It always makes my heart happy and my spirit feel a connection with my work even more, when I receive a  thoughtful and touching review of my book, Tribal Vision! And I just got this email, thank you Ariel for taking the time to read the book, and write back to me! Thought I would share this all with you, too…

Hi Paulette,

2 lovely reviews of my book, Tribal Vision, from LibraryThing.com, a wonderful readers’ book source!  Thought I would share them, see below…  

and announce a June Book Giveaway, Tribal Vision: A Celebration of Life Through Tribal Bellydance…

Tell us, here in my blog, why you would like to read and win a copy of this book!

Simple, I will give away 3 copies of the book, write in by June 26th to enter, and your entree and name will be drawn out of the hat (turban)…Please include your name email . (This is for United States residents only)

~~~~~~~

“I am haunted by this book. Not because of the content, which is compelling, honest, intriguing, and empowering. It is because I long so desperately to begin Tribal Belly Dancing on my own and don’t know how to find a local group, if one even exists here in the reserved Midwest. I also know of no places to purchase the clothing and accessories here. Why must I live somewhere where it is so difficult to experience such a well described spiritual awakening based on the realization of your own private feminine sexuality? I will pass this book along to my female friends in an effort to spread this powerful and inspiring message, hopefully to the benefit of starting our own group here in Northern Indiana.”
madhousemirror
“I received this book in a Member Giveaway, but found it unexpectedly appealing. While I have no intention of taking up Middle Eastern dancing, if I did, this would be the kind. Not a how-to book, Tribal Vision is rather a celebration of an earthy, exuberant dance form, and of the author’s journey to and participation in its development. As a historical costumer, my enjoyment of the book was enhanced by the many color plates of the dancers and their fascinating attire. I’ll be passing the book along to some of my dancing friends so that they can enjoy it as well. “
|    flagRowntree |

This review just in from writer and dancer, Jess Titterington.

Review: Tribal Vision: A Celebration of Life Through Tribal Belly Dance
Paulette Rees-Denis, the founder of Tribal belly dance in Portland, OR, was kind enough to let me read a copy of Tribal Vision: A Celebration of Life Through Tribal Belly Dance (Cultivator Press, 2008).

I’m primarily a fusion belly dancer: a little oriental, a little salsa, a little Turkish, even a little ballet here and there. I realize my own fusion comes from my main teacher and HER penchant for fusion, but part of my satisfaction with my current group is the ability to try new fun styles as they come up and encouragement to learn everywhere. I suspect that’s why I so thoroughly enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure where it was going at first: the beginning chapters are an intertwining of the author’s life as well as the evolution of Tribal on the West Coast. As both stories unfolded, however, it became clear that her life in dance was one of the driving forces behind the development of Tribal belly dance, and that both were a journey of exploration and experimentation.

The real connection for me came through the author’s desire to create a safe, sacred space for herself and her students. The ability to let go of the real world and just be is difficult enough, but to be able to do it in front of/with a group of women takes a special level of comfort, and I appreciate her desire to give that to her students. I also loved that every aspect of dance is covered, from troupe origin to costuming to watching a student have that “aha!” moment when her body does exactly what she’s trying to get it to do.

The photos were fantastic: a visual history of Paulette, the dancers, the students, and the myriad of costumes through the years. Cammi Vance was in MN a few years ago doing workshops, so it was fun to see her “back in the day” as well.

All in all I’d recommend Tribal Vision to any dancer who wants to enrich her knowledge and dance philosophy. And you can be sure the next time I’m in Portland I’ll be looking for a class!

~~~~~~~~~

Thank you Jess, for reading and listening. The best to you….

her blog:

NO PITHY PHRASE
MAYBE I’LL BE NORMAL TOMORROW.

http://nopithyphrase.blogspot.com/

So many wonderful entrees. Thank you all for taking the time to write and share you thoughts about your dance and art form, and your desires… You are all possibiltarians!

The lucky dancer whose name got pulled from the turban is….

Hiya!

