Some people prefer teaching over performing, once dancer, *Shanazel* says:
“I no longer dance professionally, because my arthritis has become a debilitating problem for me, but I am generally okay during class, though I do less demonstrating and more walking around class and offering suggestions than I used to. After class, I can barely get myself out of the car because I have stiffened up so much, especially when the weather is going to change. I simply cannot do as much at the same intensity that I used to. However dancing keeps me from stiffening up even more.”

Personally I think if it was not for belly dance I would be much more ill by now (two of my illnesses are fibromialgia and chronic fatigue) But then again, there are times when I cannot dance at all. I have temporary quit teaching, and have been asked several times if I want to start teaching again. It is tempting, but my health is more important. At the moment I am happier performing and that is what I do now.

Teaching classes has been a real problem for me, I can only teach one hour at the time and then need to recover. That means I cannot make ‘blocks of classes’ like all other teachers do. That is much better regarding travel expenses and time. In Holland I used to teach at home for that reason.

*Adiemus*,
a dancer who also has fibromyalgia like me was another dancer who started dancing while she already had health issues: “I have chronic pain and found that although I get sore after dancing, I’m much less stiff, and the soreness goes quickly. Research suggests that moderate exercises are good for both musculoskeletal pain and depression – and been positive for people with anxiety, fatigue and other chronic health problems. Dance is a positive factor in my life, helps me express myself, allows my creativity to flow and gives me a chance to get out and meet people and enjoy things that I would not get otherwise. It is great to switch my verbal brain off and switch my feeling brain on. You can always pop in to my blog: HealthSkills Weblog ”

*Teela:*
“I don’t have chronic *illness* per say but I do have asthma usually induced by extremely cold weather, I have slight scoliosis of the spine and the ongoing one; hip issues. I was born with hip problems. I have reached an age where if I dance too much in one day I end up taking aleve and using capsasium rub to get rid of the pain. This comes up usually during workshops. I also can not sit too long or my hips hurt again. I find the dancing actually helps keep my hips stretched and moving. Does it slow me down? I try not to let it. Since I do not teach or dance professionally, its not an issue. I am just aware of what I need to do and do it.”

*Khanjar*:
“Prior to starting dance, I did suffer daily with severe lower back pain and sciatica following a couple of industrial injuries years ago, something that would just not go away no matter whatever I tried. With belly dance, I am surprised and relieved the back pain is now under control, for I have few problems with it, the dance has strengthened the core muscles enough to support the area. I also came to this dance with chronic depression, something that I remember, was lifelong. The depression is still a problem, but the dance lifts the spirits massively, an effect that lasts a few days.”

As a last not I would like to say: if you have a chronic illness, please consult your doctor prior to taking up belly dance classes.

Before you start on your new bra, make sure the cups are as sturdy as possible, if not, purchase another bra or use buckram to reinforce the bra. Buckram can be bought at the fabric store. A bra should not have any overflowing or oozing over the cups and back straps and should not ride up when you lift your arms. One of the most important parts is the construction of the bra starts with buying the perfect bra!

This is a picture of what parts of the bra need to be altered:

Here is a picture of a back strap replacement of the last costume I made:

I cut the back straps from a very sturdy cotton that has absolutely no strech in it. You can also use grosgrain ribbon (for shoulder straps) if you want or sturdy interfacing, but I always use heavy duty cotton. Of course it nees to be covered with fabric so it looks like a real belly dance costume bra and not like a lingerie bra.

If you want to know how big the back straps sound be, measure the brack straps of any bra while you are wearing it. Belly Dance back straps are longer that the usual ones on a lingerie bra because they need to overlap. If you are making a tribal fusion bra they need to be even longer so you can tie them instead of fastening them with hooks.

