Category: General

Categories
General

Beautiful Dancers, Gorgeous Models, & Fabulous Friends

There is nothing quite as fun as sharing my books with the members of the team that helped take the book from concept to completion.  Unfortunately, there are so many models, and everyone is so busy, that we’re still tracking down the folks who have helped us out!   Last year, I finished and published two books, “Zills: Music on Your Finger Tips” and “Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage.”  Between the two books, we worked with nearly 50 different models and getting copies of these two books out to our beautiful models are taking a bit of time!  Fortunately, we have friends who are helping us out by attending lots of events and helping us distribute books to our far-flung team.

Shalimar:
Ambassador of the Dance

Belly dancer Shalimar has graciously made space for a tiny box of books in her trunk and recently attended a belly dance event, has managed to meet up with not one, but two of our models!  Shalimar is a great connector of dancers and musicians, restaurants and dance events.  She performers throughout the greater Bay Area on a regular basis and is always fun to watch.  The best way to follow Shalimar’s dance journey is to follow her page on FaceBook.

Malia:
Instructor, Performer & Legend

Back in 2013 when working on the book, The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut we invited dancer, performer, and collector of vintage assiut, Malia.  She has a dreamy vintage assiut robe and an amazing coordinating vintage assiut piano shawl.  My co-author and photographer, Alisha Westerfeld, aka Zemira, and I invited Malia to join us in the assiut project, and we had the best time taking photos of her amazing ensemble.

The most difficult part of that magical evening was picking an image or two for Cloth of Egypt.  The image at left was so good, I used it in our one-off behind the scenes magazine, Costumer’s Notes.

When I started working on my finger cymbal book, Zills: Music on Your Fingertips, I shared some of my favorite images with my team of collaborators.  One of the images was from this photoshoot, but sadly, Malia wasn’t wearing finger cymbals the night of the shoot.  Illustrator George Goncalves took it completely in stride and drew a gorgeous image of Malia and added a set of cymbals.  His illustration of Malia turned out beautiful and compelling and I was thrilled to use it in the book.

Alica:
Bay Area Pro Belly Dancer

Author Sara Shrapnell invited me to join her production team for the seminal text, Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage.  She reached out to dozens of dancers in the greater Bay Area that represent the full breadth of diversity of our ever expanding belly dance community.  Professional belly dancer Alica Greer, made the voyage out to an East Bay dance studio to pose for photos.  Photographer Alisha Westerfeld also snapped some action shots of Alica that also made it into the book.  In the photo to the right, she’s showing off a photo of her taken at a local event.  I really enjoyed working with Alica and look forward to seeing her perform and collaborating with her in the future.

Each project I work on teaches me something new.  Last year, I learned that I really love the process of collaborating with groups of talented writers, photographers, dancers, and illustrators.  Writing can be a lonely business with lots of hours spent in front of the computer, hanging out in libraries conducting research, or working in the sewing studio on samples to photograph.  Working on not one, but two teams, really showed me how fun and exciting collaborative projects can be.  So I’m very excited to be diving into the layouts and design of Amabella Magazine which we will be releasing in the coming weeks.

Happy Dancing!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
July 8, 2017

 

 

 

Categories
General Publications

Facebook – Come Join the Conversations!

Hello, Gang!

I recently was sent an email that asked the question,

“Why don’t you allow comments on your blog posts?”  

This isn’t the first time I have had this inquiry, so I thought I would take a moment to share my thoughts on the subject.  But first, let me begin with a little history of my website.

Davina – Online since 1996!

When I first started my website in 1996.  It first appears in the archives of the Wayback Machine in 1999 under my then domain davina.org. I couldn’t get the .com top level domain because someone had already purchased it, so I “settled” for the .org.  My website was to serve as a home for articles about belly dance costuming, sharing news about where I was heading to teach dance and costuming workshops, and my free belly dance costume ‘zine called “Costumers Notes.” I knew that websites were going to be the “Next Big Thing.”  I never knew quite HOW big it was going to be!

Davina .org and .us – a brief history

The image bar at right traces the major moments in the development of my website over the nearly 20 years it’s been in existence!  At the top, is the oldest image of a page dated from 1998. I had many fits and starts before I settled in on this lovely *ahem* brown and goldenrod hand coded website. My skills were minimal, my site tragically ugly. The few images on my site were quite tiny and widely spaced throughout the site.  We all have to start somewhere!

In 2001, the site got a makeover. After talking to a lot of people at belly dance events such as Rakkasah, Wiggles of the West, and Desert Dance Festival it became clear that I needed an easier to read, less painful to look at site, so the colors were adjusted to a less difficult, yet still rather garish, color combination, as you can see in the second image.

