Last week the Belly Dance Business Academy celebrated its 2nd-year anniversary.  A big heartfelt congratulations go out to Terri Allred and her team who keep the Academy website up, running, and full of inspirational and information courses.

My co-author Sara Shrapnell and I both offer digital courses on the Academy website. We decided to meet up and chat about the birthday party, and how nice it would b to put together a nice thank-you gift for academy students.

After a coffee-fueled brainstorm, Sara came up with a great idea of offering a portion of our book, Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage.  The full book is available on Amazon.com or you can get a personalized signed copy from my Etsy Store .

Sara came up with the concept of using a few pages of Chapter 7 of the Becoming book and create a mini-book or .pdf booklet entitled “The Little Book of Belly Dance Etiquette.”  I thought this was an amazing idea and I worked with her to pull out 17 pages from Becoming a Belly Dancer and create a free-standing booklet.  17 pages!!

The Little Book of Belly Dance Etiquette

Sara generously added this booklet to the free class offerings of the Belly Dance Business Academy, so if you are interested in our book, but want to check out this sample, you can visit the Academy website and enroll as a student.  ((NOTE: Enrolling as a student is free, and there are dozens of other valuable free courses on the site.))

My Current Academy Classes

When you have enrolled in the Belly Dance Business Academy, you will find a wealth of free workshops and affordable classes. Please be sure to check out some of my current class offerings.  Here are two free classes now available:

If you are interested in communicating about belly dance costumes more effectively, I recommend my “Five Layers of Belly Dance Appearance.”  This is a system for breaking down belly dance costuming into component parts.  This approach works from the inside out.  It moves through five layers from your skin to your finishing touches.  It’s a great way to objectively discuss costuming with your designer, students, friends, dealers, and troupe-mates.

For dancers who are active on social media, make event flyers, or just want to add a watermark to their website photos, I recommend my class and demo, “Flyer Design with Canva.”  In this demo, you can follow along as I design a basic belly dance flyer using this wonderful free drag-and-drop web-based design tool, Canva.  Of course, you can also simply check out Canva directly here.  It’s a great tool and I highly recommend it.

Thank you for your Support

And I want to thank all of you for your continuing support of my publications and classes.  It’s a great feeling to offer free workshops and book samples on the Academy website. I look forward to adding more free workshops and affordable classes on the subjects of costuming and business

I hope you enjoy our book sample!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Monday, May 21, 2018

I love a good deal, and one place I go for belly dance essentials is Daiso Japan.  These cute little budget stores are filled with all the kinds of household goods you would expect at a dollar store. Almost all of the items on their shelves are from Japan and so it transcends the typical discount store vibe and feels more like a cultural import store.  Items start at $1.50 unless otherwise marked. It can be a little overwhelming at first, so let me tell you what I regularly buy!

Microfiber Towels

One of the ways to improve the efficiency of your makeup cleanup routine is to swap out traditional wash clothes for microfiber towels. There is some magic in the quality of the fiber that really picks up the makeup.  My trick is to use oil, my preference is for grapeseed oil, warm water, and a microfiber towel.  It saves time and money.  It’s also better for the environment than using disposable makeup wipes and cotton, and because it’s so efficient at cleaning your skin, you’ll use less water too!   I take these towels and cut them in half and finish the edges, so this pack of two is transformed into four.

Zip-top Laundry Bags

I have a fairly good-sized collection of costume pieces made from modern assiut.  I machine launder my robes and shawls on a gentle cycle, warm water, and protected in a zip-top lingerie or delicates bag.  My all-time favorite products is this mesh bag from Daiso.  At only $1.50 each, I buy one for each of my assiut pieces and I use it for storing the assiut between performances, and it’s easy to find when it’s time to do the laundry.

Packing Cubes

When I’m packing for performance, I like to keep my case organized using packing cubes.  This is the perfect size for me to keep an assiut robe and two shawls.  I purchased this one to replace a broken bag.  Although the brown and white polka dots is not my favorite pattern ever, for a mere $1.50, I don’t mind.

Small Bags for Zills and Jewelry

Although I didn’t buy this one today, Daiso sells some very well made and sturdy drawstring bags for keeping small items like zills and jewelry contained and protected in your gig bag.  Small bags are the kind of thing that I think to myself, “Oh, I could make that.”  But for a mere $1.50, and with lovely heavyweight fabrics and colors, I really couldn’t make it for that price.

False Eyelashes

Daiso Japan has one of the most remarkable, and affordable selections of false eyelashes.  This is a great place to experiment with different sizes and shapes on a budget.  At $1.50 for a package of three, you can get a pair for about .50 a pair!  I have quite a large back-stock of lashes at the moment so while I was tempted on this shopping trip, I decided to take a pass.  This time!

Shopping Discount Stores

Next time you are shopping at your local discount store, keep an eye out for great deals on the kinds of support items that make it cheaper and easier to live the belly dancer life!

Happy Shopping,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
May 16, 2018

PS: True Confession, I also love to shop their stationery department for cute stickers, flags, pens and more.