Thread: How do you explain "tribaret" to someone?

I know it when I see it, and there was a thread awhile back where someone pointed out it's just a newfangled term for the look that was popular back in the 70s or so. Ansuya usually has a tribaret look. It is just as glittery and exotic on the surface as other costume styles, so it's hard for someone who's not seen tons of different bellydance costumes to comprehend the difference. Words are failing me how to make that distinction.

Really I think it's a stupid term, but it's what's floating around these days and someone asked me about it so I'm trying to give her an answer.

i'm no authority, but to me tribaret combines sparklies and metal. the metal part could be coins, chains, jewelry.

Originally Posted by emtink

i'm no authority, but to me tribaret combines sparklies and metal. the metal part could be coins, chains, jewelry.

With more colorful skirts and veils than typical tribal fusion costumes, but more leg showing than the usual ATS costumes. Perhaps non-traditional music, too, such as George Abdo or one of the newer Western-based bands like Djinn or Americanistan.

Tribaret can also be a dance style. The way Ava Fleming teaches it, it is the orientale vocabulary, done as cued improv with a troupe. Basically, you take the idea of having a leader who cues movements to the group like tribal, but instead of doing ATS moves, your tribe would use the sorts of combinations associated with AmCab and/or ME nightclub styles.

As far as the costuming, it applies to garments and accessories that are a hybrid of the two visual styles (rocaille beads, sequins, rhinestones, and modern fabrics from the cabaret side, and metal, shells, natural gems, and folkloric textiles from the tribal side). "Tribaret" is used a lot for the coin costumes that Bella makes. When you get out into the larger marketplace (e.g., Etsy, eBay), the term seems to be similar to the usage of "steampunk," in that while some people make things that are amazingly creative and artistic blendings of seemingly disparate elements, other times people slap the label on items that are not quite so fortunate as to have arisen from a coherent aesthetic vision.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

Tribaret can also be a dance style. The way Ava Fleming teaches it, it is the orientale vocabulary, done as cued improv with a troupe. Basically, you take the idea of having a leader who cues movements to the group like tribal, but instead of doing ATS moves, your tribe would use the sorts of combinations associated with AmCab and/or ME nightclub styles.
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I am now very curious about this dance style. Is Ava the only one doing something like this right now?

Originally Posted by aziyade

I am now very curious about this dance style. Is Ava the only one doing something like this right now?

I'm not aware of anyone else, but it seems unlikely that Ava would be teaching this as a workshop topic, but no one ever took her up on the idea. Somebody must be out there doing it.

It is a category for a couple of different competitions. A combination of cabaret with Tribal styling. Costumes tend to look Ansuya - esque. Tahya in San Diego and Yasmina of Tribal Bizarre's earlier designs both are definitely Tribaret to me.

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