You can use the cut-off black straps from your bra to measure how wide they should be where they connect with your bra. Basically this is what they should look like: 

Once you have replaced the back straps (the shoulder straps you do later) you can decorate your bra. Some people find it easier to first cover the back straps before sewing them onto the bra. I personally like my bra’s to be as seamless as possible so I do it afterwards. On this picture you can see how I pinned the fabric on (in this case I used velvet ribbon as well):

Here I pinned some ribbon and beaded fringe on my bra:

Pinning the fabric on the bra is very important, you can still make changes, move it around etc. When you use fabrics that have a direction like velvet or fabric with a pattern,  do not forget to make sure it faces in the right direction!

Here is the finished version of the bra you see in this article:

The worst mistake I have made myself was with my first belly dance bra for a student recital. I had only ever seen a few real costumes and had pictures of belly dancers in Egypt in the 60’s, so I based the costume on that look. What I did wrong was keeping all the original straps and putting sequins on them. It looked hopelessly unprofessional.

The next article will be on embellishing techniques!

This weekend we had an exciting dance show at Bangalow, a tiny town in New South Wales. Some of the performers came from far away, like Maria Hamer from the United States, Melusina from Melbourne, dancers from Brisbane, and of course some locals.
There was a little bazaar that included vendors and companies like Sharifwear, a funky street & dance wear company from New York based), MADAM, a new local performing arts magazine, Lotus Devi, offering tribal dance wear, Sahara Moon Bellydance offering traditional costumes, Shanti Diva offering skirts and saris, and Satya James offering unique designer creations.

Tribal fusion group Opalesque from Brisbane opened the show in the hall, wearing beautiful white costumes that got the audience’s attention. After Opalesque’s performance we were asked to go to the theater where we were welcomed by all performers on stage who gave us a preview of the show.

Right after, Zerina Millard from Byron Bay (local) performed a kathak fusion. Kathak is a dance from North India; Zerina had it fused with a bit of belly dance. Zerina herself says: Kathak sets her ‘on fire’ when she’s dancing. That was certainly true! After Zerina Natyashakti, an Indian focused troupe, performed with an invocation to Lord Shiva.

After Natyashakti Bollywood dancers called Snakeweave from Lismore (local) got on stage. They had the Bollywood vibe going and let the audience participate;I could not help myself – I had to dance with them – it was great fun. After Sneakweave it was time for something completely different: the group Real Woman Cabaret did a sultry hat and cane dance. To close the first half of the show there was another dance by Opalesque. They did a beautiful piece with mesmerizing arm movements.

In the break there was a short performance from Melusina who was my favorite dancer of this show. We were unable to find a video of her performance from the event, but have an older video that we can share.

Hilary Cinis was next. She was wearing a beautiful black and white dress and did a contemporary fusion dance, but you could see quite a lot of belly dance in her style.
Next was Marina dancing to “Cabaret Hoover’ from Triplets of Belleville movie soundtrack.

My favorite dance was Melusina’s classical fusion to “Sheherezade”, where she fused belly dance with ballet. It was a very light hearted dance, perfect for springtime (which is now in Australia!)

Next was Maria Hamer who danced to ‘Cabaret Hoover’ from the Triplets of Belleville movie soundtrack. I really enjoyed the show; it was good to see such a variety of dance styles!

Great job to all the dancers!

1) One urban legend is about a tribal women belly dancing while giving birth. That urban legend can be traced back to an article that Aunt Rocky wrote: http://www.casbahdance.org/CHILDBIRTH.htm.

2) There are many tales of peepholes in dressing rooms through which restaurant owners look through. Some rooms have even been equipped with video recorders.

3) One belly dance urban legend revolves around one dancer’s costume – her costume was vandalized in the dressing room by rival dancers sharing her dressing room.

4) There is an urban legend about Dina, a famous Egyptian belly dancer who wears a four-carat diamond on her toe. ” … The beautiful dancer Dina performs wearing a four-carat diamond on her dainty foot; it is rumored that a wealthy admirer gave it to her and she had it set in a toe ring to show her disdain for him.”

