Interview with Elizabeth Fish aka SuperBeth of Tamarind Tribal Belly Dance

Q. What is your favorite thing about Tribal Style Belly Dance?  
Dancing with people I have never danced with previously.  It's such a joy!  It was the whole reason I started to begin with...meet new people and take on amazing adventures! 
 
Q. Tamarind Tribal Belly Dance has been going strong for a while now, is that your full time occupation and how often do you & your group perform?  
It is a full time job in terms of my time (training, teaching, performing) and commitment,  However, it is not a full time occupation in the traditional sense.  I do have a "normal" job that I balance with it.  I perform more than my group especially since I teach extensively.  I perform roughly 30 times a year as a soloist and with the troupe.  The troupe (without me) performs about 10 times a year at a variety of events.
 
Q. What inspired you to add fans to your ATS® performances?  
I was at an event that had a cabaret dancer performing with fan veils.  She was the most lovely creature and I was hooked instantly!  I thought "I would love to learn how to do that!"  I bought my first pair of fan veils and started practicing right away.  When it came time to introduce others to the concept, I opted for the shorter version to get people used to the concept.
 
Q. How long did it take to make your section of the ATS® with Props: Veil, Fan, and Basket instructional DVD & what was the most fun/most challenging part?  
​All 3 of us filmed that whole DVD in 2 days!  The most challenging part was narrowing down what I wanted to film (I have more material than what was ultimately released to the public).  The best part was hanging out with such an amazing group of women!  Terri and Dawn are just wonderful women!  Their troupes contain amazing and talented women.  It was like a big family reunion.
 
Q. I hear that your 2017 schedule is pretty hectic – are there any key events or happenings that you are particularly looking forward to?  
I'm performing at the Fission Show during the Mega Massive in Las Vegas.   I'm teaching and performing in Sandpoint, Idaho in April -- that should be an absolute blast!  Neats Camp in September in New York should be great!  The last time I was there,  I had to drive - but that's a different story).  I have my sights set on another 1 or 2 overseas locations, but those aren't confirmed yet.  www.TamarindTribalBellyDance.com 
 
Q. I see that you are in the process of making another new DVD – what is the focus of that?  
It's called the "Spirit of Seville: Fan and Skirt for ATS®"  I'm doing a poster session on the concept at ATS® Homecoming this January in San Francisco.  It presents the use of a single fan and skirt used in concert.  I tried to make the instruction on this DVD simple enough, with detailed break downs of the moves, to make them readily digestible even for those dancers who aren't traditionally ATS® dancers.
 
Q. Adding new props to ATS® performances seems to be growing in popularity internationally & it’s slowly becoming prevalent here too – what do you think might be the next prop or other trend that we may not have come across way down here in NZ yet?  
Oh I have some ideas, but perhaps it's best left as a surprise.