Category: General

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General

5 Things I love from Daiso Japan

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.

Categories
Assiut/Assuit Belly Dance General

Weekend Dance Roundup – Bean Scene & Bras for the Cause

Hello Gang!  I thought I would take a moment to share a pair of events I participated in over the weekend.  I was fortunate enough to be invited to perform at a local dance show on Friday night and to join a belly dance cheer team on Saturday evening.  Here are some of the highlights of these events.

Friday Night: The Bean Scene

One of my favorite local events is hosted by the group and takes place at The Bean Scene in Sunnyvale, Ca.  They host several shows throughout the year, inviting local dancers to sign-up and perform.  The coffee is delicious, there is no cover charge, and we always have such a great time hanging out and enjoying an evening of dance.

Along with a line up of talented local pros, teachers, and students, I was delighted to find out that we had two touring celebrities joining us!  The beautiful Rosa Noreen of Portland, Me and Sophia Ravenna of Seattle, Wa.  I caught a few video clips of these fantastic performances and shared them on Instagram.

Rosa Noreen

Aryn

Sophia Ravenna

Davina

I choose to wear burgundy assiut and swing a cane.  You can catch my performance over on YouTube.

Saturday Evening: Pleasanton “Bra’s for the Cause”

On Saturday evening, I joined my co-authors Sara Shrapnell and Alisha Westerfeld to cheer on the walkers for “Bras for the Cause.”  This 5k walk supports breast cancer research.  Each year, Sara Shrapnell gathers together a group of dancers to form a cheer team.  We were at the 1-mile marker, dancing and entertaining the walkers. The participants came in some amazing costumes, whimsical embellished bras, and stopped to take photos, dance, and grab a chocolate kiss or two.

Community fundraisers are always so fun to do!  I look forward to participating in this one and many more in the future!  Here we are striking a pose at the end of the event.  Once all the participants have walked past, and the sweeper limo went by, we headed off to have an author “power meeting” over hot chocolate. All-in-all this was a fun event!

There were many folks in great costumes, but most of my photos were quite blurry.  Here’s the “Bra King” posing with Zemira.  Because he was there taking photos, we got a chance to pose with him before the walkers reached our location.  If you are interested in joining Sara for some of these fun community events, visit her website and signup for her mailing list to get notifications about her future events.

Now I’ve got to go and do some belly dance laundry and give these assiut robes a good wash.
I hope you have a great first week of May!

Happy Costuming and Dance
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
April 30, 2018.

 

 

Categories
Assiut/Assuit General

Who’s That Girl in Assiut? Dagny Servaes

I recently spotted German actress Dagny Servaes wearing an assiut robe in her role as Theonis during act six of the movie 1922 film “The Loves of the Pharaoh.”  The full movie “Das Weib des Pharao” is available in the original German on YouTube. Here is a clip from the film at the 1:20 min mark, just before Theonis appears wearing her assiut ensemble.

Dagny’s costume is composed of two assiut pieces, a robe, and a shawl. Although it is difficult to see the base garment, she is wearing an assiut robe cut in the style of a 1920’s wedding dress of Upper Egypt.  Over the top of this robe, Theonis wears a glimmering assiut shawl.  Although this is a very short scene, I was able to grab a few images.

The film was artistical tinted in different shades to intensify the mood.  So these screen grabs look entirely different.  Because of the nature of taking screen grabs from vintage movies, some of these images are quite blurry.  In the image below, you can get a glimpse of the large central diamond motif on the front of her robe.

This film was released in different versions in Russia, Italy, and the US. Each country received a version of the film cut to suit the taste of their viewers.I really enjoy hunting down beautiful vintage assiut costumes in silent films. Want to read more of the “Who’s That Girl?” series?  Check out the links below.

Happy Costuming!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
April 26, 2018

A few other blog posts in this series

Lyda Borelli Vilma Banky Terpsichore Yvonne Gall

 

Categories
Costuming DIY General

New supplies list page

Various Pins stored in recycled mint tins.

2018 is turning out to be a big busy year!  We’re three months into the year, with only eight more to go. Every three months, I take a little extra time to go over my notes for few months. Now, at the start of the second quarter of the year, I’m pausing to conduct my quarterly review.

