BellyNut Tribal
Home of Bodhaia Tribal Performance Troupe

Articles and Reviews by Nicola Atkin

An Interview
With
Samantha Riggs
SAmantha Riggs Boom Boom Bollywood

Samantha Riggs has long been known as one of the original founding members of Arizona-based Tribal Fusion troupe Domba!  In the last few years, however, she has branched out with her own passion for Bollywood and Bhangra.  I have been lucky enough to have taken many workshops, classes, and private lessons with Samantha; she is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met.  I feel honoured to consider her a friend....of which I took full advantage of and upon which basis I coerced an interview out of her :)  (ok, so I didn't take advantage, but I bet you were thinking that!).  Here it is :

Me Tribal style has always had influences in its moves from Indian dance, amongst many others, however its presence in Tribal Fusion is becoming increasingly popular. Can you describe your own personal approach to, and different ways of, fusing these two dance forms so successfully?
Sam: My personal approach to the fusion of Indian dance styles and Tribal (or Cabaret) dance styles is to honour the history and particular mood/impact of both when choreographing a dance or creating a tribal combo. I am thrilled that you describe my methods as successful! Some different ways of combining the styles: Music. I always start with the music. To me, it looks ludicrous to do a flirtatious belly dance to a hard rockin’ bhangra mix and strange to be performing Indian-style temple poses to the latest club hit by Said Mrad. Research your music and if it has an Indian base, start with an Indian base to the dance – then add some hip work and undulating sexiness to it at certain points. If it has a Middle-eastern base, start with belly dance and then add the Indian precision to it with hands, body posture and facial expressions. Basically take Indian dance and make it more sinuous or take belly dance and take it out to the extremities (gestures, footwork, eyes).
   
Me: From where did/do you draw your inspiration for both the moves and also the concept of fusing it with tribal?
Sam:
My inspirations run the gamut from Hindi (“Bollywood”) movies to Indian art to Gypsy Caravan’s Indian Styling to Domba’s sense of fun to my own background on the stage (as an actress, not a dancer!) and in street theatre.

As for the concept of fusing it with Tribal, honestly I really do not think of my Bollywood Tribal moves or my Bollywood-style choreographies as a belly dance fusion of any type. The “Tribal” part comes in because the combos are cued like Tribal belly dance moves. My own connotation of the word “Tribal” with regards to dance is “a style which is extemporaneous in nature and based in a common vocabulary of moves and cues.” In my opinion there could be Tribal Hip-hop, Tribal Folk Dance, etc. By my definition, Ballroom dance is already a Tribal form since the dancers follow cues from a leader and it can be performed with no prior rehearsal of the order of moves!
The “Bollywood” style is, in itself a fusion of many dance forms – Indian classical dance forms, Indian folk dances, Hip-hop, modern jazz and ballet… much like the dances performed in London or Broadway musical theatre draw from various styles to create an original effect.
   
Me: Indian dance movements in their true format convey meanings, which often relate to lyrics. Have you managed to address this in your fusion-style, and if so what did this involve?
Sam: I have tried to be as true as I can to the meaning and intent of the classical hand and body postures I use. I always make sure I get translations of Hindi and Punjabi lyrics so I can create dances which convey the concepts and emotions expressed in each song. Beyond that, I also add my own touches and personality – like any choreographer!
   
Me: What do you think it is about your fusion style that makes it so popular amongst the tribal dancers?
Sam: I think the reason others like it could be the same reason I do – it gives us a chance to cut loose and be theatrical! Over-the-top and cheesy! With big smiles on our faces! Sometimes in Tribal we can take ourselves a little too seriously.
   
Me: What advice could you give to a tribal group who wanted to incorporate some Indian or Bollywood flavour into their tribal dancing?
Sam: Research. Research. Research. I cannot emphasize this enough. Indian/Bollywood dance is for the most part, narrative in nature, and one cannot tell the story of a song without knowing what it means! If a troupe has an instrumental piece that they like, perhaps they could make up a story they want to tell and then do it through the language of Indian dance, while putting their own little flair on it.
   
