Do you Facebook? If you do, come join me for an Assiut Posting Party! During these two weeks, I’ll be sharing, one might even say, flooding, my Assiut Lovers Facebook Group. If you are reading this post in the future, come on over and join us anytime. We’re a community of folks who love to share images of shawls, dresses, and other clothing items from stage & screen, fashion, costume, historical, and modern.
“The Belly Dance Costume Book” by Zarifa Aradoon c. 1978
This book is a time capsule of belly dance-consuming information c. 1978. I love having this book in my collection as it is part of my belly dance costuming journey. When I wrote my first book, “Costuming from the Hip” this book was already out of print by 15 years! This was a legendary book. In 1992, I had heard about it but at that point, hadn’t seen it.
The “Gold Book” a Gifted Copy
Fast forward to 2009, I received a copy of the “Gold Book” from my dance friend and former troupe-mate Kay in Reno. When I finally got my hands on it, I could instantly see why folks sometimes compared our books. We both followed the typical style of a costuming DIY sewing or costume-making book, just with a belly dance spin. So they have a similar look and feel due to the format and content.
The Gold Book – Two Patreon Flip Throughs
As a former college professor, further readings weren’t just suggested, they were required. But here in our belly dance world, many books from past eras are out of print and difficult to find. So in July and August, I’m presenting the “Gold Book” in a chatty flip-through with my commentary about the content. This book is over 200 pages, so I split the flip-through into two separate parts. The first half discussion is already available on Patreon.
Costuming From The Hip: 30th Anniversary Rewrite
The “Gold Book” is definitely having some impact on how I design and layout the next edition of “Costuming From The Hip.” I really love that Zarifa included a little bit of costume history at the start of her book. This is a feature that I’m including in my rewrite. So the next edition of CFTH will include and illustrated time-line of belly dance stage costuming.
I also am inspired to include an appendix that includes the current price listings and supplies. There is a “time capsule” effect of including prices makes this book very dated. But as a historian, I love this historical data. So, with that in mind, I’m going to include an appendix that reflects the kinds of materials and supplies that are happening right here and now.
I hope you enjoy the “Gold Book” quick flip. If you want to see more, consider taking digital classes with me over on Patreon. Thank you for supporting my ongoing work as a dance historian, costumer, and author!
Meet “Raspberry Hearts.” She’s a previously unworn Egyptian bedlah set. She’s been floating around the used costume market here in the San Francisco Bay Area. She’s got a few design problems and some superficial damage. But on the positive side, “Raspberry Hearts” is a fabulous color and has excellent bones.
Over the next couple of months, I’ll share overviews of this bedlah renovation project on Instagram and in my Facebook Sewing group.
Raspberry Hearts Bedlah – Deep Dives on Patreon
However, If you find this project intriguing, and want more, you can join me for longer deeper dive videos. Through October, this is my Patreon sewing class. The first one is already there! In those classes, I’m going to share the entire process from start to stage. Patreon is only $7 a month – a steal of a deal for specialty belly dance design and construction classes. Follow this link to enjoy the first class.
I’m off to film class two where I share my detailed work plan and materials supplies list for this project.
No matter how you choose to engage with this project, thank you for joining me on this costuming adventure! ~Dawn Devine ~ Davina August 2023
Interview with Author Sara Shrapnell Celebrating the second Installment
in the “Teaching Belly Dance” series
My fellow belly dance author and co-author Sara Shrapnell just published her best-selling workshop in book format. If you’re a teacher of dance, this book will help you streamline your classes and make more money per hour by reducing your time.
Her new book is available on Amazon in both printed and Kindle versions. To make sure everyone has access, she’s also put a printable .pdf version on her Etsy store too.
I recently had the opportunity to chat with Sara about this release. In this video, she shares the origin story of Teaching Belly Dance: 52 Lesson Plans from the initial concept to the finished product.
If you click through to YouTube to watch, would you mind subscribing to my channel? Bonus points if you leave me a note that you found the link here!
I was invited to rejoin the Fabulous Fall Festival planning committee and I’m now the head Marketeer! If you’re local to me in the San Francisco/Bay Area region, please consider sharing this graphic with your friends, students, troupe mates, or anyone you feel might like to join us for a day-long belly dance festival.
Join our Mailing List
Now that we’ve booked the hall, our next step is building our mailing list. The last three years have been full of upheavals and challenges for us all. Many folks have changed locations, jobs, and personal infrastructure. Our mission is to rebuild our now fragmented contact list.
Drop us a line via email with “Add me to the Mailing List” in the subject line. Now through the date of the show, I’ll be sending bi-weekly updates – so join the email list today so you won’t miss a single newsletter!
Fabulous Fall Festival Facebook Group
If you would like the opportunity to interact with your fellow community members and become part of our street team, come join us in our new Facebook group. In this FB group, the committee will also share notes about our progress in planning this annual event.
Updating the old BABDAMA Website
My next project is to renovate the current BABDAMA website. Anyone who has worked with a website knows that this is a pretty big project. This will probably occupy my free time for the better part of two weeks as I work with Sudeep, whose giant shoes I’m attempting to fill. For now, the site has outdated information.
Until the new website is up, our event Facebook Group
and our bi-weekly newsletter will be your
best and most accurate source for information about
