DANCER TO DANCER with PAULETTE REES-DENIS
I doubt I will forget the first time I met Paulette, nor will that first Gypsy Caravan performance fade from my memory. I was intrigued by this amazing woman - Paulette Rees-Denis, from that very first moment.
Her smile is a wonderful light to the universe, (you can see that by our cover) and we are drawn to her as though an almost unknown force has pulled us - her magnetism & charisma are that intense.
She is an impressive performer, dynamic choreographer, - - a true professional in every sense of the word and more personally, “a delight to be near”. She is also quite humble - - if you look at her website (http://www.gypsycaravan.us), you will not find a bio for Paulette, but rather bios for Gypsy Caravan, Sister Caravan and Caravan Daughters. I offer you here, the Gypsy Caravan bio and implore you to spend some time visiting her website. And if you should have the opportunity to see Gypsy Caravan with Paulette, her hubby Jeff and the rest of the band performing, GO THERE - you will have a truly memorable experience!
Now, as a side, when I discovered her great love of shoes well, I thought, what more could you ask for eh?..... “Zaina”
GYPSY CARAVAN BIOGRAPHY
The Gypsy Caravan is a modern tribal belly dance troupe, founded in 1991 by artistic director Paulette Rees-Denis. We are a contemporary family, urban berbers, of dancers and musicians dedicated to performing Middle Eastern inspired rhythms and dance styles.
Our name pays tribute to the ancient nomadic peoples of the east who carried their song and dance with them as they traveled from their homelands. Beginning as a spiritual/temple dance in India, the Gypsies performed their traditional dances in the various cultures they encountered, from Egypt through Algeria, Morocco, Turkey, Greece, to Spain. Rhythms, costume and dance styles saturated and shaped Gypsies lives as they migrated from country to country, just as we are inspired by them. Today we perform a modern eclectic style of tribal belly dance that reflects the same ancient longing to celebrate community spirit as well as the mysteries of Life.
The Gypsy Caravan musicians play a combination of traditional and modern instruments. Percussion instruments, such as the dumbek, davul, tar, and conga, match the dancers vigorous hip movements. Melodies played on various wind instruments including zurna, mizmar, arghul, and flute inspire the dancer's arm gestures. Together they all contribute to an exhilarating and sometimes mesmerizing sound.
The dancers use props such as veils, swords, baskets, and zils (finger cymbals) to demonstrate their skill as well as to enrich the performance. Although some of the dances are choreographed, the dancers use their improvisational instincts to ignite the music with the spontaneity of the moment. A balance of precision and grace showcases this dance as both intoxicating and powerful. The resurging interest in this dance style allows the Gypsy Caravan to both educate and entertain their wide and ever growing audiences.
In addition to performing in Portland and throughout the Northwest region, Paulette and the dancers teach around the country and Europe. Paulette has opened the new dance studio, Caravan Studio, offering 12 weekly belly dance classes, other dance styles, and occasional workshops with guest dancers. She has produced and directed two full length stage performances, known as mythic celebrations, with the Caravan musicians, dancers and guest artists. The Gypsy Caravan has produced 2 CD's and three cassettes of their original music. Also produced are award winning videos - two performance videos, two instructional videos, and a live compilation video.
The performers in the Gypsy Caravan are a group of incredibly talented musicians, dancers, artists, writers, mothers, fathers - the list goes on. The core musicians are Jeff Rees and Jared Lewis. The principal dancers are Paulette Rees-Denis, Cammi Vance, Dulcinea Myers-Newcomb, Carol Vance, Michele Gila, Karen Hunt, and Nicole Daddona.
DANCER TO DANCER * PAULETTE REES-DENIS
BY: OBERON
It's a rare combination, true business woman, true artist. Anyone who can master the alchemy to balance these elements in their lives with real success, is a fascinating story. I know a strong, self-made woman, a truly American dancer, (who by-the-way, has the most brilliant selection of shoes I've ever laid eyes on), a most successful showcase for the blending of two worlds. Many of you have asked me about Paulette Rees-Denis, "what do you think is the key to her abundant success"? So, come have a bite with us, at an edgy little bistro on a crisp fall afternoon.…..maybe she'll answer that question herself.
O. I Love those shoes - if there was the slightest possibility of me walking in them, (they appear to be red, patent leather boots with stiletto heels), I'd be willing to beg for them
PRD. Shoes are one of my passions, I collect them from all over the world, they're really souvenirs of where I've been.
O. I am so impressed with your beautiful studio...how long has it been open now?
PRD. About 4 years.
O. Why did you choose this particular location? (Caravan Studios, 4050 N.E. Broadway, Portland, Oregon 97232).
PRD. Because it was perfect! The heart of a very accessible area, usually good parking, space enough to do what I wanted - just perfect.
