Gothic, Fusion, ATS. What comes to mind when you read those things? If you’re talking Augusta, GA then you are probably talking Alison Stratton (shown in picture (left) with Mari Edwards (right)). I can’t remember exactly when I first met Alison, though it seems I’ve always known her, but I’m pretty sure it was at an event held by either Alchemy, Fierce Fusion or Zondra and it was downtown. When I picture Alison, what comes to mind is an adorable woman with a bobbed hair-do, wearing a mini top hat, some sort of bustled skirt and a mischievous smile playing on her face. Again, I knew I needed to get to know her better.
For this interview, I’ve opted to forego the usual café
environment and instead have our chat at her home. This way, it’s easier for her to be more relaxed
knowing V is in his own environment and can play as he’d like. J I’ve been a mom of two youngsters at one
point, so I can relate. As I pull up to
her home, I’m not sure which one is hers until I see the license plate on the
vehicle in the driveway. The moment I
see it, I know it’s the right house – “Lestat Lives”. She greets me at the door and we make our way
inside. V is down for a nap so we settle
in to take advantage of what I know to be all too short time for adults,
“naptime”. The atmosphere is cozy. I open my laptop, start the recording on my
phone, and we begin…
Let’s learn a
little about “Alison”. Where did you
grow up? All over. I call myself a hospital brat. My parents were both hospital administrators
so through them getting promotions, we didn’t stay in the same place longer than 2
years until I got into high school and then we settled outside of
Savannah. I came here because I was in
middle school in Aiken. I met my husband
through my best friend (who had been my best friend since middle school and is
still today – 20 some years later) in Aiken then I came here. That was in 2001 after I graduated from
college. I graduated from college in
Savannah with a BA in English, which I have never put to use. I had aspirations of getting my PhD and
teaching college level. I had a minor in
Philosophy, a minor in Linguistics, and I almost had a minor in Latin, so I’m
EXTREMELY well read. I’m KILLER at
Jeopardy!
Tell me a bit
about your family. I have Vance,
I’m recently divorced, and we’re still on good terms. My parents are pretty nomadic. My mom lives in Anderson, SC. My dad lives outside of Atlanta. They’re still married even though they were
divorced for four years. They’re married
but have not lived in the same house for about the last 12 years because my dad
has been doing interim work but they got a real good deal on my brother’s
house. They commute back and forth. It’s an odd setup but it seems to work for
everybody. Vance will be 2 in about
three weeks and into everything. He’s so
even-keeled; he’s such a good kid. I
don’t think I would have made it through the last year and a half if he had
been a difficult kid. He’s also cuter
than he ought to be.
What do you do in
the “muggle” world? Well, I have
my BA in English, which I do absolutely nothing with. I am a Pharmacy Tech. I work for Augusta Oncology so I used to mix
Chemo, which I absolutely adore doing.
And I used to do that but kind of transitioned into insurance. I’m the liaison between our doctors and the
insurance companies because I have enough clinical knowledge to be able to go
through the charts and help justify to the insurance company why we’re doing
things. Surprisingly, most of the time,
I enjoy doing this. It gives me a unique
perspective understanding what is going on with the cancer patients. It definitely puts a different spin on your
everyday life. Because, you know, your
frustration at the grocery store isn’t much because someone just got horrible,
devastating news like six hours ago. It
kind of makes me stop sometimes and makes me realize I’m very, very
lucky. There’s a certain amount of
jadedness that comes with it but, you know, there’s the bad part of cancer and
then there’s the really awesome part of cancer – the good, good stories where
people survive it, get through and get to ring the bell at the end of their
treatment. There’s always a balance to
find everywhere. Even with the horrible,
there’s got to be some good somewhere.
And there are days when it’s a lot to deal with, where I’m just like, I
need to go do something, which is one of the reasons I enjoy dancing so
much. (Well, that’s a FANTASTIC segue into my next
question.)
What first peaked
your interest in Bellydancing and when?
