All About Assiut:
Digital Slide Talk

I am thrilled to be presenting my slide talk, All About Assiut, as part of the Beyond Bellydance 5.0 lecture series hosted by SAMAI ORIENTAL DANCE COMPANY of India.  Some of my favorite authors, researchers, scholars, and dance instructors are presenting their research and technique in this digital workshop series.  This is one of my favorite subjects, and I’ve been working on updating and expanding the slide deck for this presentation. 

All About Assiut

I’m presenting my talk, “All About Assiut” revised and expanded for 2021. This is a slide-history talk that will trace the evolution of fabric we call by many names, Tulle bi Telli, Al-Tally, and Assiut. Learn where it came from, the technology behind the materials and structure, and how it has been used in Egyptian culture for the past 150 years.

All About Assiut: Revised and Expanded

Over the past fifteen years, I’ve been presenting this talk at belly dance workshops up and down the US West Coast and internationally in digital form via Zoom.  If you’ve attended this talk, there are dozens of new photos in this expanded edition that reflect my current research and what’s happening in the world of assiut production today.

Since publishing The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut, I’ve continued my research. As I’ve teased information out of the archive I have updated and revised this talk. This slide talk has dozens of images that I’ve uncovered since publishing this seminal textile history book.  The result? This 90-minute talk is not only informative, but lavishly illustrated, and beautiful to watch.

Cloth of Egypt

If you haven’t picked up a copy of my book, The Cloth of Egypt is available on Amazon.com worldwide.  Alisha Westerfeld and I are currently working on the next volume in our Assiut series.  Our current working title is Assiut Belly Dance Costume in Detail.  This upcoming book focuses on the process of designing and making belly dance performance attire from this wonderful Egyptian cloth. 

This book has it all!  It includes directions for classic robes to slinky modern dresses, bedlah sets, skirts, pants, and accessories. This new book is jam-packed with design strategies and professional sewing techniques.  Photographer Alisha Westerfeld is joining me again. We are working together taking before and after, and step-by-step photos of work in progress. Be sure to join my mailing list to get monthly updates on this new book project.

Perhaps you can join me for All About Assiut on Dec. 11?

Happy Holidays to you and yours,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Nov. 29, 2021