Here, again, are her words, about desires for 2010…

Last year, my new year’s resolution was to be better at leading – more comfortable, more smooth, more confident.  I didn’t quite make it.  We are a VERY small troupe (2-3 of us) and mostly it’s been our teacher, Petra, leading.  This year, we are hoping to expand a little, opening up to new students and possibly new troupe members – and I really want to make sure that I know my moves, the cues, and when to use them.  I love the beautiful, non-verbal interaction between leaders and dancers, and when the flow happens from one to another it is magical.  I want to create more of that magic!

This dance is magic, and life is magic. We create it and participate in it, and it takes us all to be a part of the supporting community. How blessed are we all to be able to dance with each other is some way.

I will send her my book, Tribal Vision: a Celebration of Life Through Tribal Belly Dance…

and I hope you all have a chance to read it!

Watch for the next giveway next month…

Thanks again.

Dancing Divas Delicious Dreams
For February D-Quad, thinking about goals, dreams, ideas….

What about what I said, or what she said? How does other peoples’ words or actions inspire or affect you? How do we affect each other’s goals and dreams?

Can you take those ideas and comments further and write about them for us? Whatever that means to you, send it in, poem, story, photo, list, and include your bio and a photo if you have one! For publication in Caravan Trails, February 2010, and next year’s Tribal Dancer’s Anthology…
Due by January 28th, 600 words or so.

Send to dance@gypsycaravan.us

Thank you so much for sharing…

and make sure to check out the Anthology from the past year, buying info below:
Click on the link for more info and to buy, only $6.00…
http://www.gypsycaravan.us/shopping/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=67&products_id=334>

and

Tribal Vision Book Giveaway

Reminder:

Let’s get this year off to a good start. I wanted to offer you a gift, a free copy of

Tribal Vision: A Celebration of Life Through Tribal Belly Dance,

Here is what I would like you to do… write comment back here on my blog—

What do you want out of your dance in 2010? It could be a simple request or could be a long waited for desire.

We’ve gotten many fabulous comments so far, see the previous post for this giveaway. Would love to have you join us…Let us know so we can all support you in your dreams! And I will pick your name out of a turban and send one luck winner my book to get you started on your dancing dreams! Deadline January 20th (right before I embark on my Australian dance tour), coming right up…

Peace…

Let’s get this year off to a good start. I wanted to offer you a gift, a free copy of

Tribal Vision: A Celebration of Life Through Tribal Belly Dance,

by moi…

Herei s what I would like you to do… write comment back here on this blog—

What do you want out of your dance in 2010? It could be a simple request or could be a long waited for desire.

Let us know so we can all support you in your dreams! and I will pick your name out of a turban and send one luck winner my book to get you started on your dancing dreams! Deadline January 20th (right before I embark on my Australian dance tour)

I wish you all the best in the new year, may you be fantastically special and prosperous in all of your artistic endeavors! And thank you so much for being a part of my blog, my dance and writing dreams, and my crazy farmgirl life. I am so glad you are here.

for our October Tribal Vision Book Giveaway….

the winner is…..

Vikki Tracy!

Here is what she wrote, in answer to my request to write about something that you learned as an artist and dance in the month of September!

During September,  I haven’t danced even though I have been belly dancing for over 10 years. I have taken a break to find myself, to find nature and to find my dance self again. A 74 yr. old dancer by the name of Marguerite once gave me the advice to find your flexibility! When this society takes from us and we begin to feel it’s rigidness in our spines, take a step back, remember who you are as a dancer and remember your flexibility through this life, through dance. We must be as strong as the trees yet as movable as the reeds in the stream. I am re-learning to be flexible!

So many fantastic responses to this thought provoking comment…Thanks to everyone who participated in the October Book Giveaway, and wrote in their experiences! I so enjoy reading and sharing your comments.

Look for the next book giveaway, coming soon.

I have extended the deadline for this giveaway!

I would love you to have a copy (and read of course!) my book, Tribal Vision, A Celebration of Life Through Tribal Belly Dance! This October you can win one!