Well, my very best friend since middle school worked in a dancewear
store and I didn’t really want to be a Pharmacy Tech for the rest of my life so
I bought the competition for her store and opened it up. So all the sudden, I owned this dancewear
store, and my best friend worked with me
even though I have since bowed out of it.
I sold it to her completely in December.
It was just too stressful, too much of a money and time thing for me, and
I wasn’t there enough to support the business like I needed to as an owner. But I had figured, since I own a Dancewear
store, I should probably dance. So the
first thing I did was try an adult ballet class because that’s what my friend,
Samantha, really loved. I am not a
ballerina. At ALL. They’re all airy and graceful with lots of
jumping and that’s just not, yeah, I’m not a jumper. So I was looking around for other types of
dance I could do as an adult and I stumbled upon Mari Edwards' class at
Warren Road. I swear, there’s a
Bellydance Bug. Either you get bit by it
and you fall head over heels and it becomes your entire life, or you just don’t
care for it – you go on. You know, it’s
like all or nothing. So I was all in. I also thought that bellydance was really
cool in the fact that unlike the adult ballet and tap, most people approach
bellydance as an adult. If they’re
lucky, they come into it as children, but that doesn’t happen very often. It’s an adult-based dance, it’s an adult world,
and you can take it, as an adult, as far as you want to go. You can come in with no experience and go
semi-professional, professional, as far as you want to take it, because there’s
that outlet. Whereas, in an adult tap or
ballet class, you really don’t perform.
You go to class and you go home.
In bellydance there really is that drive for creativity. There’s that drive for that outlet in the
bellydance world. Which is a great
selling point. I mean there’s people
that are like “Ooo, I’ll lose weight” or “I’ll learn to dance for my husband”
(she used air quotes, big, HUGE ones) but, like Mari would say, you need to
learn to dance for yourself first.
Who was your first
instructor/where? Mari Edwards
at Warren Road. That was my first and
she did mostly the Alchemy style improv.
I wasn’t really into improv but, you know, everyone goes through
their phases where they’re really in love with one style or another and they
have to find their niche, so I was really into the heavy tribal fusion – Rachel
Brice, Ariellah – so I wasn’t really into the improve, then, as much as I am
now. Mari was teaching the tribal fusion
improv and the basic bellydance which is kind of the foundation. No matter what style you do, it’s all got the
foundation.
How long have you
been dancing/bellydancing? Since
about 2005/6. I really had a hard time
pinpointing it because I’d stop and start.
I had knee surgery then start up again.
And this whole last year I just didn’t do anything until I started
coming to your (Karen's) class and then Maria’s, before, I got pregnant for about a year,
and then, you know, on and off I’d say for about the last 5 or 6 years. I tried ballet one class. Just the one class.
How did you feel
during your first performance or when you were first able to make sense of the
dance? I actually was ok because
through bellydance and also the Goth scene, I’ve just learned to let it all go,
because it doesn’t matter. My first
performance was at Arts in the Heart with Mari and we did Wadi. So, I just got up there and did it. I really didn’t think about it,
honestly. I mean, you get the flutters,
but I’m doing what I want to do so it really to a certain extent doesn’t matter
what happens. I’ve developed this weird
Zen-like thing that whatever happens happens.
You know, you try your best but if you screw up, it’s not the end of the
world. I try not to do it in ATS because
if you screw up leading, then everyone behind you does something funky. I’m really nervous about my ATS performances
because literally everyone is watching you from the front and everyone is
watching you from the back. You always
get to the lead and you’re like, I have no idea what I’m doing. (For getting the movements – the “A-HA”
moment in dance...) For me, it came easy because I really meshed well with
Mari’s style of teaching. She’s very
technical, as in, you move this muscle and this happens. It’s almost visual in the say she did
it. You have your infinity symbols for
your hips and your triangles and your squares and everything geometric when
you’re doing your isolations. I’m built
loosely, I’m very flexible, so it’s been very easy for me to isolate one area
of my body at a time so it was very interesting that I just immediately started
doing it. I mean, I struggle with it,
like layering – my brain doesn’t get layering – but I’ve never had trouble with
isolations. There are moves I still have
a hard time with, like a basic shimmy.