5) “One of my students is originally from Russia. Her mom was freaking out when she learned that she was going to start belly dancing because of her fibroids. Apparently, in Russia, they say that you shouldn’t belly dance if you have fibroids.”

6) There is one unforgettable story of a wedding, where the bride was wearing a white belly dance costume.
This one is true. Click here for the pictures. http://www.snopes.com/photos/weddings/beaded.asp#photo4.

7) One dancer bought a real antique sword to use for a performance, but never dulled it. It started to fall off her head during a performance and sliced her finger off as she tried to catch it.

One dancer comes home one day and finds her house has been broken into. She realizes that bits and pieces of her costumes have been stolen: a belt from one, a bra from another, etc. They were no more matching pieces left. The thief had locked her cats in the bathroom so they wouldn’t escape
Feel free to post comments if you have an urban legend to share!

The most common mistakes are made with the belly dance bra’s. Belly dance bras are different from normal lingerie bra’s because they have to withstand the dancing and keep the dancer ‘in’. A belly dance bra can be made from a lingerie bra, but you have to be careful to buy the right one. Padded bras are the what you need, because they have a good base to work with. You can use a pre-formed bra, but I prefer a padded bra that’s not preformed; it’s a little bit more flexible and easier to work with. Make sure you buy the bra a cup size bigger than you normally do: the bra will ’shrink’ when you embellish and line it.

Next thing you need to do is cut off the back straps and shoulder straps and put buckram in the insides of the cups so the shape will hold after embellishing. I like to make an extra sturdy bit in the middle of the two cups: as you see in the pictures I have removed the original connection in the middle and replaced it with a bigger one. This is not always necessary, but it is a personal preference. I think it makes the bra more comfortable and durable. You will have to make new straps, this can be done with heavy duty cotton. Cut the back straps about the same shape as the original ones, only longer, as these will not have stretch in them. Same for shoulder straps. Cover them with fabric and add them to the bra. It’s important that the straps are replaced, otherwise it will not look like a real belly dance bra but like a lingerie bra (see the following two images). It also prevents unwanted bouncy effect while dancing!

Here is picture of a bra that I cut the straps of and replaced them (yes it looks horrible, but after it is all covered with fabric it will look very different):

This is the inside where you can see the buckram in the cups:

You’re now ready to add sequin, beads, fringe etc. Check this site next week: more on how to cover your bra with fabric!

The bra above looks now like this:

So what are these taboos?
Belly Dancing is Not a Sensual Dance Form

We want to keep the good name of the dance, but sometimes we can go a bit far in denying the fact that the dance can be sensual (I’m guilty of that too).

You can see how this affects costuming decisions. We all know that there are dancers who pick costumes that don’t leave much to the imagination. It is often unclear whether this is a “western” tendency or belly dance in its original art form. Can we decide what is ok and what’s not? I find that a hard one to answer. Personally I like to wear more covering costumes than other dancers, because I do not want to give a wrong example.

Of course we’re very worried about how belly dance is conceived; we do not want people thinking that it is a sleazy dance, but an art form. There is a fine line between where something is still sensual and not sleazy and where it becomes pure nasty. For example (and this is an extreme one) some dancers in Egypt sell ’sex services’ in many clubs and we all know the scary Youtube clips of weddings in Egypt where they have a very indecent dancer prancing around showing body parts (look at the poor bride).

Age

Age is another topic we rarely talk about. Up to what age can a professional dancer still get paid gigs? That is shrouded in mystery and no one dares to bluntly say it. People have mentioned this topic on Bhuz, Tribe and other forums, but always pussy-footed around the topic. The reason is because it’s a painful topic: you spend all your life perfecting your art but get hired less and less due to your age or hear mean remarks behind your back. Once a student of mine went to dance at a fair and she was told that the dancer from the previous year was an ‘old corpse’. The dancer they were talking about was a bit older (in her 40’s), but she’s very good at these kind of gigs. Imagine how horrible it is when people do not look at your dancing, but only judge your look.

