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Mysterious Ways is a tribal belly dance troupe that fuses cultures from Spain to India but with an American twist.  

Always interacting with each another, we move with graceful undulations,  sinuous arm movements and swaying hips to the world-beat rhythms provided by our musicians.  We include theatrics such as singing, group line dances, sword-balancing, basket dancing, finger cymbals - even toy monkeys into our performances. We have also been known to bring audience members on-stage - so you may find yourself as part of the show! Our performances are truly eclectic and fun for everyone; young and old alike. 

Our dancers also double as musicians when we aren't dancing. We are blessed to be led by Jim Shimko who is currently the director for the Cincinnati-Dayton Taiko Group.

All of our performances are geared for family entertainment and can range from 5 to 20 minutes and beyond in length.  We invite you to our caravan and to enjoy our hospitality for an evening of family entertainment and fun.

American Tribal Belly Dance 

Q.  I've heard of Egyptian and Turkish belly dance, so what is American Tribal Belly Dance?  

Let’s start answering this question by looking at each word in its name: American - America has often been called “The Great American Melting Pot” our country is amazingly diverse and each of these different cultural influences has helped us evolve into a new culture that both celebrates our differences and looks for common ground. American Tribal Belly Dance takes a uniquely American approach to the movements found in many genres of Middle Eastern Dance by combining different styles, it is a “melting pot” of dance. 

Tribal is a reference both to our costumes and our format.  Our costumes are stylized after the folk costumes of several nations.  Our tops and mirror belts are inspired by the ornate choli tops of Rajasthan, India.  Our turbans and pantaloons, from Turkey, our layered skirts from the Ouled Nail (pronounced: wall-ed nai-eel) people of the Arabian Peninsula, our jewelry from dowries of Tribal women in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and our tassel belts modeled after the colorful adornments of Bedouin horses and camels. The coin bras however, are 100 percent American! 

The Tribal format is one of entertainment for ourselves as well as for our audience. Almost all of our pieces are group improvisation.  Through a system of subtle cues, we are able to communicate which movements will be danced next.  As a troupe, not only have we become a tribe of dancers and entertainers, but most importantly, friends!