Davina ~ Dawn Devine is a belly dance costume designer, dance instructor and author of more than a dozen publications on Middle Eastern dance.
Easy to put on – perfect for quick changes – dresses are an excellent item to have in a belly dancer’s wardrobe. From high glamour to traditional, fanciful to folkloric, a dress can bring high style to the stage. Some designs can even be used in multiple ways from presenting a specific culture, region, or even as a coverup between acts or to wear while announcing at events. Consider adding a dress to your belly dance wardrobe!
Strong, supple, and elegant arms are one of the prime goals of every genre of belly dancer. As an observer of dance, I’ve noticed that one of the key ways you can spot the difference between the pros and the talented amateurs is how long a performer can keep her arms aloft and graceful. In my dance practice, I’ve always tried to have the best arms possible, and with that goal in mind, I work them out regularly.
Since my main activity for “losing it” is walking, (which doesn’t challenge the old arms) when I get home from my power strolls, I tag on a quick 15 – 20 minute arm work-out using a resistance band. It helps keeps my muscles strong so my arm-work can look it’s very best.
My two-part arm routine is composed of 7-10 minutes of arm focussed dance. I just put on the music and move through a variety of typical belly dance arm and hand movements including, snake arms, classic arms, torso frames, arm, hand and finger ripples, and florios.
In the second half, I use my resistance band to perform lifts, curls, rows and raises that challenge my biceps, triceps and deltoids. Thanks to the free on-line fitness and lifestyle community over at SparkPeople, there is a huge collection of example exercises for you to follow. www.sparkpeople.com To see the routine I use, follow the links below.
Simple Resistance Band Arm Workout:
Then I stretch after my work out:
Wanna see a sample of my arm work?
I’m an old dance nerd, and I’ve been following So You Think You Can Dance since season 1, and have gone to see three of the live touring shows. The audition shows feature the good, the bad, and the “what are they thinking?” which give them an appeal quite different from the final competition. This season, an excellent young belly dancer auditioned in Atlanta and made it to Vegas, or what what some people refer to as “SYTYCD Boot Camp” – there they winnow the group down to 20 who will compete on the show.
The show ran a really sweet little background piece on Janelle, where you find out details of her dance technique, see her in several stunning costumes, and learn she’s Palestinian and living in Birmingham, AL. I love that this brief bio is sensitive, showcases her winning smile and lively personality. But best of all, this piece wasn’t one bit salacious – an unfortunate and all too common a practice in popular media. All-in-all, she’s a great representative of the latest generation of young rising stars in our field. It’s delightful to see a positive and upbeat presentation of our dance form.
Will our belly dancer make it through the rigors of Vegas?
Janelle is super-cute and very talented, so I’m hoping for the best – because I really think she can dance.
~ D
Grab your popcorn and settle in for a trio of videos featuring my #1 current obsession, assiut from the most recent Tribal Fest in Sebastapol, CA. For more information about this event, visit the Tribal Fest official website.
Superstar Kami Liddle has crafted a lovely skirt from an assiut shawl without cutting the fabric, To achieve this effect, the shawl is draped around her hips strategically tucked/pinned/snappied it into place at her hipline. This is a great idea if you have a shawl you would like to wear, but aren’t ready to cut and sew into a costume. Find out more about Kami.
Belly Dance Superstar Rachel Brice with her protege Illan of France. This is a beautifully crafted duet, and a joy to watch. Rachel is wearing a gorgeous two-toned assiut costume made in the retro-vintage-showgirl style that is currently popular in the world of tribal-fusion costuming. The shape of the bra and the swag of the blue assiut echo the styles of Erte and other glamorous flapper-era garments. Note too, how her accessories emphasize the retro-glam feel. More on Rachel here.
Founded by Jamila Salimpour in 1968, Bal Anat has long embraced and used assiut for traditional robes, stylized dance dresses and in hand-crafted bedlah sets. During their performance at Tribal Fest 2012, you can see how the fabric becomes the unifying element throughout this large group, but each costume is completely unique. This allows each dancer to have he own identity and still be a member of the group. Find out more about Suhaila and her studio here.
“Davina, What’s the best bra for making a belly dance costume?
The answer isn’t simple. There is no one single bra style that will fit and flatter everybody. Instead, you will have to get out to the stores and try bras on. When you go to shop for bras, take the kind of padding you would use in your bra and give it the stuff treatment. You might want to consider going up in cup size and down in band size. It’s common practice to remove the bra band, so the size is not as relevant, but if you are large busted, you might want to carry some bra extenders so you can try band sizes that are smaller than you would ordinarily wear. And remember – if you are shopping on line, don’t be afraid to return bras that aren’t working for you!
So, what features bra features should you look for? I always take these four things into consideration.
Here are a few of my current favorites to help you get started in your quest. Good Luck!