Here is what you do:

Write here, comment on this blog,

what you have learned about your self this last month of September, as a dancer or artist.

Due by October 25th!

Your thoughtful comments will go into the turban of life, and I will pick one out on October 30th. Woo hoo…

Please make sure to include your email address so I can let you know you have won and get your mailing address…

I can’t wait to read your thoughts. And then I will share mine too. Enjoy your writing time!

Intertwined in the rich tapestry of the colorful dance is the Middle Eastern dance called Raqs Sharqi, often referred to as cabaret bellydance, danse du ventre, and its many other names and and fusions, which is spreading so quickly around the globe that what was a traditional art form has become a contemporary conglomeration of dance styles and meanings.

There is a place for tradition, and someone, somewhere must be keeping the notes on what was and what is now. In our world everything evolves, grows, and changes as generations of children grow up and technology expands. With the internet access being what it is, we are able to investigate and be exposed to dance styles we never were able to see or hear about.

One dominant evolutionary and revolutionary style is Tribal Style Bellydance. Tribal Bellydance is not only uniting women around the world, but there is a healing quality inherent in this dance form. What I have witnessed in my twenty years of studying, defining, performing, and teaching Tribal Bellydance is how dance, in general, and this style, from experience, can heal. Just like that. You move your body and you feel better, whether it be an emotional, spiritual, or physical level. Simple. It could be the hot and sweaty aerobics class at the gym, funky hip-hop with the groovin’ chick down the street, or that life-time dream of being a bellydancer that does it for you. I have experienced those styles, and then some, but it was the bellydance bit in the tribal styling that stole my soul twenty years ago, and still does to this day.

I know what it has done for me—made me strong and fit, graceful, proudly feminine, meditative, and very happy, not to mention the mounds of exquisite costuming and ethnic jewelry I have accumulated and been able to wear because of this style. As a tribal bellydance teacher I get to see what it does for other women—most times it is just a joy of movement, other times it is an explosion of a new life force, and oftentimes it is a unexpected healing.

Tribal Bellydance is a fairly new style of bellydance, in the big picture of tradition, since women have been doing some sort of pelvic-centered dance since day one. This style is a dance about community, done always with at least two, but usually a group of dancers, and is based on the improvisation of a learned set of steps and combinations. There is magic created when a circle of women are doing repetitive movement together, synchronistically. One leads and the rest follow, often switching leaders and changing formations, dancing in rhythm to music that could melt your soul or shake up your hips. It is powerfully feminine and beautiful, and very in-the-moment. It can be difficult and challenging to learn the structured non-verbal body language. Overcoming the obstacles of learning it is a big accomplishment.

“Move the body. Undulate. Breath. Shimmy your shoulders. Shimmy your hips. Look into the eyes of those you are dancing with. The energy builds. Shimmy faster. Keep breathing. Smile. Listen to  the clacking of your finger cymbals. The circle moves clockwise. You follow  the leader. Everyone together. The energy keeps building. The skin dampens. Eyes are locking. The tension builds. What’s next? Watch. Hip bumps. Music is pulsing. Listen to the rhythm. You love it. You are laughing. Everyone is smiling. Rotating to the left. Then rotating to the right.  Arabic walk. Spin and stop. Silence. Looking around the circle. Laughter”.

Can you picture this? In this excerpt from my  book, Tribal Vision, A Celebration of Life Through Tribal Bellydance, this describes what a group of dancing women, all ages and sizes look like in a class. Wearing colorful, floor-length skirts, and Indian cholis for a short bust-hugging top that usually shows the belly, these dancers come to class wearing bindis, little jeweled stick-on ornanents, on their face, sometimes with their hair tied up in multi-striped and shimmery turbans—a bit of a change from their day job attire.

In my book, women share what it has been like for them to be bellydancing. It can be a moving and emotional experience, one that usually deepens your relationship with yourself as well as others.

After Myla Stauber first saw a performance of my troupe, Gypsy Caravan, she states, “Watching this dance, I could tell it was an extremely spiritual, strong, sexy, powerful dance—all the elements I knew I needed help with getting back into my life after having two children.”