In 2003, we nabbed Davina.us and we started using Adobe GoLive as our layout tool (3rd down in the image bar). That same year, I moved the Costumer’s Notes ‘zine to its own domain. (Right at bottom.) Two websites created not quite twice the amount of work.  I started a mailing list, and was sending text only.

By 2011, I found juggling two websites to take far too much of my time, so I brought Costumer’s Notes back onto my website (Image 4.)  By this point, I had more than 4000 pages total between the two websites, and I knew that I needed to leave GoLive (now abandoned by Adobe,) and head over to the “Blogging Side.”  Because of the sheer amount of content, I resisted the change.

2013 the “Davina: The Blog” Begins

After much soul-searching, I decided to take the plunge.  I was working on the development of the book, The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut and it was clear that I wanted to upgrade the appearance of my site.  It’s taken a while to get out of the “article” writing mode and develop my blogging voice.  I’m not quite sure I’m there, but with every post, I’m getting closer!

So when I started the blog in 2013, I already had a pretty lively direct interaction with folks on FaceBook.  We also experienced a pounding by spammers who were filling my “comments” section up, and I found myself spending a lot of time managing the comment portion of my blog.  Something had to go give, and I needed that time back!  So I shut off the comments here, and I now encourage folks to either email me directly or to join the ongoing conversation on Facebook.

Facebook Groups – Join the Conversation

Now, in 2017, I’m still choosing to have conversations and direct interaction over on the community-driven Facebook.  At the moment, I split my time between three main groups, making regular posts, participating in conversations, and sharing lots of images.  Aside from my main page which has a mix of coffee cups, nerdy memes, and historic fashion, these are the groups where you can catch me!

Assiut Group

With over 200 members and an active and vocal community of collectors, fans, and researchers of our favorite fabric.  If you like my book, The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut, then this is the group to join! Gotta buy it now?  It’s available on Amazon.com.

Becoming a Belly Dancer – Bonus Group

The latest group we’ve started is hosted by the authors of Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage.  This new and growing community is a place to come to share information about our favorite subject, Belly Dance!  If you are thinking of picking up a copy of this amazing handbook for belly dancers, this is the perfect place to ask questions directly from the authors. Gotta buy it now? It’s available on Amazon.com.

Studio Davina: Behind the Seams

If you enjoy watching projects develop from fabric to fashion, from idea to publication and more.  This is where I share my projects in progress with my fellow costumers.  Do you sew?  Wanna share your projects?  Join us for the conversation!

Not a Facebook Fan – Email me Directly!

If you aren’t a fan of Facebook, you can find me on Instagram under the handle @davinadevine.  Or email me directly davina@davina.us with any comments, thoughts, or questions about my blog.  So while I don’t have plans on opening my posts up to comments and discussion, I wouldn’t mind hearing from you!

Here’s to Creative Costuming & Delicious Dance
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
June 27, 2017

 

 

Categories
General Publications

Salome – a postcard collection

The Costuming of Salome – Ephemera

Hello gang! I just wanted to take a moment to share with you some of my growing collection of Salome images. Over the past 15 years or so, I’ve been hunting postcards and other ephemera from the years 1890 – 1930. My goal is to trace the evolution of the image of Salome on stage, and later 0n screen. My goal is to one day write a book on the subject, and this collection will illustrate that publication. In addition, I’m also collecting images of ethnic belly dancers from around the Mediterranean as well as European and American orientalist dancers.

A Passion for Costume History

I am fascinated by the subject of Salome in early modern dance, theater, and opera costumes. Theatrical costuming, regardless of discipline, exists outside of the flow of fashion. Stage costumes, unlike daily clothing, are character defining, larger than life, and visually stunning. During the first 30 years of the 20th century, Salome’s “costume” became very codified with specific design elements that defined who she was to the audience. Dozens of different Salomes graced the stage throughout Europe, the US, and Canada. It was a cultural phenomenon!

Merch isn’t a new concept

Late 19th century entertainers recognized the potential power of the new and modern art of photography for both advertising their shows and building their personal fame. What we call “merch” today, began with theatrical cabinet cards and early postcards sold in theater lobbies. A patron of the theater could purchase a card of the cast and take it away, a keepsake and memory. These cards were produced in great quantity and saved as treasured mementos. This is a boon to historical researchers like myself, who can find them in the vintage ephemera market.

Salome in Post Cards & Ephemera

Of course, my mission will be to take these postcards and ephemera and to trace the evolution of the costume for Salome, using primary newspapers and journals for quotes about the shows, and how the spectacle of the Salome costume impacted the audience.  Over the next few weeks, I’ll be filling in a spreadsheet with names of dancers, singers, and actresses who played Salome and when and where they performed. There were hundreds!  

