There are a great many styles of belly dance. It is natural that any form of dance that has lasted as long as belly dancing would evolve into a lot of different styles. Culture and history has done many things to the art form, but it is still belly dancing regardless of the influence. Tribal belly dancing is one such style.

Due to the casual nature of their performance opportunities, the dance is largely improvised.
Carolena developed dance formations and cues for each step or combination, usually an
arm or head movement that could easily be seen. She found that because all steps began
with a gesture to the right, the dancers tended to angle to the left. This angle allowed the
following dancers to clearly see the lead dancer (the lead dancer being on the left and the
followers to the right).

Cues and formation are the brilliance of ATS; Often unnoticed because of the elaborate
costumes, fancy steps, exciting music and the sheer beauty of women dancing together.
Watch for the interaction among the dancers, who always have their attention trained on the lead position, looking for the cue for the next step. But don’t think too hard! Allow your-
self to see the whole picture – women working together in co-operation; a group focused
on presenting the dance as one entity.