Tribal Vision: A Celebration of Life Through Tribal Belly Dance

Tribal Vision shows us how women have learned to celebrate life and community through the evocative, sensual, and quickly growing dance style of Tribal Belly Dance.

Pamela Smith Hill, a dancer and an author, says, "Tribal Vision is an inspired, insightful, and important account of the origins of Tribal Belly Dance and the author's personal journey through this brilliant and artistic community. Part of this dance movement from the beginning, Paulette Rees-Denis shares her vision of its past, present, and future. This is a deeply satisfying book for experienced dancers as well as new ones-- and for all readers who simply want to know more about a dance form that revolutionized the meaning of belly dance".

Testimonials for the book:

Reviewed on Amazon.com! 5.0 out of 5 stars Tribal Vision, December 6, 2009 By Linda M. Holt "Amaryllis Dahlal" Bravo to Paulette Rees-Denis. This wonderful book is full of magnificent photos and Paulette's personal journey is the perfect book for any person who is interested in Tribal Belly Dance. This book is wonderful reading. I highly recommend adding it to your dance library.

~~~~ 5.0 out of 5 stars A Belly Dancers "MUST HAVE"...., August 18, 2009 By J. Zacharias - This book is a definite must have for any belly dancer.....whether you are a follower of the Cabaret, Tribal, Gypsy or Fusion style of the dance there is something for everyone in this book. Paulette is one of the keepers of the dance...Please don't take me wrong there are others out there that are also keepers of the dance...Paulette is just one of them. With this book she lays it out....she draws you in...and allows you to feel the spirit of the dance. I have read this book many times since I bought it...I put on some Gypsy Caravan music and I open the book and step into the wonderful world of dance. Thank you Paulette. As Oliver once said..."Can I have some more..."

Your book, Tribal Vision, has meant so much to me. I have smiled, laughed, and cried throughout the whole thing. Your words have been such a refreshing look at the dance for me, and I greatly needed it! Thanks so much! I think you are AWESOME!!!!
Sincerely,
Zepora (Kara LeBleu)

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“Paulette - I just received Tribal Visions for my birthday this week and I absolutely love it. It is such a beautifully written book, so full of passion and love for your craft. I found it so inspirational and I finally realise the effect that Tribal Bellydance has had on my development. Not a day goes by that I don’t acknowledge how lucky I am to have found this wonderful dance and an amazing group of women to share it with. Thank you so much for sharing your insight and stories.
~Shanne Xx”
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Paulette,

I started reading your book this evening and I have been up all night devouring it! It is so brilliant and divine, I can’t stand it! It is so fascinating to hear all about the path that lead you to where you are today. I love the pictures, your stories about learning, teaching, adornment and how the dance transforms women.
Best of all is how you articulate the bliss and the soul of tribal style. I’m amazed to read your thoughts about the magical interaction and the co-creation that happens when a group of women dances in unison. The stories and quotes from your dancers all come from different perspectives (of course!), but together they give this really full picture of how unique and special our art is. This quality of tribal dance is something that for me, is such a deep and sensual experience I find it hard to put into words. But you’ve done it! Hurray!
My only regret is that your book wasn’t published yet when I was writing my thesis. I was working with these concepts and there was nothing available at the time to use as source material that could really capture what I was trying to convey.
Many congratulations and thanks for your beautiful creation…
With Love,
Hilary



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"I just received the book, Tribal Vision, by Paulette Rees-Denis. I have only yet read the first 3 chapters, but all I can say is, "WOW!"
This is one of the most refreshing books I have read. It touches on many dance related subjects that are close to heart. It gives a nice history of American Tribal Style belly dance as well as Paulette's own personal history. Tribal Vision also touches on belly dance classes, troupes, and the impact the dance has on women. Several personal insights by various dancers are given, along with beautiful, full-color pictures.
This book is a must read for all belly dancers. It is also a very beautiful book and would just look absolutely gorgeous on any coffee table, but you MUST read it! I especially love the way she talks about the connection belly dance helps women make with themselves and others. 
A truly life-changing read".
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I am truly grateful!
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Tribal Vision reviewed in the Gilded Serpent,by Martha, 12/08

"I went on a different Belly dance quest and found Tribal Vision, which is a celebration of life through tribal Belly dance from Paulette Rees-Denis (producer of the Tribal Technique Series of instructional videos and founder of Gypsy Caravan). What I thought would be a book about how-to-do-Tribal-Belly-dancing, turned out to be a great lesson about Tribal Belly dance history! Topics covered how Tribal was created, what inspired it, and who created it, if the creators were always Belly dancers, where and how they lived.

I found quite amusing when I got to Chapter 2: “ A Dancer Finds Her Place” where Paulette describes her life’s journey as a dancer, ballet dancer, and jazz dancer who had a feeling that there was still more out there for her. She met Caroleena Nericcio who invited her to this new style process of creating a new form.
Many wonderful photographs of Belly dance in the late 1980s and early ‘90s are included in this book of Tribal dance history. In a way, this is a memoir of Paulette’s Belly dance life.
Many of us have read various articles and books about the history of the golden era of Belly dance, but these renditions of history are always talking about many decades ago. I have not seen other books that were as descriptive as this one concerning the “in-between” era of Belly dance. It is very clear how Tribal Belly dance is defined in the last 30 years; Paulette’s words are very inspiring! I think that her book is an essential for all Tribal Belly dancers because one needs to know the background—and for tribal dancers, this is one of your founders who helped mark an era that revolutionized this art form. (No, it didn’t start with Rachel Brice, but much earlier with Jamila Salimpour—and more directly—Masha Archer.)


“Teaching this dance fills my soul with delight,” Paulette Rees Denis writes in chapter nine. Where her vision (as a teacher) of a student’s progression is clearly stated, every teacher must nurture his or her students for them to be able to progress in any art form, and the feedback given by the teacher of both new and old students is not often shared. However, the author makes a very detailed demography of her dance students, and she explains that during the teenage years these young students are often the hardest ones to sign up for classes (a phenomenon about which I fully agree). The joy of dancing and the satisfaction of passing it on to other aspiring dancers led her to create her Gypsy Caravan Teacher Certification Program and in the last chapter, she describes her ups and downs while giving life to next generation teachers.
She fully describes the progress of a dancer’s journey through her dance life, through a performance process, to achieving a full awareness off the moment. The full story is in this Tribal Belly dance history book—much as the author lived through it.


I would recommend Paulette’s book as an option for dancers who are interested in obtaining a background of this fairly recent dance style. I do not consider it a “must-have” for every Belly dancer’s library; however, it is very inspirational, produced with high quality printing and beautiful full-color photos".
Zil Rating= 4 zils
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More fabulous reviews can be read at

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http://www.cultivatormedia.com/in-the-news