Jewelry in dance American Tribal Style

ATS, or American Tribal Style, is a dance inspired by the tribes of different continents. An integral part of the passionate dance is the richly decorated costume. Typically, it consists of a double skirt, a matching blouse (choli), a turban, an exquisite brassiere, a belt that emphasizes the movement of the hips and pompoms, ruffles or tassels attached to it. Of course, a key element of the costume for this dance is oriental jewelry.

American Tribal Style dancers are modeled mainly on women from the Afghan Kuchi tribe, North African tribes (such as the Bedouins or Tuaregs) and those belonging to the Rajasthani bohemians. These are the ones that inspire dancers to wear original jewelry from distant continents. Despite the fact that these accessories are relatively heavy and massive, they are worn with great eagerness by ATS dance performers. It is interesting to note how much the Afghan jewelry contrasts with the impression of lightness of the skirt bouncing in the dance. The heaviness of the oriental accessories does not overwhelm the dancer at all - it even seems to move lightly along with the woman, absorbed in the dance. In order to reflect the tribe as closely as possible, the dancers put on a whole lot of richly decorated rings (also on the feet), bracelets and necklaces, intricately created, among others, by the Kuchi people.

The choli, or the aforementioned fitted blouse, has been adopted as part of the costume for ATS dancing and is of Indian origin. It is worth mentioning that this short blouse is embellished by dancers with finely embroidered bra. Most often, old Afghan coins are sewn onto it. Of course, the more of them, the better! The coins, carved by the nomadic Kuchi tribe, are as heavy as the rest of the ornate jewelry. It is from this heaviness that the art brings out the lightness of the accessories swirling in the dance. The dancer's outfit is also complemented by a belt, emphasizing the sensual movements of the hips and elements of belly dance choreography. It is very common to see belts with sewn-in mirrors, coins, tassels woven from colorful yarns or tangles. These accessories can very much attract the attention of the audience, putting the audience into a kind of trance. Exotic belts are also usually handmade, by the Kuchi people of Afghanistan. So dancers adorn their hips with belts embroidered with ribbons, kauri shells, multicolored beads or medallions. The clink of accessories bumping against each other in dance has a truly mesmerizing effect.

Also in the hair of ATS dancers, a lot of oriental jewelry appears. As a rule, hair is pinned up or a colorful turban is put on it, North African style. However, when the women decide to appear without this element of dance attire, they pin exotic hair pins in their hair. So, most often, the audience can see shiny alpaca hairpins made by Afghan artists in the dance. In the hair of the dancers also shimmer beads, pompoms made of yarn or bells, joining in with the sounds of the other elements of the costume of this oriental dance.

It is worth mentioning that the dancers do not care about the exact reproduction of the folk costume. They rather try to bring it to modern times, but without forgetting the tribal values. Therefore, the ethnic jewelry used in the dance is usually bright and quite unusual. And it is, in fact, a key element of a dancer's outfit to attract the attention of the audience. That's why, the jewelry used in the dance must be authentic and... Tribal. And despite the fact that the jewelry of the Afghan Kuchi nomads is somewhat massive and heavy, the dancers reach for it most often!