Going Tribal at The Red Tent

By Chris La Tray, Unfiltered 6-02-06

For many, putting the words “dance” and “Montana” in the same sentence conjures images of line dancing at the local boot and buckle, or square dancing at the bingo hall once all the tables have been shoved aside. While those particular styles are well represented, it should be noted that Missoula has always been a hub of art diverse and eclectic, and dance is no different. In a single evening in Missoula, you could get your clogging on, or you could hit a club for some hiphop dancing, or even go next door for some salsa dance. If interested in something with more of an Eastern flair, though, you might want to go tribal. Tribal bellydance is gaining popularity across the country, and it is no different in Montana.

Bellydance claims traditions as rich as the cultures of its conception, from the Near East, Far East, North Africa, on into Spain and Europe. Tribal bellydance, however, most often refers to what is known as American Tribal, a form generally understood to have originated in the United States during the ‘70s. One may hear arguments as to when this movement was started and by whom, but most agree that “tribal” is the Americanized version of what women have been doing all over the world for centuries. A departure from the flashier cabaret and burlesque styles that originally evolved in the United States, American tribal is a combination of multiple styles of dance, including elements of hiphop, jazz, and modern dance mixed with more traditional elements of bellydance. At its root, tribal is focused on group improvisational style. The dancers practice a common repertoire of motions and movements, and through simple cues and basic physical communication, they may create or improvise a performance which would appear choreographed. Within these common movements individual troupes stylize and introduce their own combinations, but as an art form it allows those who practice it to share the dance experience with others in much the same way blues musicians may sit down together for a jam session.

It is interesting that a style of dance that originated centuries ago, on the other side of the world, as a tradition with ritual and ceremonial ties to women’s mysteries, could become a household word, but bellydance certainly has. Hollywood has played a huge role in popularizing the form, as have performance troupes from all over the country. But bellydance is ultimately about the participants, and that is an aspect The Red Tent, a new dance studio in Missoula, wants to focus on.

“Anyone can dance,” says Rosa, sword dance and world fusion dance instructor at The Red Tent. “You don’t need to be a certain body type to do it; you can be fit, or you can be terribly out of shape. The important thing is that when you come here, you are going to be dancing from the moment you walk in the door.”

Rosa is part of the duo that launched The Red Tent earlier this year. A psychiatric nurse who has also midwifed in various countries around the world, Rosa is a serious practitioner of various styles of martial arts who switched her focus to dance when health problems limited her ability to maintain the strict regimen that many martial arts require. “I don’t teach tribal bellydance; I love it, but I am not as familiar with it. I teach world fusion primarily, which is kind of a hodgepodge of styles from all over the world. Each class ends with a dance using the moves we have practiced that session, and it can be as easy or as difficult as each person wants it to be. The importance of it is that it gets everyone dancing!”

Tribal instruction comes from Geneva Bybee, the other founder of The Red Tent. Geneva’s roots are in gymnastics, and from there to hiphop, and ultimately to tribal bellydance. “Dancing for me was originally a physical exercise, that evolved to become a kind of meditation,” Geneva says. “Some would call it spiritual, but it doesn’t have to be that way for all people. The spiritual nature of dance depends on the person and what they are looking for. Dance can often be a step for people seeking a spiritual journey of some kind, particularly for women, but it doesn’t have to be like that. I like to call it ‘mental calmness’, similar to yoga, but more creative.” Currently spending the summer teaching tribal bellydance in Scotland, England, and Germany, Geneva has also been training with Suhaila Salimpour, a world-renowned instructor, performer, and choreographer of traditional Middle Eastern dance. While Suhaila’s methods are not necessarily a discipline Geneva means to bring to The Red Tent and beginning dancers, the style and physicality are certainly an influence on her dancing.

The Red Tent aims to be more than just a dance school and performance troupe, however. An often-overlooked aspect of any tradition of bellydance, though not one lost on the practitioners, involves the community and camraderie of the dancers themselves. Bellydance has a wide appeal as a style of performance art, or as a potentially challenging means of physical exercise, but the various forms also draw upon the traditions of the tribal-based cultures the styles originate from. Many women find comfort, friendship, and trust in the women-only confines of a dance troupe or school, and from there the dance often becomes much more than a physical activity; rather, it becomes a place of safety and expression that the women involved may not find anywhere else.

“Safe” is a word that comes up often for both Geneva and Rosa. “We want to provide a safe place where women can come and be okay with their physicality and expression through dance, and not feel threatened or self-conscious about others watching them like they might at a nightclub or something. Dance often mirrors whatever you are experiencing in life, and that expression can be a big part of getting through whatever you are dealing with.”

As part of the overall mission, in addition to bellydance-specific classes, The Red Tent is looking at opportunities with an organization called PURE (Public Urban Ritual Experiment) Dance, a national collective of dancers and drummers who take music and dance out into the streets for the purposes of healing and peace, who has 12 branches throughout the United States. Other irons in the Red Tent fire include possible non-profit status so that many classes can be offered to the public for free, and still keep the doors open and the lights on.

Missoula has a growing dance community that The Red Tent aims to be a part of. “We just want people to dance,” concludes Rosa. “Whether it is for wellness, exercise, or whatever else. There are lots of teachers around town if what we are doing isn’t for you; we just want people to dance!”


The Red Tent is located at 2016 Strand in Missoula. Call 546-2797 for class information. Current classes include World Fusion on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; Sword Dancing on Wednesdays and Saturdays; and yoga on Thursdays. Schedules are subject to change, so call for inquiries! American tribal classes will resume late summer when Geneva returns from abroad.

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