Tribal Moon
Improvisational Tribal Style Belly Dance
Tribal Style Belly Dance
San Jose, CA
Kathy Stahlman, director of Tribal Moon, is dedicated to bringing the traditon of ATS and Improvisational Tribal Style (ITS) Belly Dance to the South Bay... and beyond.
Bye bye Bay Area, hello Bend!
Kathy is moving to Bend, OR on Dec 1 where she will continue to teach ATS bellydace classes and direct her troupe Tribal Moon. Belly dance classes will start up in Jan 2010 in Bend, OR.
See the link below to visit our youtube.com Tribal Moon channel:
Kathy is a former member of FatChanceBellyDance, and her classes are rooted in the tradition of American Tribal Style belly dance, a style that was created by Carolena Nericcio and the legendary tropue, FatChance BellyDance -- the originators of American Tribal Style belly dance, commonly called ATS.
Often mistaken as an 'ethnic' look, this style of belly dance is a beautiful blend of dance movements and costuming inspired by the ancient entertainers from India, Turkey, North Africa and Southern Spain.
The structured dance steps unique to ATS and Improvisational Tribal Style (ITS) allow dancers to “shadow” each other as they give and read nearly invisible body cues to seamlessly transition from movement to movement. The connection between the dancers is so strong that the audience does not realize that what they are seeing is a completely 100% improvised performance, nothing is choreographed.
The uniformity and precision displayed in this dance form comes from the technique of dancers being trained to lead and follow each other, learning how to give and read clear cues so that all the dancers move as one. It's alchemy in action.
With a background in traditional ATS you can dance, without preparation, with other ATS-trained dancers because you share the same vocabulary of movements and know how to read and give clear cues and transitions to your fellow dancers.
If you have ever been amazed watching a flock of birds flying in beautiful formations, or have seen a school of fish swimming to and fro, and wondered how they look so synchronized, then you have witnessed the magic behind the philosophy of ATS.
The tabs on the left will lead you to information on Improvisational Tribal Style classes and workshops in San Jose and Sunnyvale, links to vendors, other notable teachers, and information on upcoming bellydancing events where you can see my troupe (Tribal Moon) perform.
All San Jose classes are in the Hoover Theater Dance Studio, 1635 Park Ave, San Jose (across the street from the Eyptian/Rosecrutian Museum)
No class on the following dates:
Saturday, Oct 31, 2009
Last class is Saturday, November 21 - Kathy is moving to Bend, OR.
Classes are closed to new students.
Level 1 -Tribal Basics
Saturday 10:30 - 11:45 am
Monday 6:30 - 7:45 pm
Level 1 Tribal Basics class is required for students new to belly dance, or for dancers new to ATS/Tribal Style belly dance. Classes are designed so that you can start at any time, drop-in is OK, open to all levels. No previous belly dance experience required.
Class location: Hoover Theater Dance Studio, 1635 Park Ave, San Jose. We have moved to the dance studio in the beautiful, historic Hoover Theater in San Jose's famous Rose Garden District. Easy access from 880, 208, 87 and many surface streets.
