparison to them. Urban Tribal--how many times can we see the line, the two girls doing a layback? Again, like the amazing Indigo dancers, they seem to repeat old material, uninspired.

I wish I could say there was a performance that stands out, that there is something that saves this DVD, but nothing saves it. I bought this used, and am glad I did, and if I did not like some of the dancers so much this would have been resold."