Me: What compelled you to move completely away from tribal fusion, in order to create and direct a full-blown choreographed Bollywood-style stage production?
Sam: I felt that this would be the best way to honour and respect the dance form – to dive right in and re-create the movie dances, as closely as possible. It taught all of us so much. I wanted to educate the Western audience about Bollywood while at the same time letting the Asian audience know that we adored their dances and music.
   
Me: In what ways has your experience as a tribal dancer contributed to your Bollywood dancing?
Sam: The earthiness and athleticism of Tribal dance definitely helped train my body to be able to emote in a more “Indian” fashion. The powerful stage presence inherent in Tribal Belly dance helped me with wrapping up the audience in whatever story I am telling.
   
Me: In what ways has your experience as a tribal performer and teacher contributed to your role as Artistic Director of Bollywood Love Rules?
Sam: As a Tribal performer, one must keep in constant touch with the rest of the dancers in order for things to go smoothly and look professional. Tribal performance definitely develops a wonderful “sixth sense” about the dynamics of a group of people dancing together. This helped immensely when I was trying to keep track of 22 different dancers, may of them performing different parts of a choreography. The pinnacle of Tribal performance, in my opinion, is a bunch of rugged individualists who have agreed to move as one. When one dances Tribal, one merges into a group consciousness. We become the Dance Borg. It’s just that sometimes, I am Locutus of Dance ;)

My experience as a teacher has helped me as an Artistic Director much more than I can quantify. It is only through years of assisting people with how to move their bodies that one can get a sense of how and why bodies move the way they do… and that not everyone’s body move the same way or for the same reasons! The ability to dissect movement and explain it or demonstrate it in order that others can replicate the movement is… well… complex. I don’t know that I could actually explain to someone how they can do that. It can only come from experience.

   
Me: A cruel one: If you had to choose…Tribal or Bollywood, which would it be?
Sam: Do I have to answer this one? Argh! You Scorpios. Okay… I’m afraid I have to give a part-this, part-that answer, and I am already on this path. I would choose to perform Bollywood, but teach Tribal. Tribal belly dance is so incredibly valuable with regards to teaching people to get in touch with their bodies. Once someone has trained diligently in Tribal for a few years (by “diligently” I mean not just the moves, themselves, but worked on their flexibility and muscle tone as well) I can easily take them and teach them a Bollywood choreography and then throw them onstage in one of my shows! Hah. Libra wins.
   
Me: Hmmm, a world-renowned troupe member, a fire performer, founding member of a USA Morris dancing troupe (had to drop that in there!), and an Internationally-performing Bollywood Troupe (and that one)…any other sides, quirks, or achievements you would like to share (that one, too)?
Sam:

Egads. I have so many quirks, you could write an entire article about that alone… or a detailed psychiatric study. Here are some that spring to mind:

  • I have a hard time talking about my achievements (notice how I didn’t even mention that in the opening sentence?)
  • I am fascinated with the structure of the English language – speaking correctly, researching words that will get across just the right meaning, using archaic terms that should have never gone out of style.
  • I am fascinated with tall ships! As a matter of fact, I will be trained as a sailor during the first two weeks of December on a replica of an 18th-century brig called the “Lady Washington.” I have dreams about Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin and Horatio Hornblower (not to mention Davy Jones…)
  • I am also fascinated with military history – especially that of the Norman Invasion, the Crusades and the Hundred Years War.
  • I consider England my home (perhaps that’s not a quirk, but a side) – my father is British and I am a British citizen. My family lives in Blackpool (okay, now that’s a quirk) and I feel most at home on a windswept shore – somewhere on the Severn Sea would be nice.
   
Me: What are your aspirations for the future between you and your dance?
Sam: I want to combine everything I love into one grand production! My plan is to build a tall ship in England, on which I can sail anywhere I please, but also use as a theatre for dance and military action scenes – fights in the rigging! The public could come aboard, have a grand old time watching big productions, and learn something at the same time. Oh, and there would be rum.
   
 

Since conducting this interview, Samantha has gone on to realise her aspirations...well, almost. 
The next article will be an event review where you can read all about this. 
In the meantime, here is a taster :)