O. Was the space all open like this when you began?
PRD. Oh no. It was full of cubicles and had shag carpeting. We took out walls, raised the ceiling, took out the carpet, raised the floor in some places, added the hardwood floor and all the lighting above it.
O. The hardwood floor is sumptuous, but this was a sizable renovation and was a sizable risk to acquire.
PDR. I believe in the best. I wanted to inspire people to do their best work here so I feel I have to provide the best tools. Also, I'm voracious when it comes to paying down debt so I had no doubt we would get it done.
O. As a designer, I'm in love with the rich reds and deep Italian yellows, it's very welcoming.
PDR. Thank you. I chose the colors so that people would feel comfortable here. As I showed you, the space has many interesting areas - the spacious dressing room, the kitchenette, and I love the little souks. I feel it encourages people to create and network.
O. Yes ( say I, the unstoppable shopper), I noticed the souks were bursting at the seams with a delicious assortment of clothes, jewelry and music, including the seven Gypsy Caravan C.D's and videos.
PRD. As a matter of fact, we have DVD's #'s 5 and 6, on Tribal Technique coming out this week
O. Well, the spacious, exotic entry to the studio with the long Asian bench and the fruit bearing lemon tree - VERY Paulette! Do you rent the space out or is it for the sole use of your own instruction.
PRD. No, we do rent it out - please call our office manager Marty, (503 287-1794), she takes care of the scheduling. We offer a great variety of instruction here, from Yoga to dance, seminars and more.
O. So Paulette, I know you as an accomplished, innovative photographer, artist and business woman, so why belly-dance...and when belly-dance?
PRD. I've danced since the age of seven. Ballet, jazz and modern dance so I've always had the connection to dance. Actually Jeff and I were playing in a Goth band in San Francisco.......
O. Wait, wait - I had no idea you were a musician.
PRD. Oh yeah! Jeff (Paulette's husband), was a rocker, and I actually grew up playing music - guitar and keyboard. So at the time we were in San Francisco, we were living the alternative life-style. I had this long, wild white hair, we rode Harleys, partied too much, finally got ripped off from our record company,and tired of the whole scene, made a conscious decision to change our life.
O. Stepping back a bit - you and Jeff were married by this time.
PRD. You know, we both grew up in Ohio but never knew each other there. We actually met in a club called "The Sound of Music" in 1981. I had lived in New York for two years previous - I was studying fashion and business at Tobe Coburn. I loved New York, but I also love change. Some people are afraid to move an inch, but I really love to jump into new things. So I moved to San Francisco in 1979. I became a buyer for a shoe store, (my girlfriends and I - your interviewer - are salivating). After music, we began to live a different lifestyle. Jeff apprenticed as a carpenter. We took classes in healing - Dream Work, Crystals and Psychic Energy. I studied Tarot and Massage therapy, we studied Art - Jeff's an incredible artist. It happened that Carolina worked down the street. She had studied with Masha Archer, who had danced with Jamilla Salimpour. I was one of her first students. The dance style was definitely not cabaret! We were all tattooed, we danced interactively, we didn't even have proper costumes then. I was having a backyard birthday party and wanted us to dance at it. That was our first performance. Shortly after that Rina and then Jill joined us. One day, I came to class and Carolina had named us "Fat ChanceBellyDance". We began to dance at galleries and alternative venues. I didn't really think of it as 'belly-dance'. Jeff and I needed to change again. We were killing ourselves trying to pay for our San Francisco Loft and life-style... so ...in 1991 we moved to Portland.
O. And once here you began to teach right away?
PRD. I felt the dancing I'd been doing was so powerful. and though I'd made contact with some wonderful people in Portland, no-one was dancing the way I felt I wanted to...so, I decided to teach that style. I rented space in a dance studio, Body Moves, did some promotional solo performances and began to get students. There were times in the beginning that I taught one student. At that time I just called it Gypsy Belly-dance.
O. So, let's play the Name Game. I've heard your style termed many different things - what do You call it?
PRD. I teach Tribal Belly-dance. It was important to keep changing into my own style - I didn't want to be a replica of what I had been doing in S.F. I wanted to keep the base of what I had learned and go on from there. I studied Turkish, Tunisian, Gypsy, flamenco, and other style dances. Then I would change the moves to accommodate my own sensibilities.
O. How did you morph into Gypsy Caravan?
PRD. (laughing) It started with Amanda Myers and myself. We were called Maya Dancing back then. the number of dancers grew and I incorporated musicians - I was still calling it gypsy tribal belly-dance - so, we became Gypsy Caravan.
O. Were you aware that you were becoming a subculture of Middle Eastern dance. In some ways i.e. the tattoos - in exact opposition with current beliefs?
PRD. We were such an alternative group, I really didn't realize those things were an issue. When it did come up, I felt "Hey, it's 1994, I'm a white girl dancing in America - not a woman dancing among her people in the mountains of Morocco"! It was important to me, that in my culture I could make that choice. I honor other cultures and "authentic dance" - someone has to keep the traditions alive - that someone is not me!
