9 replies to this topic

[wenz]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone else does any forms of bellydance and makes their costumes? I'm a member of troupe that does Egyptian folkloric dances - the same techniques and moves as the cabaret stuff, but in less revealing costume. So in some dances the moves are exaggerated or they'd never be seen under the dresses. The dresses are inspired by regional dress, though with lots of blingness.

I qualify as a performer, but not really as a dancer. In fact I'm dodgy enough that my only dancing role is as a male that can't dance. I've almost finished my costume, which is similar to the Paivi's in this Nubian dance.
http://www.bellydancer-rachel.id.au/farrah/nubian2a.jpg

We're performing this Saturday in Taree, so I really have to finish my vest tonight - it's dark red brocade with gold braid trim and gold lining. The pants & gallabeyah are done and I have the fake moustache.

[Silver Moonblaze]

You'll have to post a photo up once you've finished it!

[Metanoia]

I did belly dancing for a little while - I really should start again - and some of the "troupe" style costumes inspired me, but I was disappointed when I started researching it and found that the so called "historical" costumes are actually pieced together creative-license style costumes with no basis in history at all.

Note: I was going to do this costume for historical re-enactment, not purely for bellydancing so I have a bias there! I think the costume you are making looks really cool wenz... I just got annoyed during all my research at all the troupes that say their clothing is historical and traditional.

Yep! You have to be careful if you are making a belly dance costume and want it to be any of these: traditional, historical, period, or from a particular culture.

I have done quite a bit of research, though I haven't finished the costume I was making for it yet. For a generic style "troupe" belly dancer this is what I would recommend though: "harem" pants with a split skirt over top, tunic (can be split) and a gwahzee coat with a sash around the middle, and a headdress with beads and coins which you can find on ebay. The gwahzee is a must have piece of gear if you are portraying earlier than 1600. Turky is an especially nice region for belly dance clothing influences. Attached is a picture of the costume I am half way through from Turkey.

Thats right! No belly showing here... in fact if you cover your face and hair in some cultures that is even better too!

I had a couple of awesome references, but it looks like they've gone offline
One was an extensive pictorial about womens headdresses and the other Turkish clothing in about 15 regions reconstructed and modeled. I might put the pictures that I did save to my hard drive online soon so that people can reference them again. Unfortunately I just have the image and region recorded though. I will be putting them up at this link in the next couple of hours.

On top of that the dance style is completely different too. The closest "modern" belly dance style is the folkloric cane dance which is usually taught for fun and not for performance. I absolutely loved the cane style dancing. It is a free fun style and was actually originally a mens dance performed with a quarterstaff as a form of martial art and is called the Tahtib.

[wenz]

I haven't seen another troupe with costumes like ours ... in fact some bellydancers think we're a bit odd. And we might be, but for other reasons

We do wear performance/stage costumes, so the fabric and trim aren't authentic. Though even the traditional performers in Egypt (different to cabaret performers) don't go for traditional replicas. We don't do the cabaret T&A style dancing. I don't know the technical phrase but it's more peasant/earthier. Our leader/artistic director trained in egypt, with egyptians and as our dances are (allegedly) from different regions, our costumes for each are completely different too.

I'd love to see the pics you have, whenever you get a chance.

You might already know this website, I love to go back and look through them and something different takes my fancy each time.

http://www.siue.edu/COSTUMES/COSTUME1_INDEX.HTML

This is one of my favourites - and Georgia is close to the mi

http://www.siue.edu/COSTUMES/PLATE112AX.HTML

[Metanoia]

I actually have the book now with all those images - A friend who isn't into costumes anymore gave it to me.... but I'm not 100% convinced of its use as a reference for historical costumes. They are nice though.

I put up most of the photos that I had on my hard drive last night, so go have a peek. There is some really really nice Turkish stuff. I'd like to make several of them.

That one you picked out... second link... is very clost to the Armenian style or Azeri (Turkish)

I'll have to post some pictures of my beaded traditional headdress and the temple rings, belt and bits and pieces I had. I was the only one in my class that dressed up for lessons! I used to wear my green viking leather slippers (because they passed for other cultures too) with red "harem" pants and a green split tunic with my Kuchi belt, necklace and sometimes headdress... boy did I get some looks!

Try this ebay seller for some really nice traditional jewellery - afgan Kuchi style things that are just like medieval pieces... they still make and wear them today. This seller was good when I got my things, you will have to look through their stuff to find the nice things though. They don't have a belt or headdres like mine.

If you are looking at buying something from there it is cheaper to get a belt rather than the individual components. Also you could buy real coins in bulk lots (I don't like the modern flimsy horrible coins you can get in bead shops and on bodern belly dance scarves)

Oh... I also have some really nice Sufi bracelets from Manning Imperial. I have the ones with the diagonal lines, but they need a polish...

[Last_Chael]

This sounds really fantastic Wenz! I'd love to see your finished costume! I've done quite a few different styles of dancing in my time (starting with square dancing at the age of 3.5 - my parents are both dancers and instructors) so I can always appreciate different styles of dance. At the moment, I've gone back to clogging (kinda like tap) not having done it since I was about 8, but we don't have costumes

[wenz]

I did ballroom & latin years ago, and was good at it (even if I say that myself). So it wasn't a pleasant suprise for me to find I'm hopeless at MED (Middle Eastern Dance). You could describe me as an inept lurcher. My brain can tell me what order the steps of the dance are, but when I go do to them there's no connection with the feet.

yes, I love watching the saidi dances although I'm no where near ready to learn one.

I forgot part of my dance on Saturday night ... yep on stage and a blank spot happened to my brain:foot connection. Thankfully DF and I just fudged it til I got back on track. The dance (also by Farrah) that DF & I followed was an alexandrian dance, and next year we're hoping to perform a nubian dance.

As DF was saying in the car driving back to Sydney yesterday, our troupes validation as MED folkloric dancers comes from our performances on Egypt day. Different sections of the audience cheer when different dances are performed - we could spot where the nubians were sitting when we did the nubian dance (for example). Cos outside of the egyptian community in Australia, our dance and costume aren't known.

[AbsinthAngel]

I have a bunch of photos of various belly-dancers/costumes from the Abbey Medieval Tournament this year. I'll have to get in and post som to the gallery for you!

[wenz]

I have a bunch of photos of various belly-dancers/costumes from the Abbey Medieval Tournament this year. I'll have to get in and post som to the gallery for you!

That would be great. I still haven't seen a photo of me in Taree, but will post one as soon as I can.

[wenz]

I still haven't seen a photo of me in Taree, but will post one as soon as I can.

I've finally seen my first photo from the concert. There will be better, ie more of my costume, but it's a funny photo.

shisha boy photo