Hello Gang,
Just wanted to touch base with all of my friends, family, fans, and followers and say:
Happy Holidays!!!
Over the past two months, I’ve been putting in long hours working on a tremendous new book project, “Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage.” Sara Shrapnell, author of “Teaching Belly Dance,”photographer Alisha Westerfeld, international professional belly dancer Poppy Maya and myself, have teamed up to create a text book for the art of belly dance.This isn’t a book about how to dance, but rather, it’s a book about how to manage all of the processes that go into crafting a good performance.
Over the past two months, I’ve been putting in long hours working on a tremendous new book project, “Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage.” Sara Shrapnell, author of “Teaching Belly Dance,” photographer Alisha Westerfeld, international professional belly dancer Poppy Maya and myself, have teamed up to create a text book for the art of belly dance. This isn’t a book about how to dance, but rather, it’s a book about how to manage all of the processes that go into crafting a good performance.
This was a big week for our team. After nearly a year of work, we reached an important milestone. Our very first proof arrived!
Although we are a few months away from being finished, we decided that it was time to get the manuscript printed to ensure that we are moving forward on a good trajectory. At this stage of the game, we are looking to identify which photographs need improving, either by adjusting the brightness and contrast, or by going back to the original color shot and adjusting the tonal qualities of the various colors. Sometimes, something that looks very spectacular in color, like a pink and blue costume for instance, can turn muddy when converted to black and white. Especially if the blue and the pink tones convert to the exact same shade of gray!
As we massage the text, work the photos, and play with the layout, the book is finally taking shape. I’ll follow up with more details of what info is included in this book in future posts. But in the meantime, I’m just so very happy to be able to share this spectacular moment!
Happy Holidays Indeed!!
Yours in Dance and Costuming,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Dec. 9, 2015
Over the long years of my professional sewing career, I’ve moved through many phases of organization in response to my changing needs. I’ve lived in small spaces that required keeping my tool supply very condensed and contained. There have also been times when I have worked in theatrical costume shops, in bridal salons, or for small design houses as a pattern and sample maker. In all of those situations, I needed to have a portable storage solution, with all of my tools organized, labeled and ready to go at a moments notice. During that phase of my career, I kept all of my tools contained in a tackle box. I still have that tackle box, and I take it when I’m teaching classes and workshops outside of my home.
I’ve also, at times, had the luxury of space. Twice I’ve had access to shared artistic spaces outside of my home where I could spread out. But that also meant either having a duplicate tool kit or lugging my tools with me on a daily basis. I chose to duplicate, which means that I now have backups of all my most important gear.
What this means is that I frequently meet to move my sewing tools from my sewing room to Studio Davina. While my tackle box is mighty, what I really need is something that contains the essentials I need for fittings and hand sewing. This container also needed to be easy to carry, and keep clean and tidy. The tackle box was great, but it’s pretty big! Here’s a modern version similar to my now vintage 
When deciding my next move, I knew that a flat, open top box was ideal. But I also missed the divided trays of my tackle box to keep things from shifting. So, I spent a few moments calculating. What I needed was a plastic box with organizing compartments, an open top so I can just throw things in, and sized to conveniently hold the tools I use on a regular basis. And voila! It hit me. What I needed was a junk drawer organizer.
Hello Gang,
Cut remaining twill tape in half and attach to tops of cups.
generous in the text. She doesn’t just tell you what you need to do, she tells you why. She tells great stories that really illustrate the often not-so-glamorous behind the scenes world of the belly dance profession. You will laugh out loud, you will find yourself saying “awwww,” and don’t be surprised if you also have a few “Ah-HA” moments as you work your way through this book. My personal favorite section is the costuming section, but I really think the professional insights throughout this book are worth their weight in gold.
Bellydance by Keti Sharif
Bead & Sequin Embroidery Stitches
I want to shout out to my collaborator Sara Shrapnell of Teaching Belly Dance, a great book for budding dance instructors and my co-author on the upcoming Becoming a Belly Dancer. These titles and many more are included in the suggested reading portion of our book. Visit her