That’s not Salome!

One of the challenges I face as a researcher is identifying the women in these postcards.  As I populate my spreadsheet, I’m taking the time to seek out the information about this performer, the name of the play or opera, and what role she actually played.  This will allow me to separate the dancers from the singers, the Salomes from the Herodias.  Across the web, there are hundreds of misidentified images.  Not every picture that “looks” like Salome is actually her!  So when I find a postcard that appears to be Salome, but is actually a different role, I make note of that too. Sometimes, it looks like Salome and she’s actually Cleopatra in a recycled Salome costume!

Will this be a book?

Though narrow in scope, I’m finding more and more Salomes. I’ll be continuing this research project for a few more years. When I have enough images in my collection to support the growing body of research, the transformation from notes and pictures, to an illustrated book will begin.  When I look at future projects, this is a 5-7 year project from this moment. With perseverance in research, and lots of luck in finding postcards and other ephemera this will be a lovely and fun read.  In the meantime, here are a few photos from my collection to enjoy! 

To Research Projects!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
6-20-2017

PS. Read More About Salome Today

Wanna do some research of your own check out “Sisters of Salome” by Toni Bentley,  a retired ballerina and dance researcher. Explores the lives of four women who embraced the character of Salome. Bentley explores their motivation and mindset behind the dance. She focusses on Maud Allen, Mata Hari, Ida Rubenstein & Colette. This book is filled with lots of juicy facts about these four infamous performers, and how playing the role of Salome impacted their life. Available on Amazon.com

Categories
General Makeup and Appearance

First World Problems!

Hello Gang!

Whew – it’s been a challenging week!  I’ve been unable to accomplish any single task, and have spent the week jumping like a frog jumping from lily pad to lily pad.  Only I’m not a frog, and instead of lily pads, I was moving from problem to problem.  It’s been a week of learning and lessons in patience.  Technology was not my friend, and the result, I’m a bit behind on my #bellydancemakeupchallenge.

We Pause this Challenge for Technical Difficulties

My iPhone updated and my camera developed some unusual problems.  This most recent video was shot last week Friday, but there were obvious problems with the camera.  It fell into slow motion, at random throughout the clips I made!  So I shot a “makeup” makeup video the following day, and the video clips all had the same problem, patches of random slow motion.  I turned my phone off and on, I updated all my software and then shot the third video.  And… unfortunately, it failed again!  It was quite a frustrating three days!

Saving the Video Footage

I downloaded all the video clips to my computer and began to experiment with the problematic footage. After many hours of experimentation, I wound up cutting the video clips into tiny bits, and then I adjusted the speed of each one until it ALMOST sounds normal.  I have learned so much about iMovie, and I couldn’t have gotten this video made without the help of the O’Reilly book, “iMovie: The Missing Manual.”   Not every feature of iMovie is intuitive, so I have been very happy with this book.  I bought my copy over on Amazon.  This video has about 12 hours invested in it!  So much time that I decided to ditch and reshoot the two other compromised videos.

Day 8 – Extreme Eyeliner (hooded eyes)

Broken iPhone? Tech support to the rescue!

So I talked to a tech support dude about the problems I was having with my phone. He talked me through a process that involved backing up, resetting, and reloading it. I’ve done a few test clips to test how well the camera is doing. Not only is the video fully functional again, my camera is now shooting much cleaner, crisper photos!

Resuming the Makeup Challenge

Because I spent SO much time on trying to make this video work, I’m behind in my “real” work, so I’m in catch up mode, and I will resume the #bellydancemakeupchallenge on Saturday!  In the meantime, I’m working on lovely pink and purple belly dance costume.  This is the preliminary sketch, with some notes about construction.  I plan on sharing more photos as I make progress on this costume.

This particular costume will ultimately be composed of a bra and belt set, a chiffon skirt, and arm accessories. For me, the most interesting part of the costume is the skirt. This is a zero waste skirt style that I’m making with a lovely floral border print. Watch for more details about this costume!

While it’s a bit discouraging to have my challenge interrupted by technical difficulties, we’ll resume soon!

Dance Well, Be Well, Sew Well!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
June 14, 2017

 

 

 

 

Categories
General

Belly Dance Makeup Challenge – Week One Wrap Up

Hello Gang!

I’m one week into my 2017 belly dance makeup challenge!  Everyday during the month of June, I’ll be putting on a new and different belly dance performance makeup look.  In this post, I’m going to address four of the most common questions I’ve heard over the past week since I’ve begun this project.  You can find the videos on YouTube, here.

