Performer BiosTribal Wallah performs at local Haflas, Community Events, Fundraisers and Private Parties.To find out if Tribal Wallah is available for your event, please Contact Us!
Joyce Young, Instructor and DirectorJoyce started dancing late in life, beginning at the age of 32 during the early spring of 2000, when she took her first Middle Eastern Dance class at the East Boulder Recreation Center in Boulder, Colorado from a gracious and giving woman named Shireen Malik. Joyce studied "belly dance" with Shireen for less than two years, learning to improv and how to put steps together to make small combinations, and mostly learned how to enjoy having fun while dancing in class. Joyce continued with Shireen’s classes until she moved to Florida in August of 2002.Continuing with classes in Florida in Danse Oriental for a couple years, in early spring of 2004 the Belly Dance Super Stars visited Tallahassee and Joyce was introduced to the world of Tribal and Tribal Fusion when she got to see Rachel Brice perform alongside two lovely tall, Amazonian looking women. Joyce was instantly captivated and while this style of dance was something totally new it felt so familiar, something that she connected with instantly. Unclear on what made this dance different, one thing was sure; she had caught TRIBAL FEVER. Since then Joyce has done everything she possibly could to get to workshops and study tribal style dance. Once Joyce saw a video performance of Fat Chance Belly Dance (FCBD), the founding troupe of American Tribal Style Belly Dance, she decided she had to learn more about this beautiful dance form. In her time in Florida, Joyce attended three Tribal Pura weekend workshop, as well as the General Skills Certification program offered by Carolena Nerricio through FCBD, Joyce has focused most of her studies on ATS, in the FCBD format. Joyce has taken workshops with a variety of other Tribal Style performers, including but not limited to Ziah Ali of Awalim, Rachel Brice, Sharon Moore of Infusion Tribal, Megha of Devyani, Paulette Rees-Denis of Gypsy Caravan, Jill Parker of Ultra Gypsy, Sharon Kahira, Zoe Jakes, Kassar, and Heather Stants of Urban Tribal. Joyce founded Tribal Wallah in September of 2005. For the three years she was in Florida, she taught two classes a week, monthly workshops, and offered private lessons for more advanced dancers. She also performed with her Florida troupe at every opportunity to help educate and entertain. In August of 2008, Joyce made a dream come true and moved to Alaska. In January of 2009 she starting offering classes to the public, and in September of 2009 she opened Space for Movement Studio where she offers 3 levels of Tribal Style, plus offers occasional special topics such as dancing with fans, sword, and Spanish fusion skirt dancing. She is also available for performances as a soloist and performs with her snakes, as well as a sword, baskets, veils and zills. In August of 2008, Joyce made a dream come true and moved to Alaska. In January of 2009 she starting offering classes to the public, and in September of 2009 she opened Space for Movement Studio where she offers 3 levels of Tribal Style, plus offers occasional special topics such as dancing with fans, sword, and Spanish fusion skirt dancing. She is also available for performances as a soloist and performs with her snakes, as well as a sword, baskets, veils and zills.
Brighton Brooks, Student DancerBrighton started with dance as many young girls do in ballet. However, pink frilly bits are not her gig and she soon drifted away from dance, not realizing how many other fantastic styles there are. Upon attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2000 she again discovered her latent love of wiggling around to music and took a few classes in jazz, bellydance, and other styles. Just don't ask her to do salsa. Although normally uncoordinated and frequently falling down or knocking things over, Brighton found an immediate home with Tribal Fusion as taught by Mary Haley in 2007. She loves the aesthetics, sounds, and motions of tribal bellydance, particularly the gothic style. In 2009 she started taking ATS classes from Joyce Young and successfully avoided falling down or knocking anything over at her first performance in May 09.
Taryn Lopez, Student DancerTaryn’s love of dance began with "tapping" at the early age of five. That love grew steadily in the following years and fed her curiosity regarding other dance forms, ultimately creating a desire to branch out and expand her knowledge of and test her ability with different styles. In high school she joined the dance team which gave her the opportunity to dabble in jazz, lyrical, and hip-hop. The desire to dance became even more engrained during her college years at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire where she joined the Dance Team and spent six days a week performing or practicing. During this time her fellow dancers became her second family. While attending the University of Wisconsin, Taryn had the opportunity to study abroad in Costa Rica where she became acquainted with Salsa, Merengue, and Cumbia during late-night practices at the discotecas. After college she went on to earn a Master’s degree at Michigan Technological University, and found her next dance-family in the MTU Hip-Hop Crew. This crew consisted of men and women from around the world, creating a team rich in culture and diversity that gave uniqueness to the dances they performed. After two years dancing with this crew, Taryn completed her Master’s degree and moved to Fairbanks to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Yet again she found herself in search of a new dance family. After a nearly two year hiatus from dance, she finally discovered the thriving Fairbanks belly-dance community and signed up for lessons. During her first Cymbal Salaam (Fairbanks Middle Eastern Dance Recital) she officially caught the 'belly-bug' and has since immersed herself in this dance form by signing up for as many classes as she can afford from a variety of teachers including Lara Lotze (Alaska Awalim), Souzana (Raks Souzana), and Joyce Young (Tribal Wallah) to learn the various styles that comprise Middle Eastern Dance. Taryn has been fortunate to be a part of many different dance families with many different dance styles, all of which have shaped the dancer she is today. She will have more dance families as life takes her on different roads. For now, she has found a home with Tribal Wallah and loves the camaraderie and challenge of dancing the improvisational style with her sister dancers.
Ellen Million, Student DancerEllen has been dragged kicking and screaming from the audience with the bribery of shiny jewelry and big skirts. When not performing or cheering on her fellow dancers, she is an illustrator, web programmer and AutoCAD drafter. Find her numerous projects and fantasy artwork at ellenmilliongraphics.com |
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