Main Photo

Totally Northern Tribal is a Tribal Group Improvisation bellydance troupe in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. The troupe formed in 2004. Our main tribal influences are Fat Chance Belly Dance, Gypsy Caravan and Kajira Djoumahna. We feel free to adapt and modify movements from these influences and from raks sharqi to create our own style. All the members had prior bellydance studies with raks sharqi and folkloric teachers in the Twin Cities and elsewhere.

Group Tribal Improvisation is a method of belly dance that allows a group of dancers to create an improvised dance. The method was invented by Carolena Nericcio of Fat Chance Belly Dance. Carolena calls her specific style of group tribal improvisation American Tribal Style. Many other groups, including Totally Northern Tribal, have expanded on Carolena's work to develop their own styles.

Upcoming Performances

The Ladies of TNT Invite You to Attend A Series of Open Rehearsals

We’re going to heat up summer with 5 classes that will build a working vocabulary of tribal moves and cues in TNT’s unique improvisational style. This is more than just a taste of tribal – Each class will build on the previous weeks, and by the end you’ll be ready to create full dances, for the complete improvisational tribal style experience.

The classes run on Monday night from July 13, 20, 27, and August 3, 10. It’s an hour and a half running from 7:30 pm to 9 pm at the studio at 16 E 27th Street in Minneapolis.

Please preregister by emailing TNT (or you can call Sarah at 651-646-0211.) Please include your real name, your dance name (if you have one), a brief summary of your past experience in belly dance, and a sentence or two about why you’re interested in tribal improvisation. We are hoping to meet new dancers and get to know old friends better through this series.

While we are not charging for this series, we do ask that you bring a non-perishable food or hygiene item to each class for donation to The Neighborhood House Food Shelf (or a small cash donation, if you prefer.)