The strong community of belly dancers in the Valley are coming together to celebrate the dance and its rich culture.
The first annual Phoenix Rising Dance Festival embodies the mindset of belly dancing as an empowering and confidence-boosting opportunity. Divine Chaos Tribal Fusion, a troupe of women who are passionate about belly dancing, are the creators of the event.
Shannon Conklin, Founder and Director of Divine Chaos Tribal Fusion, said the festival is going to be quite an experience to witness for those who appreciate the culture and art of dance.
"With so much support and so much good knowledge and experiences in one room, it's going to be pretty euphoric when it happens," Conklin said.
With previous Phoenix festivals featuring belly dancing slowly dwindling, Phoenix Rising Dance Festival is making a name for itself. Conklin said like the mighty phoenix, the festival of belly dancing is rising again in the desert.
"We are trying to do this for the community," Conklin said. "We want to bring back that sense of camaraderie and support."
Belly dancing originated in India over 5000 years ago and is still practiced today. Even at ASU, students can take a course to learn and familiarize themselves with different dances that originated from other parts of the world.
Ava Fleming is one of the top belly dancers in the world with over 20 years of experience. Fleming said with a whole community who has as much passion for the dance as the performers, the experience is much more enjoyable for both parties.
Fleming said she seeks to teach students self-confidence through belly dancing. She said that students have a new sense of moral after a semester in her Raqs Sharqi class.
"From the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester, the amount of self-confidence that they get and personal acceptance — they are like 'Oh my body is great the way it is,'" Fleming said. "They stand tall and learn how to interact as an adult in society."
Fleming isn't the only Sun Devil performing during Saturday's festivities. There are other ASU students, faculty and graduates gearing up to perform, including Meghan Draper Hiller, an interior architecture grad student with a Bachelor’s in art history from ASU.
Hiller said she started dancing in 2009 and her love for belly dancing and the culture behind it continues to grow. She said it made her realize how important creativity is, which helped her find her pathway in design and art.
"There's something really magical that happens when the community gets together to support each other," Hiller said. "There's nothing like dancing for other dancers. It's just the best audience."
The festival, which takes place on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. is going to be held at Phoenix's Shrine Auditorium, where attendees will be see live music, food, shops, workshops and plenty of dancing.
Fleming, Hiller and 120 other performers will take the stage and showcase their talent for the unique style of dance.
"Belly dancers aren't all people who've studied dance forever, or even for very long, but no matter what the experience level, we cheer just the same," Hiller said. "We dance for the joy of it, and it's infectious."
Tickets for the festival are $15 and free for children 10 and under and are available at the festival's website. For more information about Divine Chaos Tribal Fusion, check out their Facebook page.
Reach the reporter at jhaynie1@asu.edu or follow @jilli_haynie on Twitter.
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