Luminessah is a World Interpretive dance troupe that formed in 2005 in Eugene, Oregon. They fuse movements from such regions as India, Turkey, Egypt, and North Africa and tie them together through an Improvisational Tribal Style of dance.
Luminessah is available for events such as weddings, festivals, parties, baby showers, and collaborative concerts. They often teach group workshops and are available for private lessons as well. If you’re interested, please contact us and check out our upcoming events.
Within Us
A Troupe With No Leader
Perhaps another title for this piece could be: A Troupe With Four Leaders, because in Luminessah, each one of us decides the destiny of our dance. We agree on everything openly, from dance repertoire to costumes, from set music to the very statements made here. The process requires patience and communication, and is made possible with much lightheartedness, laughter and love.
Luminessah came into being as a group of friends who fell in love with tribal bellydance. The thought of forming a troupe was far from our minds. We just wanted to shimmy our hips, so we took to the streets and parks with zills and eager spirits. People liked what they saw and were soon asking us to perform here and there. Our first several outings as a “troupe” were done before we even agreed on what to call ourselves! The more we danced together, the more we saw the luminous light we each brought into the circle. And so, the Goddess entity called Luminessah was born.
We came together in Eugene, Oregon from Kentucky, Minnesota, Michigan and Portland. Our collective dance background includes Turkish 9/8, Classical Indian, Egyptian, African, ballet and yoga to name a few. We honor the old as much as the new, and could never dedicate our dance to just one of these styles. Learning the process of American Tribal Style (ATS) allowed us to create our own improvised tribal style layered with all of these intertwining roots.
Our performance format is equally balanced, with each dancer taking the lead position and passing it along. We often come up with new moves on the spot and enjoy layering them into transitions and combinations later on. We gather grounding strength during shows by turning our movements inward to face one another in circle.
And that brings us to the core of Luminessah: the Goddess. Collectively we represent the full spectrum of the Goddess as maiden, mother and matriarch. While we honor one another’s uniqueness, individual talents and opinions, we see that there is magic created when we bring them all together as one. Each time we join as a sister circle in dance it is a blessing. And when we bring our dance into the public we are able to share this gift. Focusing on the spiritual core of these movements leaves no room for ego or competition. That, and not taking ourselves too seriously, is the key to our success.
We respect that each dance circle is different and that it may be necessary to have one central leader in a troupe to make things run smoothly. For us, however, there is no need, for we are all supporting limbs upon the same big tree of life. And we wish many blessings upon you all in your dance.
Luminessah is Ali, Regina Anne, and Lila.
