Inaugural Tribal Throwdown Event Promises West Coast Riot

March 17th in Bezerkely!!

January 2, 2007 – Dancers in the San Francisco Bay Area over the weekend of Saturday, March 17 2007, will want to take part in a ground-breaking new event that will re-invent the festival format. Tribal Throwdown 2007, dubbed “West Coast Riot”, will feature 15 workshops by some of the top dance teachers in belly dance, bhangra, and hip hop. In addition to these unique workshops, Tribal Throwdown 2007’s main room at the Live Oak center in Berkeley will also deliver some 10 hours of stage performances, over 30 tables of vendors offering an amazing array of jewelry, costuming, music, and more. Best of all, the main room will be free to the public without any admission charge.

Other additions include a contest to name the Top Throwdown Artist among all the stage dancers, with the winner invited to open the big afterparty show at an area nightclub (TBA), a moderated Q-and-A panel with top names in the dance community, uncommonly delicious fresh food served on the premise, and raffles of valuable vendor swag. More major surprises are planned and will be announced in the coming weeks.

The event is being staged by three veteran members of the dance community: Meliza Wells, who has danced with Ultra Gypsy, Lotus, Lapsus and is currently co-director of Bastet. Joining her is Amy Sigil, director of the break-out fusion troupe Unmata and Hot Pot Studios in Sacramento and producer of the annual Blood Moon Regale event. Rounding out the team is Brad Dosland, owner of Taboo Media, which helps produce Kosmos World Music and Dance Camp, the annual Undulation afterparty, and, most recently, Ultra Gypsy’s Medusa and Machine movie project.

Workshop staff is still being added, but just a few of the top names scheduled to teach include Ultra Gypsy director Jill Parker, Urban Tribal director Heather Stants, Goth goddess Ariellah, The Nekyia’s Kristina Canizares, and a special advanced session with local legend Mira Betz. Organizers Amy Sigil and Meliza Wells will be teaching sessions as well. More major names will be announced soon.

"When Amy approached me, I fell in love with the idea immediately. It was a perfect way to celebrate the diversity of this dance scene. We needed one more person to round out our team, so we approached Brad at Kosmos Camp. We brainstormed and Tribal Throwdown was born...," said organizer Meliza Wells.

"Tribal belly dance has evolved into an art form far beyond current definitions and we wanted an event that recognized and encouraged the aggressively progressive nature of this broad spectrum of styles we are calling ‘tribalternative’ dance," said Sigil.