SPLIT TRIBAL FEST 2011SPLIT TRIBAL FEST 2011


Split Tribal Fest is a quite young Tribal Festival. When we first heard about it in 2010, we didn’t know what to expect, but after we heard the praise from friends and saw the video clip, we regretted not going.

In 2011 we were prepared and made sure that nothing stood in our way to Split. We kept an eye on the festival website and as soon as registration opened we grabbed our spots with April Rose, Samantha Emanuel and The Lady Fred.


Split Tribal Fest is an ideal way to combine vacation with dancing. We arrived a few days earlier and spent our time discovering the wonderful Diocletian Palace, swimming in the sea and eating ice cream everyday while meeting other vacationing dancers.


First workshop we attended was „Making Choreography” with April Rose. Making choreography is always a challenge and with the tools learned in this workshop you can start creating your own process. She walked us through her choreography-making process using her piece „Caged Bird „which she later performed in the show. It was awesome, we recommend!


After a few hours of rest we headed to the „Opening Party“at the Beach Club, which was a perfect kick-off for the event and a great setting to meet old and new friends while enjoying lovely dancing. We especially liked Dajana’s performance and Sundari’s fire fan piece.


Friday was our day with Lady Fred who made us sing, clap, stomp, groan and make all kinds of noises to better understand and illustrate musicality. She assigned us into small „workgroups“ where we had to create our own music. So we found ourselves in a band with Rustiqua, Marta, Vesna & Alexis, our friends from many different countries that we now met all in one place and one workshop! It was the most fun workshop in a while and it made the evening show a very special experience when we recognized different parts of the music on the dancer’s body now with a new perspective.


Friday evening it was our own turn to dance our solos. It was an honor to perform on the most beautiful stage we have yet seen, an ancient place in the heart of Diocletian Palace vibrating with energy of thousand years of people gathering to see beauty, art, performance and speech. Even Doro’s sister and her husband travelled from the neighboring island to see the show.


The streets of Split were scorching hot, and the stone walls wouldn’t let go of the heat even after the sundown. Show preparations had to be adapted and we showered after doing our make-up and hair, and freshly showered put on our costume. Even though we were lucky and our apartment was right around the corner from the stage, after the two minutes it took us to walk to the stage, we were sweating again.
Samantha opened the show with an amazing piece that touched our hearts and gave us goosebumps.


After watching stars like Sam and Manca, it was not easy to get on the same stage. Partly awed and inspired, partly insecure and apprehensive, but the support from the audience was always there and the nervousness left us after the first step …


On Saturday we discovered our pectoral muscles in workshop with Samantha. And we played at gondolas, found our inner lighthouse and sweated during hours of precise technique drills. Water breaks were community time, everyone huddled under the air conditioning. As technique geeks, we loved the workshop!


In the evening we repeated our make-up – shower – hair- shower routine and met everyone backstage which were rooms kindly provided by a restaurant right at the Peristil square. We found practical window seats to watch the show till it was our turn, seated ourselves comfortably …and who did we spot in the audience? Doro’s sister with her husband!.Yesterday’s show must haveimpressed them so much that it was worth travelling again all the way to see today’s show as well!


April Rose opened the show with an amazing energetic Indian Fusion, followed again by many many talented fusion dancers. Our favorites were Amano Project with a contemporary influenced piece for five dancers, Tribal Jam with their James Bond piece and Elisabeth Strong’s Turkish Roman finale.


Our piece was influenced by steampunk aesthetics and partly Sharon Kihara’s choreography. Luckily for you Alexis was so kind to film it – big thanks!


On Sunday the festival came to an early end for us, as we had to leave early to catch our flights. We experienced Croatian airports extensively the whole day while waiting for our planes. There we had enough time to make plans for next year’s festival and quickly decided to stay longer, dance more, talk even more and bring friends! See you in a few weeks at Split Tribal Fest 2012!!

Doro & Michaela



This year’s workshop offering makes us really happy, because we can take workshops with many teachers that we don’t normally have access to, and especially those who bring fusion to a whole new level. There are still last few places left in several workshops, so you still have a chance to book yours!

www.splittribalfest.com

Big thanks for pics by Urosh Cotman, Martina Crowe, Lenart Ferenc, Dan Fullard, Michaela Hamajova, Polly Headson, Florian Hölbling!



Tribal Prague Festival – Prague, Czech Republic 20-21.3.2010

Divadlo Na Prádle – GALA SHOW

The very first Tribal Festival in Prague and we couldn’t miss it! We were invited by Martina to dance at the evening Gala Show alongside such dancers as Elizabeth Strong and Bri Hurley.
The theater buzzed with activity as more than eighty dancers prepared for their performance at the Open Stage or later Gala Show.

We met some good friends we knew from other events and between doing our make-up and hair, caught up with them, exchanged news and exciting ideas. It was a high quality show with many different styles, all flowing in a steady stream of solid performances. The audience applauded, screamed and zaghareeted for every dancer and group, and of course we were watching our fellow dancers too and supporting them loudly!

Elizabeth Strong

Bri Hurley

Rustiqua

Afsana

El Raks Sá-el

Lucilla

El Ra Sahara

The organisators: Martina Vieweghova and Katerina Galeb Havelkova

After the show, all excitement slowly ebbing away, we met for kofola at the theatre bar and had a profund discussion about false eyelashes and babysitting jobs…

…..we always have a lot of fun!

Nakari Tribal Bellydance Session with Indian Flavour , Vienna 20.2.2010

Inspired by the Rustiqua sessions in Bratislava, we set out to find a place in Vienna where we could hold our Vienna sessions. We came upon an Indian Shop / Restaurant with great decoration and sutiable atmosphere – Govinda. The owner of the place, Ilse Vossough, was exicted about the idea and we had a planning meeting right away !

We agreed on a date, spread the news. The day came and the place was filled with our friends, family, students, and customers of the shop.

    We talked, danced, ate and drank, laughed and had a wonderful evening. Ilse prepared delicious Indian food, drinks and sweets, and by the end of the evening it was all gone!

See you all at the next one!!

Big thanks goes to our friend Marianna M who came all the way from Bratislava and made these photos for us!

Oriental Jam Session Rustiqua feat. Nakari – Bratislava, Slovakia 23.1.2010

December 2009, we finally managed to go to Bratislava and watch the Rustiqua monthly Session in the teahouse. We enjoyed the combination of live music and good dancing and at one point even contibuted by playing sagat and of course screaming and clapping ;D. The girls invited us to come next time and dance with them….

so we came and danced….

surprise though there was only one Rustiqua!

but we still had a lot of fun

because dancing to live music is soooo great

so if there is anyone reading this who is a musician or can make any danceable noise please contact us!

BOLLYWOOD Night @ chill out Lounge – Vienna, 26.11.2009

Sandeep Kumar, regisseur of austrians first bollywood film and executive producer Yasemin Cetinkaya presented first pictures of their film „Love without borders“ in the overcrowded chill out lounge.

Lots of bollywood fans were of course exited by the bollywood dance of the main actress Neha Kapdi….

….and „bellydance“ ( think there was a lot of mixing in there) by me

The atmosphere was very good, people couldn’t get enough of dancing with us ;D