'Belly Dance' comes from various folk dances throughout the Middle East. As it has been passed on through generations and traveled around the world, we have seen many changes, though one thing remains…. the subtlety, power and grace of the female is celebrated through the dance. In the beginning it was a dance women did for each other in celebration. It is in this spirit women can be both sensuous and empowered at the same moment.
         
Colleena
Colleena’s passion for dance was first sparked by Belly dance and all the freedom it allowed within Middle Eastern music.  She began by studying specific regional styles of the Middle East to understand the music and essence of this improvisational dance.  Today she performs regularly in India with her troupe of Rajasthani ‘Gypsy’ musicians. This has added yet another layer to her Fusion Belly Dance.

To explain the fusion of styles one only needs to see what kind of life Colleena leads to understand the different elements.  An American woman, practicing Yoga and Odissi classical dance in a temple all day and performing with her family of Rajasthani ‘Gypsies’ at night… this experience has been the formula which created this unique fusion.  The very nature of ‘Gypsy’ dances and ‘Oriental dance’ (Belly Dance) are that of fusion throughout history (as we can see with the connection of Indian Kathak dance and Spanish Flamenco). 

Fusion of dance styles is a much more careful and cleaver undertaking than is often believed.  Colleena has built a specific ‘fusion’ theoretical base from the arts which she practises (Yoga, Odissi, Rajasthani ‘Gypsy’ dance and Tribal Belly Dance).  At first glance, one could not find more opposite dances within ‘Indian dance’ as a whole.  However, historical connections of ‘Gypsy’ dance as it migrated throughout the Orient from India and the inherent devotional nature of all dance arts in India brings the connection within the dances beyond the notable feminine aesthetic of the combination.

Starting with the practical discipline and meditative intent of classical arts, the Rajasthani ‘Gypsy’ offers possibility of full improvisation (which is a noted characteristic of all ‘Gypsy’ dances around the world).  For Colleena, the movements have fused naturally in the body of a dancer trained in Odissi, living with ‘Gypsy’ people.  Odissi’s careful subtleties of the eyes, facial expression and torso movement along with Rajasthani spins and steps fused seamlessly.  Colleena’s Belly Dance movement vocabulary comes from her studies of traditional Middle Eastern dances and is hugely influenced by the American Tribal and Fusion movements in American Belly Dance.

The goal of this fusion is not to deteriorate the value of any traditional dance form, nor to misrepresent a given dance; but rather express the experience of Colleena's ‘fusion life’ .  A life in pursuit of elegance, in thought and movement. 

The end result is a delicate fusion and a clear vision of feminine grace, passionate improvisation and deliberate spiritual connection.

    
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Shakti School of Dance in Pushkar, Rajasthan, India
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