But when it all clicks and the muscle memory starts, it’s like, Ah, I’m
doing it!! It’s like puzzle-pieces
coming together.
Where do you get
your costumes? Do you make any? I would love to be able to sew. I’ve been after Jana (Ashing) to teach me for
a long time. I know the basics. I just don’t understand how the machine
works. I just play with it until it
works right. I’m such a technical
person. I’d like to know WHY it does
that instead of just trying to fix it until it works, you know? So I don’t make my own costumes. If I can just cut something and a few
stitches, then we’re ok, like for Rosehips or something. But I think I’m single-handedly funding
Maria’s (World Emporium Kiosk) house payment probably for as much stuff as I
buy from her. Because I sold a lot of my
bellydance stuff after I had Vance because the way my marriage was going I
really didn’t think I would dance again.
I just kind of gave up on everything.
So I’m just starting to get some of my costuming back now. But I incorporate a lot of my bellydance
costumes into my Goth stuff, because I used to do a lot with the Goth clubs
here. And I used to go over the
top. So I have this enormous costume
collection now that’s, you know, this used to be a pirate’s dress and now it’s
a bellydance costume. So I just have all
sorts of crazy stuff. A lot of my
halters and stuff like that are hand-me-downs from Mari. So Maria & Mari have made my costumes possible. Thank you, ladies. (She also loves the Red Camel too.)
Let’s talk
“Music”. What
music inspires you? Lots and
lots of different stuff. My iPod is
completely schizophrenic. Really, it’s
funny, because once you get bitten by said “Bellydance Bug”, you start to
choreography to ANYTHING. Archaic French
music, we could totally do this. A lot
of it now, what I’m trying to listen to is a lot of the 4/4 beats, things for
my ATS, because I practice moves in my
head. So I listen to a lot of Balkan
Beat Box right now. It’s really cool
stuff. Also, the stuff for Fat Chance
Bellydance. A lot of slow stuff right
now as well. There just a lot of
randomness. The transitions are crazy.
There will be Patsy Cline, then Marilyn Manson will come on, then Queen. It’s crazy.
I have opera on there, classical, crazy 160 bpm club music.
For choreographies
that you have created, where do you find your inspiration? Mari & I just did one at the hafla in
Columbia in October. We’ve been working
on a choreography for three years and we just were able to come together and
finish it this past October. But right
now, I really enjoy watching Rustica from Prague I think, I don’t know, they’re
European. They do a lot of classic jazz
stuff infused in their bellydance. Their
style of tribal is very unique and they’re not just a copy of Rachel
Brice. It’s very refreshing. Don’t get me wrong, I love Rachel Brice, but
there’s being inspired by a style and then there’s recycling their stuff. Like you can tell when watching some people that
they’ve been watching videos of Rachel Brice and just recycled it. I also really like the big name tribal
fusion. But I also love throwing ATS
moves in there, especially when I’m dancing with a partner, because it flows and
I know the movements so I know what I’m actually doing, for once.
What do you
absolutely HATE about the dance world?
Everyone answers drama, which is a big part, but I guess my thing about
drama is, you know, the whole personality conflict is going to happen, that’s
how the world works. But I don’t like
people picking apart somebody’s dance, like actually critiquing a person’s
dance in a way that’s not helpful, because of a personality thing. I don’t like you veiling your criticisms
because you just don’t like somebody. I
mean, everybody does that, and I sometimes catch myself doing that. Tempest recently put out an article about
everybody’s “Dance Religion”, about how “I am super into ATS and you are not.”
No one is right, it’s just a thing, it’s just the way we work. And the people who are like, “ATS isn’t real
bellydance” or “If you’re not doing Fat Chance format, it’s not really ATS”, I
mean, you can’t nit-pick and things like that because we’re all in this
community together and we’re the only ones doing it. There is no test at the end of it.
What do you
absolutely LOVE about the dance world?