Having taken classes with me for several years, she looks back and says, “I decided not to close myself up. Instead I go to class and feel beautiful, like I’ve touched something powerful and real and spiritual, in a supportive atmosphere with others who are feeling the same.”

For dancer and performer Michele Gila, her dance is “a rainbow of delight. Dancing keeps me joyous and fulfilled with my life, along with the community. This dance has become my favorite vision of community and it is women-centric. I like that it is focused around women discovering our own beauty. It’s been a path of discovery. I feel like its evolution on a human level, like we have no choice but to tribal bellydance.”

This dance changes how one feels about themselves, their bodies, their spiritual connection, and their community connection. Wanting to take it to a deeper level, years ago in classes, I began to notice how energy shifted after we had been dancing for a long time. Because our movements are repetitive, they would become very trancey, and we would become blissed out. Always interested in healing magic and esoteric notions, I took the dance further toward the realm of trance dancing.

In other cultures, in the past, yet still to this day, many forms of trance dancing is be done by a spiritual leader, shaman, medicine woman/man, or healer, to assist in the well-being of someone who is ill. These healers believe that illness is caused by evil spirits, or unhappiness, or a need for renewal. In the Middle East, the fiery spirits which cause insanity or disease are called Djinn. The leader will listen to musical rhythms and dance for the sick person until the illness is changed or released.

In Egypt, another form of trance dancing is called the Zar.

“Each woman moved to the pulse of the drum …The sick woman’s movement increased in intensity and speed, her eyes half closed, she appeared totally oblivious of her surroundings, abandoning herself completely to the dance. Her movements flowed freely from the inside out, from her torso to her limbs, gaining strength and speed as she came full circle around the imposing altar to where the helpers were… till finally, she threw her arms up and was about to fall, but the Kodia guided her to the floor…” -From a description of an Egyptian Zar ceremony

Trance dancing has been done over the ages, not only to heal, but also as a way of reaching ecstasy, to release the mind and/or the body, to create ritual, and even to find peace and contentment in everyday life. Using my Tribal Bellydance and healing background, I ventured into creating a form of ritual and moving meditation using a variety of traditions; I call it Tribal Trance. Tribal Trance opens the inner eye of the soul. It clears our mirror so the heart can clearly reflect what is within us. By dancing together, sometimes as a mirror, other times as a catalyst, we help each other find our personal inner path to the One, whomever and whatever that may mean to each of us.

Every dancer knows that her goal is to get to that point where the body no longer stands in the way but becomes the instrument of the soul’s expression, the body, and psyche working together. A chapter in Tribal Vision delves into Dance as Ritual. I interviewed women to understand what they were feeling and how the experience worked for them.

After a Tribal Trance session, Sharon commented, “Trancing like this within our safe community has allowed me to really let go, to allow the feelings of joy to come to me through dancing. This sacred dance has been like an initiation, a shaman’s journey, where my inner and outer worlds fuse. I am danced.”

In Tribal Vision, Peggy Hewitt, another student, comments about the energy of tribal bellydance. “This dance gets in your soul, though that did not happen right away for me. I was dancing, learning the moves, and having a good time. Getting into my soul came later; getting into my soul was like this energy. At some point I recognized that I was feeling this energy. I felt more grounded. It moved down into my arms, and I could feel it in my hands. Suddenly I was finding my hands, feeling it come out of my fingertips. It was like a new body awareness type of energy.”

It is hard to put a name or a label onto what the dance does, because it is so varied for each individual woman. With its base in Tribal Bellydance, this movement becomes its own entity. The structure of Tribal is released, but the support of the community-styled dance and the synchronistic movement stays. Bliss is a key word. Release, joy, wellness. Using dance to let go of inner struggles and insecurities, stuck emotions and even the fear of moving and experiencing one’s own body, is a primal way of healing on all levels. After all, we really have nothing else but our own body, and to be in our body—spiritually grounded, emotionally happy, and physically well—helps us to live and enjoy life to the fullest.