O. And when a scathing editorial appeared in a local newspaper by a well-known musician?
PRD. I was "Pissed". He called me a sweaty, tattooed prostitute without even knowing me what I was about or what our dance was about. I was also having an art show at the time at the University. Because of this article, the University tried to cancel our dance performance. There was such an outcry, that they reinstated us, but it was unpleasant. Of course, I confronted the journalist who knew nothing about me...she took back her words but nothing ever appeared in public forum.
O. So many troupes come and go. As the "Mother" of three troupes - what are the plusses and minuses of managing a large amount of talented dancers?
PRD. (Sighs). It was much easier when I was younger because I could do fifty things at once! Now I don't want to....but I'm a proud Mother and nothing makes me happier than teaching. I am strict (laughter), you might know that I am opinionated, but I think it takes more than lessons to make a performer. I do love the production side of it. The down side of it, is taking care of providing the music, establishing venues, doing the advertising and publicity, making
sure the dancers show up etc.....then...changing into performer, when 5 minutes ago, I was the stage manager.
O. Your troupes currently are?
PRD. Gypsy Caravan of course, the first. The troupe affiliated with the videos, C.D's etc. It's the "professional troupe", although believe me, no one is making much money from being in Gypsy Caravan.
O. Average age in the troupe?
PRD. Hmmm......I'd say 20 to 55 approximately - that's pretty much the same in all three troupes.
O. The other troupes are?
PRD. There is Sister Caravan, who started as a sister troupe. This troupe has had many different directors, the current being Dulcinea Myers-Newcomb. I've really had to learn to delegate and am really grateful for all the talented people around me who have stepped up to help! The third troupe, Caravan Daughters, is directed by Carol Vance, is the student troupe and also for dancers who find large time commitment hard to fulfill.
O. You've spawned a lot of spin-offs, Paulette, what do you think of these groups?
PRD. I think spin-offs are fabulous, there is so much great fusion,as long as they honor their own artistic desires.
O. Meaning?
PRD. When I teach workshops, I tell dancers - "I don't want you to go on stage as Gypsy Caravan. I work long and hard to teach my troupe to be Gypsy Caravan - dance is an art form - practice your own Art.
O. Goes along with the Northwest Indians philosophy, "Change it seven times to make it your own".
PRD. I love that. It's exhilarating to me to see an evolution in tribal dance. Troupes are hard to maintain at an excellent level. It's difficult to delegate and maintain too. I'm grateful for my Directors and the dancers.
O. Many people have asked me why I think you are so successful.
PRD. Someone once said to me recently that she admired that I worked as hard for my groups as they do for me. I look at other groups and use them as a mirror to reflect back and help me decide what I like and don't like.
O. Why do you think such large groups of women are drawn to your classes?
PRD. Our society of women of all ages and sizes are hungry to express themselves in a place of acceptance. Moving is the one thing most bodies can do - so when you bring something to a community that is sensual, powerful, accepting and inclusive, something that brings you together in spirit, both physically and emotionally.....and you get to wear vast amounts of jewelry - we need it - we want it! It can unite the world!
O. Paulette - do you enjoy performing?
PRD. With the troupe. I instruct on a solo basis but do not perform solo because what Tribal bellydance is not, is a solo dance.
O. What is the future for Paulette Rees-Denis?
PRD. Right now I am in Grad school to get my Master's in writing and publishing. You know I published the quarterly tribal journal, Caravan Trails, for six years until I felt it was time to stop.
O. And dancing?
PRD. Well aging has brought me body issues. I have injured myself a number of times - I have osteoporosis and arthritis, - so I have to practice a lot of body maintenance. I love teaching and I'm proud of my teacher training program. I enjoy being an educator and I love listening to Jeff's music.
O. Do you see yourself judging at competitions etc?
PRD. I did it once - I won't again - I really don't believe in competition. My philosophy is in coming together in support of each other - not to compete. To me this style of dance is not all about performing. I think we can come together as a community and dance together, not always on a stage, but for pure enjoyment.
O. When you do watch performance - what are you hoping to see?
PRD. I want to be blown away! A different vision, audience interaction, incredible technique , amazing stage presence. I want to see the spirit move that dancer...I want Art!
O. Please give us some of your favorite music selections.
PRD. (Grimaces)....Oh, so many....O.K. - Whirling by Faruk, Quest by Gypsy Caravan ( followed by a smile), Gaga Giri - Tribe Vibe. (Excess is best, your interviewer promptly bought a couple of suggestions).
O. What do you hope we'll say about Paulette when we talk about you...and you know we will! (personally, I want my grave stone to say "I enjoyed every minute of it")!
PRD. (Lots of easy laughter). I love to smile...I love life...I love wine. (O.K. Paulette - they're guaranteed to talk now )!
