The music can be traditional or modern. The success of the fusion depends entirely on the taste and skill of the performer. American Tribal started on the West Coast and is quickly spreading around the world. It's less about the music and pure dance than it is about community and feminine strength, beauty, and power. The roots of the style are in North African tribal dance combined with belly dance moves, especially large undulations and shimmies.
Movements are strong, originating deep in the torso.
The focus is more on the group than on the individual. A soloist emerges from the group, dances, and is reabsorbed, to be followed by another. The group breaks into smaller units and flows back together. Invisible cues signal shifts. In their distinctive costumes and facial tattoos, the dancers become anonymous iconic females independent of time and place.