Bratislava Tribal Festival

Well, what a weekend it has been! Last Thursday I flew out to Bratislava, Slovakia for the very first Bratislava Tribal Festival, where I had the honour of teaching alongside one of my favourite dancers – Giuliana Angelini from Munich, Germany.

Hosted by Karisma Bellydance, I met these beautiful ladies back in March at Tribal Prague festival. Arriving at the airport in Bratislava, I was greeted with the smiling faces of Janka and Sabeena alongside my host for the weekend Jozef. I couldn’t help but giggle at Jozo’s most pressing question about my life back in Britain – ‘Do you have Tesco?!’

It’s funny that he asked. I always think of Tesco as a very British supermarket, never expecting to find them elsewhere (although they have conquered all of our cities). Yet in Budapest earlier this year we were amazed to find a Tesco! Seems like they’re taking over Eastern Europe too….

Eating Bryndzove Halusky in the Slovak Pub with Janka

At the apartment they had prepared me some delicious snacks of bread, cheeses, meats, crisps and several glasses of wine!! After a much needed sleep, the next day Jozo was my guide around Bratislava as we went sightseeing for the day. We wandered around the old town, the castle and the war monument. Bratislava is small but pretty, and my favourite part was absolutely, the people.

We met Janka for lunch at the Slovak Pub where I tried some traditional Slovak food – Bryndzove Halusky – potato dumplings cooked with sheep’s cheese. It was delicious, but way too much for me! Very filling. Later on Friday Giuliana arrived and we were all ready to begin our weekend of dance.

The workshop and show venue was very cool – walls covered with artistic graffiti, which I love so much… I felt right at home and loved the underground feel of the place. My workshop was the first of the weekend – Lock, Drop and Roll. A hip work workshop that involves lots of drilling of the various movements of the hips and pelvis. We ran through several drills from sharp isolations to liquid movements and fast stops, and finished with a new combination. After lunch with my husband who had flown out to see the show and do some sightseeing (I ate a delicious pumpkin and ginger soup – yum!), I attended Giuliana’s workshop Serpents. This was a choreography class of a dance that I have seen her perform a few times, a very powerful, fierce and badass choreography! I really enjoyed learning this having seen it before, learning the thought process behind the dance and found it very challenging and complex. It is obvious that a great deal of thought and planning goes into her choreographies.

Lock, Drop & Roll workshop

 After a rest back at the apartment, we prepared for the show in the evening. I got to see some beautiful performances, both by dancers I hadn’t seen previously (which is always a delightful experience) and some favourites of mine (for example Rustiqua, Marta Bedriova, and of course the organizers Karisma). For me personally, Giuliana’s piece ‘And She Sang’ stole the show – such a beautiful song, interpreted so perfectly. I performed an improvised piece and my choreography ‘End of the Month’. I thought I was ready to retire this piece this weekend but I realized that actually I still really love dancing it, and the audiences always really enjoy it, so maybe I will keep it a little bit longer! The show was so much fun, and it was nice to be in a smaller environment, close to the audience, rather than on a stage. I do enjoy to be dancing on stage, but I also love the challenge of dancing in a space where you can’t hide from the audience. I think it’s easier to hide who you are on a stage than close up. And this is both challenging and pleasurable. And I have to add – it’s not every day that you’re introduced on stage by a very famous Czech actor! After the show we went to a club for some drinks, some chatting and some more dancing!

Backstage with Giuliana

On Sunday I had intended to take Giuliana’s floorwork workshop, but I had to pass. I had been up so late after the show that I was exhausted and unable to get out of bed in time! It was perhaps just as well – I can rarely actively participate in floorwork workshops because of my knee injury, even with kneepads it can be painful. Having seen Giuliana’s amazing floorwork,  I was more than aware of my physical limitations and the need to be able to teach afterwards! Had I gone and watched I would have undoubtedly fallen asleep (this was the case in Split, as Colleena Shakti gave her incredibly interesting lectures on Indian Classical dance, I was battling just to keep my eyes open because I was so tired!). I figured it was better to be rejuvenated and awake to be able to teach myself than become even more exhausted! Though I do regret it because I enjoyed the previous day’s workshop so much.

A Step in the Right Direction workshop

My workshop in the afternoon was ‘A Step in the Right Direction’ – a travelling and turns workshop that focuses on technique and learning a combo (again, a new one). This is one of my favourite workshops to teach because it combines so much of what I love about modern Tribal Fusion – footwork, movement that is not completed on one spot, layering in many parts of the body, and contrast. When you teach workshops, it’s always difficult to know the level to pitch to, especially when you’re teaching in a country that is not your own where you’re not at all familiar with the dancing of the majority of people in class. I think this workshop gave people enough that they could take away at home and practice with without being too much physically and mentally in terms of the layering. It was a fun class to teach, not least because of the awesome students I had in the room with me!

Chilling out at home with Giuliana and Jozo

And just like that, it was all over. It seemed to pass by so quickly! After another trip to the Slovak pub, we bought in ice cream and popcorn and spent the night laughing at the photos we had taken over the weekend and watching the movie Eurotrip – the scene where they arrive in Bratislava is just one of many hilarious moments! Today I got some work done before heading to the airport and bidding my host a fond farewell. Delayed flight and cancelled trains meant I arrived home a good 9 hours after I originally left the apartment this afternoon… I could have flown to America in that time! But hey, it was worth it. 

I had a really awesome time at the festival, and met some very beautiful and talented dancers in Slovakia. I do hope that the girls will do it all again next year, and I wish them tons of success for the next one! A huge thank you to my hosts for everything and for inviting me to be a part of it. I had so much fun!

Now I am home, I must concentrate on my own event this weekend – Infusion Emporium! There are only 8 tickets left for the show, so don’t delay in booking! It’s this coming Saturday! And if you can’t make Saturday, try the Glitterball Shakedown on Sunday – we still have many of the same performers, plus a few extras to marvel at! Don’t miss out! www.alexissouthall.com, click on Infusion Emporium and follow the links within that page for booking details. And there's the souk on Saturday.... oh my!!

Further, workshops next year with April Rose have just gone on sale on Monday night, and workshops are already almost half full, so again, don’t delay your booking!

Hope to see you somewhere on the road!

Alexis x