Category: Costuming DIY

Articles about designing, making and renovating costumes for fun and dance.

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Belly Dance Costuming DIY General Publications

Belly Dance Fashion – An article on AND magazine

Tribal Style Belly Dance Costuming
Tribal Style Belly Dance Costuming modeled by Moria of Bellydance Super Stars

Belly Dance Fashion:
Bellydance Superstars
in AND magazine

Several of the featured performers with the Bellydance Super Stars troupe recently appeared in an article about belly dance costuming over in AND Magazine.  Accompanied by a smoking hot collection of gorgeous photos of these talented dancers, the text of this brief article breaks belly dance fashion into two main categories, Oriental and Tribal.  Although this breakdown might seem overly simplistic, it does reflect one of the great stylistic divides in the world of belly dance costume.

Oriental – This term, which I think is a great replacement for the now outmoded term “Cabaret” or the cumbersome “Show Girl,” features beads, sequins and rhinestones.  The goal of this style is glitter and flash, shimmer and shine.  For many people, this is the image that leaps to mind when you hear the word belly dance.

Tribal – Built on the same formula of bra, belt and skirt, the tribal style chooses heavy-metal embellishments pulled from a variety of old-world, indigenous cultures including coins, chains and jewelry components.  Even though the term tribal is a relative newcomer in the belly dance world, this type of cultural pastiche has existed since the early part of the 20th century.

In my personal view of the belly dance world, I personally believe that in order to be more inclusive and have a more complete breakdown of costume and fashion, two more broad categories need to be added.

Ethnographic – Ethnographic or folkloric is an essential category of costuming which plays a vital role in the world of belly dance performance. Costumes in this category allow dancers to bring to the stage authentic presentations from distinct parts of the globe.  Dancers wear ethnographic costuming to create a culturally specific story using regional movement, music and costume.

Fusion – This is a handy catch-all term that I would like to extricate from the exclusive domain of Tribal dancers and bring back into general use.  Throughout the long history of belly dance in the US, dozens if not hundreds of costuming styles have been “fused” to bring different flavors and vibes to match any music or performance needs.  From Bollywood-Fusion to Afro-Fusion, the whole world of fashion is used by designers to create a myriad of distinctive and unique styles.

The Bellydance Super Stars show is a well crafted  piece of dance theater.  It’s a show-girl show featuring beautiful star dancers, a lovely chorus line all clad  in gorgeous costumes and dancing to fantastic Middle Eastern music.  The show is structured to showcase the skill and beauty of belly dance at its highest, and most polished level.  From early on in the Super Stars shows, the producers chose to contrast and  highlight the Oriental vs. Tribal dichotomy.

Read the original article on AND that inspired this post here – and be sure to take a long look at the lovely photo album included with the piece.       http://www.andmagazine.com/content/and_3605.php

Find out more about the Bellydance Super Stars – http://www.bellydancesuperstars.com/

Oriental Style of Belly Dance Costume worn by Sefanya of Bellydance Super Stars

 

Categories
Assiut/Assuit Belly Dance Costuming DIY Design

Assiut Applique – Step by Step

Categories
Assiut/Assuit Belly Dance Costuming DIY General Makeup and Appearance

Every Dancer Needs a Red Costume

Bay Area dancer Setareh in Red Assiut Costume
Bay Area dancer Setareh in Red Assiut Costume

Every (American) Dancer Needs A Red Costume

Bay Area dancer Setareh in Red Assiut Costume
Bay Area dancer Setareh wearing a Red Assiut Costume

There are many costuming options for a dancer to choose from. From the glamour of beads and sequins to the earthiness of tribal and folkloric costumes, the options can be overwhelming. Many dancers start by selecting a specific feature. Color is one of the most obvious first choices, but there is a rainbow of colors to choose from. Where does one begin? White has been popular over the last few years and purple is always a winner. Green, the color of money, could send the job opportunities through the roof. Pastels, neons and jewel tones are all available to tempt a dancer’s eye. But without a doubt, the most versatile color of all is red.

Red? Not black, that most basic and “safe” of colors? Not blue in shades from sky to cobalt? But red! For the American dancer a red costume is a foundation for an entire year’s worth of specialty and theme costumes. In February, paired with pink accessories and heart motifs, the red bra and belt set is sure to set hearts afire at those special Valentine’s dinner shows.

In May, for Memorial Day, a red costume can symbolize the loss of loved ones on the field of battle. Simply accessorize with gold, alluding to the medals worn by our country’s heroes.

In June, the red costume can be the perfect color to brighten dad’s spirits on Father’s Day. While in July, a white skirt and long blue gloves can turn the red costume in to the perfect patriotic outfit to celebrate the Fourth of July. In September, mix up the white and blue accessories for those Labor Day events.

Add a pair of saucy little devil’s horns and a spike tail and become a dancing devil for Halloween. Or you can use add a black cape and a pair of fangs and become the ultimate vampy vamp. In November, you can pair a red costume with orange, rust and yellow accent pieces to capture the colors of turning leaves for Thanksgiving celebrations. And for those December holiday shows, a green skirt and gold accents will transform a red costume into the perfect ensemble for Christmas shows.

Specialty shows, parades and theme events will always be a little more fun if you have a costume that fits the bill. Why not invest in a red dress or bra and belt set that can be reinvented for each major holiday with accessories and accents that fit the bill? Every dancer needs a red costumes, have you made yours?

