Uru.
Tribal Fest 13 will stand in history as the year of the men. Paige Lawrence and Frank Farinaro's (among many others) Uru Tribe became the first all-male belly dance troupe to perform at Tribal Fest, and they brought down the house. This was not a one-off, and the performance was not ground breaking just because of the novelty of gender. What Frank and all the other men of Tribal Fest are doing is defining a new and decidedly male aesthetic in an art form that has been centered around feminine beauty standards for over a hundred years. That men are capable of the same isolation and fluidity of movement as their female counterparts is obvious, but what they brought to this years event was a masculine fierceness true to many tribal dance forms. And it has been a long time coming. The enthusiasm and support for these ground breaking dancers is a testament to the tribal belly dance community's commitment to embracing movers of all kinds and the concept of dance as a living, evolving form.
In their own words:
"Sisters, this is all your fault. We are here because you have shown us the kindness, acceptance and encouragement we need to pursue this dance as a life path. You are the ones who made us feel welcome, who taught us to find our own unique voices and we are here today sisters because we stand on your shoulders."
To Watch the Uru Tribe:
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Photograph Courtesy of:
Jeffe Weil
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Don't forget to mention Steven Eggers. He was a huge part of this project. He was the main choreographer along with Frank. Also in their intro it says he is the trailblazer and was the first tribal fusion male dancer out there. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Please everyone, if you have better information regarding the Uru Tribe, it's creators and dancers please share it here.
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