Latifa Davis in Assiut c. 1984
Story Time: A Long Time Ago…
Back in 1982, I had dreams of being a Rockette dancer in New York City. But due to a major injury, I hung up my toe shoes. Of course, it just changed my direction and so I explored other ways to express myself through dance, and make money doing it!
I started my classes with a dance instructor named Brenda at a small mixed-technique dance studio whose name I cannot recall in Milwaukee, WI. However, I had big dreams of becoming a costume designer and historian and I was only there briefly before I graduated high school and moved to San Diego, CA to follow my dreams.
Dreaming of Assiut Costumes: 1985-’95
For nearly a decade, I was a full-time college student living on a shoestring. I finished the Fashion Program at Mesa College and went on to do theater and visual arts at UCSD. During that era of my dance career, I studied regularly with Cyrena of San Diego. Over 10 years from 1985 – 1995, she helped me learn to dance, showed me the ropes of being a pro, and even booked me for group dance gigs. Photo Above: post-show photoshoot c. 1989
Making my costumes was essential for budgetary reasons, so authentic assiut was out of the question. But in my early years soaking up the rich variety and moves of the San Diego/Los Angeles dance scene I dreamed of having a beautiful assiut ensemble like Latifa of Arabesque Dance Company.
Above Video: Same Dance – but with the Original sound. Listen to that unmistakable tone of Saroyan coins.
In the video above, Latifa Davis completely embodies my vision of movement and costuming for belly dance and what I hoped to achieve in 1984. I LOVED catching her shows solo or as part of her amazing troupe Arabesque Dance Company as often as I could. Little did I know how fortunate I was to be located in Southern California with such a hot dance scene! Be sure to like and subscribe to Latifa’s YouTube channel.
I’m so glad Latifa shared this video with the Assiut Fans Group on Facebook. If you would like more inspiration for assiut costuming come and join the conversation on all things assiut! In this group, we talk about everything from collecting and selling, to making, wearing, and styling beautiful ensembles for onstage and off.
And you know me, I’m always sharing historical photos. Perhaps if you love assiut, from antique to modern, we will see you there! Photo Below: Davina in Blue Assiut c. 2016
Here’s wishing you a happy and safe Holiday Season,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
December, 2023