As I move through my business life, I make sure to write down all the comments, critiques, and requests when I’m reading my email, meeting with clients and professional associates. In late January, I asked a bunch of friends and fans across social media, about what they would like to know. I received numerous ideas, suggestions, questions, and advice.  I have spent the last three weeks evaluating this information.

Supplies List

One of the most often asked questions I receive starts like this, “What do you use to  _____?”  From special tools and supplies to essential notions and accessories, it seems that folks want to know what I’m using in my studio today.

Rather than spend the next six months writing a slew different blogs, I thought I would be nice to conduct a studio inventory of my tools and supplies and consolidate it into one master list.

New Master Supplies List

Pinterest

Of course, there’s a lot of information gathered on my Pinterest Boards.  I enjoy collecting ideas, inspirations, and information from around the web.  If you are interested in links to even more tools, materials, and supplies I use in my business, check out some of these

Sewing and Fashion Design Board

Sewing Studio Organization Ideas

Assiut Pinterest Board

Facebook Group

If you would like to join the conversation, I’ve created a group board for costumers to share their projects, ask questions, and support each other as we explore our creativity in the world of design.  This is the place to find me and hundreds of other makers to chat at.

Studio Davina Facebook Group

I hope that your year is going well!  What are you making during the next quarter?  Come join our group and tell us about your upcoming designs.

Happy Costuming!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
April 9, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
General

Trick for Keeping Your Assiut Hip Sash in Place

A long time ago, in a town far far away, before the turn of the century, a little baby belly dancer named Dawn learned a costuming trick.  In order to keep a soft tie on style hip sash in place, use a belt!

Now, back when I was just starting out as a performing belly dancer, this kind of belt was easy to find at any mall store.  Without a doubt, it is not a popular style today!

Available in Many Sizes and Colors

But due to the wonders of the internet and the glory of Amazon.com, you can still get one of these extremely useful and versatile belts in a size to fit you.

These elastic belts come in a variety of colors.  There are also different widths and several different clasp configurations to choose from.  I prefer a 2″ or 3″ belt with a two or three prong clasp like the one top left.

If I’m wearing a hip wrap in a shawl style that is made of lace or net, I will choose a more simple style clasp like the one to the right.

Decorative Buckles

If your hip sash is smaller than your hips, this belt technique can work as an excellent extension for your soft sash.  Simply choose a belt style with a decorative buckle and tuck your hip sash around the elastic parts and let the buckle show.

I’ve got a stretchy belt similar to this one at right that I wear when I want to change up the look of my assiut costuming.  You can find them on Amazon around $10  or less.  This is a very affordable way to change up your look.

Choose the right size

Because I like to wear this belt at the fullest part of my hip, I use my hip size when referring to the size chart.  Measure your hips, and select the size that best matches your needs.  If you find you are at the edge between sizes, go one size down.  These belts stretch approximately 8″ – 12″ and you want them to fit much tighter around your hips than would be comfortable for your natural waistline.

Practice your Drapes and Shimmies

Once you have your assiut hip sashes and your elastic waistbands, stand in front of a mirror and practice tucking and draping.  When you have a style that you like, be sure to put it through a full dance set to make sure that it will stay in place no matter how vigorous your dancing gets.  If you are doing floor work, this is especially important.  If you are a floor-work master, you might require extra deep tucks in order to keep your sashes in place!

Want More Quick Costume Ideas?

If you are interested in other quick, easy, and affordable costume ideas, check out our three costuming chapters in the book, “Becoming a Belly Dancer, From Student to Stage.”  I was pleased to work with author/teacher Sara Shrapnell, photographer/dancer Alisha Westerfeld, and pro-dancer/model Poppy Maya.  The book is available on Amazon.com. But, if you would like a signed copy, I have a few my Etsy store!

Demo Video of the “Belt and Sash” Combo

If you are interested seeing how I put together my assiut “Double Triangle” hip treatment, check out the video above.  I wish you luck in all of your costuming adventures!  If you try this technique out, come and let us know over on my assiut FaceBook group.

Happy Spring!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
March 28, 2018