Personally I think it’s different for each dancer, because everybody ages differently and there’s a lot that can be done to present yourself in a fitting form. Some older dancers truly inspire the newer generations with their technique that they have perfected over the years and are great teachers; one of my ultimate favorites is Aunt Rocky!

The type of gig a dancer can get largely depends on the venue of the performance. Restaurant owners especially seem to be nasty on the age thing; the goal there is to attract to the ‘general public’ and not necessarily to wow the audience with technique. Annual belly dance festivals that gather the best of the best showcase a greater variety of dancers.
Look at the topic the other way round: is there an age that is too young to perform for paid gigs? I think so. Even if you have been dancing since birth, I don’t think it’s good to start performing at weddings, restaurants or belly grams in your vulnerable teenage years.

Weight and Looks

It is a bit of a taboo to openly talk about it between dancers. Based on my knowledge, underweight and overweight dancers have the greatest trouble getting gigs. General audiences seem to prefer to hire slim dancers. While interviewing for a booking over the phone I was once asked if I was ‘one of those fat dancers’. A question like is bound to offend anyone disregarding their size. I have been a bit of a larger dancer myself so I understand that this can hurt. Luckily we dancers can enjoy watching others dance and not be hindered by looks; we admire true dancing skills!

The Difference and Vision Between Various Forms of Dance

We like to promote the idea we are all united and that there is no division or issues within the community. Unfortunately this is untrue. In some communities you only count as a dancer if you have studied every folkloric style. If you tell them that you are not too fond of folkloric you may be dismissed. Similarly it is difficult for some fusion dancers to be accepted – some want to keep the dance form true to its original form.

All Belly Dancers Are Passionate About Middle Eastern Culture

Often belly dancers are perceived as individuals with a great passion toward the Middle Eastern culture. To many dancers, belly dancing is an art form of the body with no relevance to a particular geographical origin. If you are a fusion dancer, for example, you can completely evade Middle Eastern music and yet be belly dancing.

Belly Dancing is Derived from Dances that Ancient Goddesses Performed

This is a very common misconception in the belly dance world, but a popular selling point. Some dancers like to sell this dance as an airy fairy thing because that’s what sells. They would sell belly dance as a ‘form of healing’ or ‘belly dance and chakra’s’, there are many different types (there are authors for this site who believe this). But if you go into discussion with dancers who try to sell belly dance as such, they react very hurt, because they themselves often really believe in their own advertising stunt.
Belly dancing is a beautiful art form and means different things to different people. No topics should be taboo. If you like XYZ, but not ABC you should be able to say so openly. We all have opinions.

Do you think there are more taboos out there? Please feel free to contact me.

Depending on the type of beads on the costume, it’s sometimes possible to wash a costume. I have done that with a Bella and it worked fine. I used a mild shampoo in luke-warm water. I placed the costume in the soapy water for a while till I was sure the thing had a good enough soak. After I did a lot of rinsing, because you want to make sure there is no residue left. I dried all the pieces flat on a rack with lots of fresh air surrounding. Another thing I did with that same costume, but this is not always necessary, was taking of the lining and metal wire in the costume (you don’t want that to start rusting!) After the costume was clean and dry, I replaced the wire with new wire and put new lining on. Not all bra and belt sets have wire, some Turkish costumes have, but not often. One thing that’s very good for keeping costumes nice and fresh is airing them after each performance. Some dancers line their costumes with terry towel fabric so they can take that out and wash it instead of washing the whole costume.

You can probably also get a costume dry cleaned, but make sure to inform the dry cleaners properly about the fabric and beading and ask if it’s possible. Plastic beads might not react well with chemical cleaning.
As for skirts and veils, that totally depends on the fabric. Airing is always recommended. But if you want to wash the items make sure you do it according to the type of fabric. For storing my costumes I use plastic containers. I wrap my bra and belt sets in towels and place some of those special sachets in the containers
that keep it all dry.