It is a community and it is 98% women and, like I said earlier, I love
the fact that this is a dance you can come to as an adult and make it your own
and you can really take it to whatever level you want. If you just want to go to class and go home
and never do anything outside of class then that is just fantastic. And that just doesn’t mean you have to stop
with just that one class either. I take
your (Karen’s) classes, and now I’m taking Maria’s class. You find the teaching style that works for
you, the dance style that works for you.
If you look at ATS, and actual Fat Chance style ATS, the reason people
get so uptight about it is because if you change it and make it your own
improv, if you get on stage and throw a cue no one else knows, you’re going to
be the only one spinning around. When it
comes to that, they are nit-picky but that’s only because that is the nature of
the beast. That doesn’t mean it’s
correct. That doesn’t mean if you’re in
your own ATS group and you can't say, hey why
don’t we make this combo and we’ll do it when we’re dancing together. And even Carolena (Fat Chance Bellydance) has
said that in the past few years. You
know, if you don’t like something, go somewhere else.
Are you a soloist
or do you dance with others/ a troupe? I have really never done solo
stuff, unless I screw up in ATS and do something else, an unintentional solo. I normally don’t do solo stuff because I’m
chicken and I like feedback. I like to
be able to say, “Hey, what do you think of this?” and it’s really hard to say
“Hey, what do you think of this?” when you’re the only one doing it. I really enjoy the collaborative effort. Also, because I’ve never been able to do a full
3 or 4 minute choreography by myself.
Because you always reach that point where you’re like, “Wow, 3 minutes
is a really long time.” And I thought I had all these moves and I’ve only used
up 38 seconds. Then you have the last
minute and a half but then you have the whole middle section. So it’s nice to have that person say, “I have
the middle!” So, I’ve never done a
solo. I’m not saying I’ll never do a
solo but I just never have and I don’t get the opportunity to perform that
often simply because of my fantastic schedule.
I will say it’s really sweet because the girls from Columbia (Kristen
and Martha) come down and dance ATS downtown at First Friday and they invite me
to dance with them, which is really nice.
Up until about three weeks ago, I was the only person doing ATS in
Augusta, which makes it really difficult to practice, a group dance.
Do you teach? If not, would you ever consider teaching? I do not teach. I’ve taught friends certain things. I think because I am so technical, I break things down in a certain way. Like when I’m in class, I’ll be like “Well, you could it this way.” Which probably get on the teachers nerves. My goal, because you know I’m moving, is to come back to Augusta. I’m moving in with my parents to get a degree, probably in nursing, a fast-track degree. In three or four years, I'll be doing that, and while I’m doing that, I’ve already contacted Jackie Hawthorne from Jahara Phoenix. She’s a sister-studio for Fat Chance Bellydance because I’d like to eventually get my General Skills and get my teachers certification from Fat Chance and I want to bring ATS back to Augusta. That’s what I want to do and I want to have Augusta’s first sister-studio. I mean, I had been bitching for years that there was no ATS in Augusta, and after the divorce I started to reevaluate things. I figured since Mari is no longer teaching, I said, “Screw it” and I will put my money where my mouth is. Maria is starting a Level 1 ATS certification in Columbia so I will drive over to Columbia once a week. It’s like 76 miles. It’s a long drive but it’s the closest and Maria is a fabulous teacher. It is so worth it. I get so excited. It makes me so happy, but some nights I really wish Maria was closer. I swear they move Columbia 3 feet every single time I drive it. I am getting to know downtown Columbia very well, though. I’ve been lost a few times. I want to keep training and hopefully if I sell my house, for money and not a short-sale (everyone please keep your fingers crossed), then I’ll maybe use some of that money to get my General Skills, which isn’t cheap. But I figure once I get certified, I can start teaching and earn some of that money back. Plus, it’s just what I want to do. I’m such a freakin’ nerd for ATS. I’ve been a nerd my whole life.
