Draft:UNMATA

UNMATA is a Transcultural Fusion Dance company founded in 2003 by artistic director, Amy Sigil. Their dance style incorporates the movement vocabulary of Belly Dance, Hip Hop, Hula, Modern dance, Tribal Fusion Belly Dance, and street dance, within the artistic and cultural motifs of American Bellydance. Works to date include 35 original choreographies as well as various group improvisation performances and fire dance performances. The name UNMATA is derived from the Sanskrit word for the thorn-apple plant, unmatta, a species in the Genus Datura. Amy Sigil and UNMATA are supporters of the LGBTQIA community, citing that "dance should be for... all bodies and genders."

Amy Sigil and UNMATA are recognized for developing a novel dance style, Improvisational Team Sync (ITS) Dance. ITS is performed by a group of dancers consisting of one of more leaders and followers. The dance relies on a shared vocabulary of movements, each initiated by the leader using a distinct cue movement. The result is a dance that appears choreographed, but is in fact structured improvisation. This concept of structured group improvisation as applied to Bellydance movement was first developed by Carolena Nericcio-Bohlman, the founder of American Tribal Style.

Current Members
Current members of UNMATA include Amy Sigil (artistic director), Shelly DeCant, Sarah Stinson, and Kari VanderZwaag.

Recognition and Awards

 * Bellydance Troupe of the Year 2004
 * Bellydance Troupe USA 2004
 * Ensemble of the Year 2005
 * Tribal Fusion Group of the Universe and People's Choice 2007
 * People's Choice 2007