Hi! I'm not a lovely lady, but am happy to chip in with a male-tribal perspective.

Why do I dance, tribal in particular? The communal nature - learning to read others, anticipate, move as one, while having a damned fun time doing it. The "sisterhood," so to speak.

I'm polishing intermediate moves, learning new ones and combos, becoming ever more comfortable with leading, musing on a new solo or duet routine thanks to Sashi's recent influence, and eager to put my basic sword and fire skills to good use.

Last year's TribalCon rocked, though my experience was a bit more insular than I'll allow this time around. I'll get back to you on this one in a couple of months. *smiles*

This year, I want to break any remaining boundaries. Onca's class is high on my list.

Sure, go ahead, quote me if there's any meat here. *smiles* Matthew works as well as any name.

Hi! My name is Sara Beaman, and I'm a dancer from Carrboro, North Carolina (it's near Raleigh). I've been to all but one of the previous TribalCons, and I'm coming this year too! I'd be happy to let you use my answers however you like if you find anything that interests you.

I love dancing, and Tribal bellydance in particular, because I think it makes me a more balanced person. I'm naturally an introvert, and left to my own devices I would spend most of my time living in my head, so to speak. Dance brings me back into my body, and Tribal bellydance helps me connect with other wonderful, creative people-- both in improv through non-verbal communication and just socially. As corny as it might sound, I also believe that there is something about bellydance that heals people and helps them believe that they are beautiful and worthwhile.

In my personal practice, right now I am trying to figure out how to be a better solo performer. I've been performing with troupes for over six years and done a smattering of solo performances here and there, but I would like to work on developing my own voice as an individual performer. To that end I am trying to work on integrating the different things I've learned in various classes (Tribal, Oriental, and modern dance) into my dance in a way that makes sense and that looks coherent. Of course I am also working on my technique too!!
I am inspired by practically everyone. I love watching what everyone else is working on. I just took a workshop with Lisa Zahiya in Asheville and I think she is my newest dance idol-- she's super fabulous.

Even though it was a disaster, I still have fond memories of IceCon (the first year of TribalCon that fell victim to a fluke ice storm). I really enjoyed that show quite a bit. I also LOVED the trio performance Elizabeth Strong, Zoe and Mira Betz did last year-- it blew me away. I also want to mention how useful Devyani's and Jennifer Speiden's workshops last year were for me as a teacher. Both classes gave me some great resources to bring back to my students.

This year, I am looking forward to EVERYTHING. I'm going to carry around a caffeine IV with me so that I can stay awake and focused for every single workshop. I will also bring my Time Turner so that I can take both the music and dance track workshops. I plan to get my money's worth out of this one. I end my sentences in propositions too.