RSSVideo of the Week: Erin Gillespie, Boy with a Coin
16 May 2011 No Comments
Before you watch the following video, I suggest you turn up the volume. Sadly, this video is pretty quiet.
For all my students, pay a lot of attention to this video. Erin Gillespie is one of the most wonderful dancers I know. I’ve been privileged enough to dance with her on several different occasions. We’ve danced together at five different events now and I can only hope that we will have many more opportunities to dance together in the future.
This particular piece is perhaps the best tribal fusion piece I’ve seen in a long time, and I’m not just saying that because she’s a friend! The piece contains a huge element of traditional ATS style tribal bellydance. If you’re familiar with ATS you should be able to recognize at elast half the moves there. The fused elements from flamenco fit smoothly into the movement style. I absolutely love the music, Boy with a Coin by Iron & Wine. It’s beautiful, dramatic, and keeps a good grasp of the feel of both tribal style bellydance and flamenco without feeling unfocused. For me, this is a perfect example of a well done fusion.
Something to watch for in the video? Aside from the ATS movements, look for the camera bouncing. It happens with the stomps. That should tell you how powerful those feet hit the floor! Erin certainly isn’t just playing around here! She puts real power and energy in her dancing! It’s completely inspiring!