What types of movement are you drawn to and
why? I’m more of a big, sweeping
movement type of person, as opposed to the very intricate “Suhaila”, interior,
kind of “ticky-ticky” movements. I’m
just…I can’t do it! I mean, my body
doesn’t do little movements, which is probably why I have such a hard time with
shimmies and even zaghareets. I just
can’t do those really fast, tiny motions.
We do big, sweeping, very bendy type of moves. I’m very double jointed everywhere so
it’s natural for me to do that kind of stuff.
It’s very expressive, with lots of arms.
Even when I’m dancing in the club, it’s arms. It’s just what feels natural. Even when I’m doing the ATS stuff, I love the
big sweeping arm movements, the big turns. Making use of the space. I think that’s why Mari and I dance so well together, because when we
choreograph something, we map out the stage.
Like, we’ll go here then over here and we find where the blank spots are
and we try to fill up that space.
There’s nothing wrong with dancing in place. Drum solos are usually in place, you don’t
really go gallivanting across the stage in a drum solo, but it’s
purposeful. I do like to see a lot of
motion and a lot of expressiveness.
What “style” of
bellydance do you most associate yourself with – Cabaret, Tribal, Folkloric,
Fusion, Orientale, etc? ATS,
it’d be kind of weird if I said Cabaret.
LOL. I do like the tribal fusion, but with everything
in life, you have a constant evolution.
When I first started out I was more tribal fusion. My personal Goth-scene is pretty much not
really there anymore. When I was doing
the Goth-scene more, a lot of the tribal fusion artists were very dark so it
kind of wove in with the Goth-scene.
Steampunk, too, though I don’t do Steampunk like Jana. I like Steampunk, I do Steampunk, but I’m
more into the actual solid Goth-stuff. But, I
have a pink skirt, like, I have a PINK skirt! ATS has made me get more
colorful.
Given the
opportunity, if time, money, and distance were not an issue, who would be your
“dream” instructor? With whom would you
LOVE to study bellydance?
Honestly, I would have LOVED to have studied with John Compton. He was on my top 5 to meet. Everyone who has ever met him just talks about
the energy he exuded and I would have loved to have met him. He was
really there from the beginning of tribal.
I really enjoyed studying with Megha, I would love to study with her
again. I would love to study with Mimi from
Manhattan Tribal. But, actually, you
know who I’d really love to study with again, though I’d need to work out a lot
beforehand, is Unmata. It just about
killed me the last time I took that workshop.
Alicia from BellyCraft is awesome too!
If you were suddenly unable to dance, would you continue in the dance world, somehow, or would you just walk away? I’d continue somehow. I mean, I’d even break down and do photography or something. I mean, in the past year, this dance has just become such an integral part of who I identify myself with, not to say that you should ever identify yourself with just one thing, but it is what I do now. And now I know that it will always be something that I do. It has really, really helped me get through some really, really crappy times. I don’t think I’d ever be able to totally leave it, because, even when I’m not dancing, I’m thinking about it. I could write about it, I could learn to sew. Something.
What is something
fascinating about you that no one, or very few, knows? (I’m going to preface this by noting from a
previous line of questioning that she shared that she has a Shakespeare tattoo
on her lower back, a “WS” which is Shakespeare’s signet ring and she’s had it
for 12 years.) I am learning to knit, I
have an unhealthy obsession with PBS, I’m a nerd. In my free time, when I am not dancing, I’m
reading or playing World of Warcraft. I’m
freakishly double-jointed, grossing out Maria when I’m stretching. What’s really funny, and it kind of drives
Maria crazy, is I just cannot keep time.
And I think it’s funny, being so into dance, I can’t keep a 4/4 time for
anything. Also, one thing that I didn’t
put on Facebook was I actually had a lumpectomy about three weeks ago. It’s completely benign-the cell type, though,
is very strange because it’s the cell type that's usually only found in men. They have no idea why I had it, but they don’t
really care, because it’s benign. It’s
really helpful working in Oncology, because I felt the lump and I went into my
clinical director who’s a really close friend of mine and she says, “Well, what
do you think?” They got me into the
Breast Health Center at University, did an ultrasound and found that it was the
type most likely to be benign. Also, I
can read Chaucer out loud and sound Scandinavian. And I’m great at Jeopardy.