Note: This is a republishing of an article that appeared on the Costumer’s Notes eZine many years ago.  Recently, I was chatting with Lynette over at Gilded Serpent eZine and she suggested that I use the word American in the title – because the article is really targeted at dancers in the US, and I agreed. Thank you to Setareh for allowing me to share this lovely action photo.  The rest of the article is the same, and it’s as true today as it was then! Happy Holidays! ~ Davina ~ Dawn Devine

Categories
Assiut/Assuit Belly Dance Costuming DIY Design

Three Day Assiut Challenge – Day 4

Jean Jingler I selected for my embellishment. This is one of my last fiew, and I believe it didn't get selected because the contrast between the brassy triangle and the bright silver of the chain.

Well.. I didn’t quite get that bra done in 48 hours, but all hope is not lost.  Today was the Saturday of Bedouin Bazaar and I had a bit of time between watching performances, catching up with old friends, and selling books, to do a bit of work.  While the bra was mostly done, I had a few things that needed to be addressed.  First, it needed something – anything – done to the center front to give it a bit of swing and flash. After I had laid out all of my jewelry, I found one of my jewelry pieces, a Jean Jingler, would work admirably for a decoration on this bra.  If not permanently, than perhaps just for this weekend.

Jean Jingler I selected for my embellishment. This is one of my last fiew, and I believe it didn’t get selected because the contrast between the brassy triangle and the bright silver of the chain.

However, when I laid the piece out I noticed that there were not enough coins to reach all the way to the clasps.  So, I had a bit of work to do.  So while I was hanging out at the show, I cannibalized s bracelet and applied them to the selected Jean Jingler to fill in the gap.

This gap is too big for my tastes, so I need to add a few coins.
Gap filled, time to apply to the bra.
The center piece needs to be firmly stitched at the center front. I stich it to the bottom edge using a double strand of upholstery thread.
For the outer edges, I stitch on a tailor’s loop to serve as an anchor point for the clasp.

Lather, rinse, repeat.  I made a tailor’s loop on the other side as well and hooked the clasp.  At that point, I started doing some cleaning up of the stitching, making the front angles a bit neater, cleaning up some of the loose edges.  When I was “done enough” because, you know, this kind of finishing work can go on forever, I paused and held the bra up to me.   The appearance of this bra caused a but of a fuss as the vendors around me oohed and ahhhed over the progress.  Thanks to Jackson for snapping this picture of me.

And here I am, holding up the bra for a peek. I think this will work!
David of Scandinavia preparing for performance Bedouin Bazaar

Although I think it’s good enough for now, I’m interested in finishing up the edges around the center a bit better.  I think some trim or another piece of assiut as an applique to cover the plain black triangle. This Jean Jingler looks pretty good.  I think I’m going to leave it as is for tomorrow’s performance.

I was especially excited to see that I wasn’t the only person with assiut at the event.  David of Scandinavia performed in a fantastic robe.  He was in the middle of preparing for his piece and posing for pictures with some fans.  I really love the diamond grid pattern with snow-flake like pattern down the back of his robe and the row of heart-enhanced camels in a band near the hem.

I hunted through the dealer’s offerings and found another assiut gem.  But I’ll have photos of that later.  For now, I’m going to hit the hay… Tomorrow, a live performance with John Bilezikjian!

Happy Costuming!  Dawn Devine ~ Davina

ps – Oh yes, I know, my three day challenge turned into a four day event.  But I really like the way this bra is turning out.  I’ll follow up with finishing details when I get home and back to the studio. ~ D

 

 

Categories
Assiut/Assuit Belly Dance Costuming DIY Design

Three Day Assiut Challenge – Day Three

Detail of the right ceenter of Assiut Bra. You can really see how many little darts I pinned into place to get those radiating lines.

Hello Friends in Dance and Costuming,

At the end of day three of this assiut challenge, and what have I got done?  Well, most of the bra and a pinned together skirt. Today, I spent quite a bit of time fiddling with the numerous darts.  Usually, when I’m covering a bra, I use one or two darts.  But in this case, I was attempting to divide the darts, spreading out excess fabric, so that under each strip is a mini dart.  I started with the top three strips at the tops of each cup and adjusted and fiddled with each subsequent stripe, trying to make the right side match.  Moving from one side to the other  ensures that the stripes are as symmetrical as I can get them. I invested quite a bit of time positioning each stripe and dart, nearly three hours!  And boy, did I used a LOT of those whimsical (yet dull) pins!

Each stripe had to be carefully pinned into place one at a time to create good symmetry.

I always pin and look Pin and look. Pin and Look. At one point, I actually made sure all the little tips were buried and tried it on!  When I was satisfied with the position of the stripes, I then  and made sure that the darts were all carefully folded and tucked.

Here you can see me slipping a finger into one of these numerous small darts.

And then I sewed like mad!

Hours later, several cups of coffee and a lot of TV.  (Yeah Project Runway, Chopped, and Engineering an Empire to name a few who kept me company while my head was down and my needle was up!)

Assiut Bra Cups – Nearly done!

Sadly, I did all this stitching in black thread, so it’s difficult to see the details, but here’s the best shot I could get.

Detail of the right ceenter of Assiut Bra. You can really see how many little darts I pinned into place to get those radiating lines.

And I’m done for day three.  What’s left to do?   First, I need to come up with a solution to make the center front of the bra beautiful and finished.  In the photo above, you can see the thickness of the pleated fabric.  I’m going to the show tomorrow, and I will search the dealer’s room tables for a piece of jewelry.  Alternately, I can place a fabric applique over the exposed triangle of bra.

Tonight, I’m packing my sewing kit up, the scraps of assiut, my books, patterns and heading over to the show tomorrow morning.   If you’re in San Diego, stop by Bedouin Bazaar, drop by my booth and say “HI,”

I’ll work on that center front panel tomorrow!  ~ Dawn Devine ~ Davina