Product Review

Tribal Fusion belly dance is one of the most versatile and rapidly-evolving dance styles. It has absorbed classical belly dance, a number of hip-hop dance styles and other traditional and contemporary influences. Having extensive training in hip-hop, jazz, and a BFA in modern dance, Elisheva has toured with hip-hop and modern dance companies, and for many years has been performing as a professional belly dancer. Tribal Fusion style brings together all the diverse facets of her dance training and passion: The beauty of ancient traditional movement, the cutting edge experimental modern work, and the uncompromising vibe of street dance.

Bellydance Pop & Lock: Tribal Fusion Hip-Hop with Elisheva is an intermediate-advanced level crash course in one of the most spectacular features of Tribal Fusion, its percussive movement techniques, including pops and locks. Popping and locking are elements of both belly dance and hip-hop dance styles. Elisheva introduces each technique step-by-step, taking you through a series of combinations and drills toward advanced Tribal Fusion movement with multiple layers of pop and lock accents and shimmies added to belly dance isolations and hip-hop footwork.

One of the special features of the Pop & Lock program is that it is designed as a non-stop movement flow. Whether Elisheva is breaking down techniques or practicing them in isolated form and in combinations, she keeps you moving with the music, performing an evolving sequence of drills.

The Level 1 Technique section explores shoulder locks and chest pops added to hip-hop and belly dance-style arm waves, such as liquid-style arms and snake arms. The hipwork includes adding hip, glute and oblique locks to mayas, omi circles, hip twists and other belly dance isolations.

In the Level 2 Technique section, Elisheva introduces and drills chest shimmy and hip shimmy layering.

In the special Drills section you will add pops, locks, and shimmy layering to body rocks and undulations, and then layer undulations, arm waves, omi circles and upper body isolations on classic hip-hop footwork floats, such as the zigzag and moonwalk. This section also features drills of modified Tribal Fusion pivots and cross-step turns.

To thread all these movements together and practice layered combinations in the context of a real dance, Elisheva teaches a full choreography.

Tribal Fusion popping and locking techniques require muscle strength, and precision in isolated contractions. The Pop & Lock program includes a warmup and muscle conditioning section with familiar yoga stretches, core conditioning, and stabilizing exercises.