What is your
biggest fear either in life or in dance? Or Both? Of course, anything happening to Vance, but
that almost goes without saying. Otherwise, losing sight of what
actually matters. One thing that
absolutely scares me is losing the ability to move forward with anything,
whether it’s learning, whether it’s dancing, anything - losing that
momentum. I had issues with Anti-partum
or Anti-natal depression. Everyone
always talks about Post-partum depression but no one talks about Anti-partum
depression. Everyone’s like, you should
be all happy and la-dee-da-dee-da, but I was just laying on this couch and I couldn’t
get off this couch for days. I’d go to
work, I’d come back, I’d lay on the couch.
I didn’t shower, I didn’t eat, I just laid there. I knew something was wrong with myself – I’d
always been self-aware enough to get help.
They put me on some medication and within 3 days, I bounced back and I was
fine. So I am always afraid of losing
that will to keep moving forward.
Because it takes a lot of drive to move forward. The drive to get up, get moving, practice
more. Just losing all of that and backsliding is
probably my biggest fear. I have a
subscription to Datura online that Rachel Brice puts out and they have made
videos of classes with all these incredible teachers doing tribal, ATS,
cabaret, yoga, etc. so that helps.
What are your
dreams for the future – where do you see yourself in the dance in 3, 5, 10, 20
years? Within 3 years, I want to
have my General Skills, by 5, I want my Teachers certificate, by 10, I want to be
teaching in Augusta.
You are moving
soon. When and where? Atlanta and probably the end of March. I just need to go and get started on all that
I want to do. I don’t want to leave Augusta,
but it wouldn’t be fair to Vance not to leave and do this for his future.
If you were to do
something completely shocking or out of character with absolutely no
consequences, what would it be? Cabaret! LOL.
Because I just don’t see myself as that airy and light, you know. Otherwise, pack up and move somewhere. I LOVE traveling. I would have loved to have gone out to San
Francisco to study with Carolena.
If you were
stranded on a desert island, whom would you like to be with and what one thing? I'm assuming this island has all the amenities,
otherwise Bear Grylls because he could catch us food. What would I take? The Library of Congress. And Who?
I would probably take my mom because my mom ROCKS! And mom makes everything ok.
What is in your
dancers’ bag? What has to be in there? Really, nothing. Because the way I arrive in class, my skirt
is in one hand, my zills in another, stuff falling out, stuff going
everywhere. I really need to get a
dancers’ bag together. I used to have
one. There’s probably some old TribalCon
passes and a knee pad in there. I can’t
find my other knee pad. We were trying
to floor work and it’s really tough to do floor work with a bolt in the front
of your knee. We were doing Berber walks
and it was kind of like Berber walks with windmill arms, kind of falling
over. It loses the mystique. If I had a dancers bag, it would always have
an ATS skirt, because you don’t have to have an ATS skirt, but it looks so much
better when you turn, always have my zills, even though I suck at zills. Probably lots of Advil because I get really
bad what’s called “Weight Lifter Headaches” so at the end of a TribalCon day, I’ll
have a headache. I have lower blood
pressure so I get headaches when I dance a lot.
Also, knee pads. I really
need to get a better bag, a snazzy bag to put it all in.
So as I wrap up this interview, Alison and I continue
talking bellydance-the different styles, a bit about the background of ATS-and I
am reminded of the passion she has for this dance and especially for ATS. I know that she will continue with this dance
and will come back to Augusta as a certified ATS instructor, ready to show the
CSRA what she’s got. She has promised to
come back and visit, however, and I, for one, will be happy when she does. Until then, while she’s gone, we will feel
her absence and wish her the best in her training in Atlanta.
I pack up my laptop and head out to my van for the journey
home. One last hug for Alison and I make
my exit. I smile again as I look at the “Lestat
Lives” license plate and back out of the driveway. And The Spotlight goes out…
So, who will The Spotlight shine on next? Are YOU game?
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