Q: Why Are You Doing A  30 Day Vlogging Challenge?

A: When I was teaching formal, weekly classes, makeup tutorials, demos, and workshops were built into the yearly flow of my course material.  My philosophy of “Five Layers of Belly Dance Appearance”  is mapped out thoroughly in the book “Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage,.” It states that layer #2 is Grooming, or hair and makeup.  Since I rarely perform with my hair showing, I switch out “hair” for a headdress, which is really layer#4, accessories.

The only way to get good at applying makeup is to practice.
With this month long challenge, I get the two-fold benefit of making practice time for myself and having the opportunity to share my approach to putting on a performance face. I’m not a makeup artist, I’m just a dancer with a lot of experience and a bit of a makeup nerd.

Above: My primer selection for this month.

Q: How did you come up with the list of Challenges?

A: On a long car drive just after Monther’s day from Palm Springs to San Jose, I started thinking about this challenge.  I had done it last year. I was thinking about how I would take it to the next level this year.  Instead of being a “Pantser,” trying to come up with this looks on the fly, I decided to create scenarios that dancers might find them in when preparing for performances. I just went back in time, mentally flipping through memories of events and costumes I’ve worn, made, and seen, and began my list.  Some are more obvious than others, but all the prompts originated in something I’ve seen or done in the past 30 years of my dance career. Click image to enlarge –>

Above: Concealer, foundation, and powders

Q: Who did you learn your makeup technique from?

A: This question could be an entire blog post!  I’ve always sought out and enjoyed makeup classes.  My first formal class was in college in my first fashion program.  The required “Modelling” class included a lot of info on beauty makeup.  I then went through a theater program, where I took classes on theatrical makeup techniques.

As a belly dancer, I’ve taken makeup workshops as often as possible with as many different dancers as I could find.  Early on, I studied with Meleah, a professional model, makeup artist, and a killer belly dancer.  More recently I’ve become an avid fan of Princess Farhana and Devilla. Who put together the FANTASTIC video workshop Bombshell: Dramatic Makeup for the Stage, Photos, & Glamorous Occasion.   I also take lessons locally in my area from talented regional belly dancers and makeup artists such as Adriana.  And of course, I took Sara Shrapnell’s makeup workshop in preparation for collaborating on Chapter 3 of “Becoming a Belly Dancer.”   Over the yeas, of this makeup research,  I’ve amassed a huge collection of tips, tricks, and product knowledge.  I’m happy to share the knowledge I’ve collected over the years with my students near and far.

Above: Blush, contour, and highlight powders 

Q: Are you going to make sewing videos?

A: YES!  I’m working on overcoming many of the challenges of filming costuming.  I’ve been making loads of video clips testing different fabrics, different shot angles, and lighting.  What I’ve learned so far is that I need to invest in more lights, and plan some demo projects. I’m pleased to say that I have almost ironed out the technical details.  After this month of makeup, watch for a series of basic sewing demos.  My plan is to produce a bunch of really basic videos that can serve as a library to refer to in later more project-based videos.  I’ll be creating demos that appear in my books – showcasing the materials and projects that I would choose to make the garments.

Thank you for joining me on my makeup adventure and for future sewing projects.

May your liner never run!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
June 8, 2017

PS – Although I recommend you seek out products that work well for your particular complexion color and texture.  Here is a list of the products that I’m using throughout these makeup challenges.  Keep in mind that I’m 49, so I really enjoy using a pore filling primer to smooth out the texture of my skin. If you are younger and smoother, you may not require such extreme measures.  Also, I have very dry skin, so that does impact my choices.  If you have oilier skin, you may require different foundations and powders than I choose to use.

Makeup List – Part 1 – Complexion products

In Photo 1:
Loreal – Miracle Blur Primer
Benefit – That Gal Illuminating Primer
Benefit – What’s Up Cream Highlighter
Sephora – Primer – Discontinued (Dupe for the Smashbox Iconic Photo Finish)

In Photo 2:
Makeup Forever – HD Foundation stick – My color is “marble” or 117-Y225
Milani – 2-in-1 Foundation – My color is 01 – creamy Vanilla – (but I’ll be getting 00 next)
NYX – Stay Matte but not flat powder foundation – in “nude”
Loreal – True Match Powder – I’m in C2
BH Cosmetics –  Concealer Wheel in Light

In Photo 3:
Elf – Illuminating Pallette & Contouring Pallette
NOTE – I’ve created my own custom palette using two two powders from each of the above palettes.
Rimmel – Kate Sculpting Face Kit  – 01 Golden Sands
Makeup Revolution – Goddess Blush Palette