It was a thrilling moment to watch the Lebanese dance troupe Mayaas take the win on America’s Got Talent. While belly dancers have been a regular entry at the early stages of the competition. It is rare for belly dance performers to make it within striking distance of the win. This year, the Mayyas, under the artistic direction of Nadim Cherfan who founded the dance troupe to offer young Arab woman dancers an opportunity to perform professionally.
Cherfan has created a modern fusion rooted in traditional Arabic dances, fused with moves from around the globe. Their performances on AGT were precise and supple, a balance of smooth and staccato, with slick transitions, and astonishing synchronicity, and sequential timing.
Not only did they win a cash prize, but we can also look forward to seeing the Mayyas in the future performing in Las Vegas at the Luxor. If you didn’t see them during the run of the TV show, you can catch their performances on YouTube!
What a happy day! Dawn Devine ~ Davina Sept. 16, 2022.
In the latest issue of Fanoos Magazine, I shared some details about one of the postcards in my research collection. This Postcard dates to 1900-1906 and was produced in Cairo by Lichetenstern and Harari. When it arrived at my home, I took a moment to contemplate and consider its origins. This image appears in dozens of different postcards, but also as albumen prints and in travel, anthropological, and history publications.
Fanoos Magazine Article
For the September 2022 issue of Fanoos Magazine, I wrote an article about my research into the origins of this particular postcard and image. In this piece, I share the answers I found when I asked this series of key research questions:
Who took this photo?
Where was this photo taken?
When was this photo taken?
How valuable is it as a tool for visually dating dance costumes of Egypt?
If you are curious and want to know more, click through and read this article to learn more. It’s short but jam-packed with information about the photographer, this image, and details about the Cairo postcard industry c. 1900-1915.
Thanks for your continued support of my ongoing historical research! Happy Dance & Costuming, Dawn Devine ~ Davina Sept 15, 2022
Assiut Tally Spotted:
Okhtein – Designer Bags and Accessories
The Egyptian-based luxury handbag company Okhtein included some beautiful assiut tally work in their 2019 collection. Their high-end structural bags are exquisite works of functional, wearable art.
Forbes Middle East choose Okhtein for their “30 under 30” to watch list in 2019. The company is owned by a pair of sisters, Aya and Mounaz Abdul Raouf who co-design the product line.
These assiut tally bags were part of the 2019 collection. I find these particular bags stylish and inspirational. You can find their current work on their company website and on Instagram.
Be Inspired! Dawn Devine ~ Davina Aug. 19, 2022
PS – Be sure to watch the reel below to watch the making of one of these hand-crafted beauties.
Studio Davina Summer Workshop 2022 Assiut Hair Flowers – Design & Construction
As a special thank you for helping me achieve my goal – raising funds for a new camera – I am adding a bonus 2-part workshop at the $7 level. I appreciate all of your patience as I worked through my Patreon/Zoom growing pains. If you’re not a subscriber, perhaps you will come and join us for the two-part workshop on Wednesday, Aug. 31 & Thursday, Sept. 1 live via zoom – or in replay through Sept. 30.
Part 1 – Wednesday, Aug. 31 – 7 pm Pacific – 2 hrs – Live via Zoom Part 2 – Thursday, Sept 1 – 7 pm Pacific – 2 hrs – Live Via Zoom
2 Nights – 3 Hair-flower Styles – 4 Hours of Time 1 PDF with supplies list and order of construction
At the end of my Patreon talks, I like to ask folks if they are interested in any special topics. I received a few requests for “Assiut Hair Flowers.” Sounded like a great idea for me too, so this workshop is by request.
Assiut Hair Flower Includes:
4 hours – Two Nights
Live Via Zoom with a replay available through Sept. 30.
Demo of Three Styles: Star, Cockade, Single Motif
Part 1 will cover: Design, Planning, Sourcing, Cutting
Part 2 will cover: Prepping, Constructing, Embellishing
As we move through the seasons of the year, my work on the next book continues.We are so very pleased that Basinah of San Francisco has once again joined our team for several assiut looks. This August she appeared at Siren’s Fest wearing a vintage robe and hip wrap.
This ensemble is composed of a vintage assiut robe and coin hip sash.It’s worn over a black base layer of unadorned bra and a simple black panel skirt. Basinah styled the ensemble with flowers in her hair, sparkling earrings, and her award-winning smile.
Vintage Assiut Robe
This robe started off its life embellished with crochet and coins across the front. This was a popular style for assiut belly dance robes made during the 1980s and ’90s.
In that era, the assiut industry was in decline, so this style can be difficult to source.However, you can still sometimes find them for sale on the resale market in various states of repair.
When I acquired this robe in the ‘00s, it was in very poor condition. At some point in its life, a soda was spilled on it.The result was a swath of corroded coins down the center of the robe. The crochet was ripped and torn and many of the coins were missing. After removing the coins, I was left with this lovely assiut robe.
Vintage Assiut Robe Evolution
After performing in this robe as-is, it’s become clear that it urgently needs some repairs and an alteration to achieve a better fit. While it is unclear how many owners this vintage beauty has had, this robe is going to get some TLC hand stitching a few holes, and open seams. Then it will get a thorough soak in Orvis, a rolling pin treatment to seal in all the stitches. Then we will meet up for a fitting for its next owner, the glamorous Basinah.
Basinah is a San Francisco-based award-winning professional belly dancer.She teaches workshops all over the west coast, sharing her retro-fabulous vintage Egyptian stylings. In addition, she is one of the founding members of the “Asheq Collective.” Asheq is a multi-award-winning, San Francisco/Bay Area dance troupe. The collective is composed exclusively of professional dancers and choreographers. Follow this link to her website for more details about Basinah.
Stay tuned for more blog posts featuring Basinah. Her next costume is cream with rhinestones and pearls. And after that, purple assiut!
But now, I’m heading back into the studio to make some more assiut hair flowers.
Until next time – Happy Costuming and Dance, Dawn Devine ~ Davina
August 8, 2022
