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Belly dancers know better than anyone how strong we need to be for dancing, so no dancer should neglect strength-training. It protects you from injury and improves your existing set of skills, such as floor work and even your posture. You can even strength-train without an expensive gym membership or cumbersome equipment. Instead, use your body-weight.

To tone your arms and core, start with pushups. If you’ve never done a pushup before, you don’t have to be able to lift your whole body off the floor. Just drop your knees to the floor and push up your upper body. Make sure you place your hands about shoulder-width apart, just below your shoulders, and when you drop yourself to the floor, aim for bending your elbows at a 90 degree angle. Every time you do your pushups, try to do one more, and in no time at all, you’ll start to see some definition to your arms that’ll look great with your costume. Once you can do a few modified pushups, try switching to regular ones.

To strengthen your core and lower back do pilates planks. Lie face down and place your forearms on the floor, with your elbows directly under your shoulders. Keep your forearms on the floor as you push yourself up onto your toes. Tighten your butt and abs to keep your body in a straight line, and hold yourself like that for as long as you can. Start with 15 to 30 seconds, and try to add 5 more seconds each time your exercise.

For your upper back, do back extensions. Start by lying facedown on the floor again, with your palms on the floor in the same position as for plank. Tuck you toes under something low, such as a table or a desk, then lift your chest off the floor like you’re about to do a back bend. Hold that position for about 15 to 30 seconds, then rest for a minute. This exercise has the added benefit of stretching out your abs from plank.

Finally, work on your leg strength. You can do this with squats. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hold your arms straight out in front of you, and, keeping your back straight, pretend you’re sitting down in a chair. Try to bend your knees 90 degrees, then straighten up. Make sure you keep your arms parallel to the floor, and don’t lean forward. Like your pushups, try to do one more every time you do your workout.

Do as many repetitions as you can every time you workout, and don’t forget to stretch afterward and drink lots of water. Rest for at least a day afterward—you can even do this on the days you don’t have dance class or practice. If you do the above workout as a circuit, one exercise after another, you’ll find it takes very little time, and is easy to fit into a busy schedule. You’ll find your both your strength and your dancing improve because of it!

One of the biggest things that will affect your performance is confidence. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be the hardest thing to come by.

If you don’t have confidence in yourself and your ability to dance, it’ll show on stage. You’ll be worried about what everyone is thinking of you, and that you’re going to miss a cue or forget a step, or worse, trip in front of everyone. What’s worse is that the more you think about it, the more likely it will happen, confirming your fears.

So how do you stop the cycle of poor self-confidence? Start with the easy things: make sure you have a killer costume that you’re proud to wear. Whether it’s store-bought, made by you, or assembled from pieces your dance sisters weren’t using, make sure it’s exactly what you want. If you feel you look good, you’ll feel more confident as a dancer. Make your costume and yourself look even better by getting your hair and makeup just right for you. If it helps, do a test-run of your full costume, and strut around the house in it.

The next part is all mental. If you feel yourself start to lose confidence, just remind yourself that no one is really going to notice if you mess up. If you do miss a step or a cue, just think to yourself, “Solo!” and get back on track as soon as you can. Hardly anyone will remember or even notice as long as you look like that was supposed to happen—smiling through the mistake works wonders.

When you start thinking negative thoughts about an upcoming performance, replace them with positive ones. Instead of thinking “I’m going to look terrible out there because my shimmies still don’t look right,” think instead “I’ll look really good when we do chest movements because those are my best moves.”

Whatever you do, don’t compare yourself to other dancers. Remember they were all at the same level you are, and they felt like you felt. They might even still feel like that, if you ask them. Talk to them about your fears, especially if you feel you don’t have something down, and you’ll be surprised at all the kind things they have to say about you and your dancing.

Finally, have fun. This isn’t the last time ever you’re going to dance, so if you feel you didn’t do very well, you can always have another go. Some of the best dancing my troupe has done has been right after that first nerve-wracking set. The second time doesn’t count, so we dance like we’re having the time of our lives, and everyone can tell.

The best thing about tribal fusion costumes is that anything goes. Whatever your style, preference, and budget allows, you’re sure to get a unique costume. However, the creativity and imagination that goes into a tribal fusion costume can be a little daunting, especially once you see what other dancers come up with. With a little time and patience though, you can put together a fun, creative costume that’ll wow the crowd.

For a tribal fusion costume, it’s best to start with the basics. A pair of yoga pants and a black bra are a good foundation. If you want to cover up a little more, you can add a black top or choli under the bra. From there, the sky’s the limit!
For dressing up the hips, go traditional with a scarf or shawl, tied around your waist. Or, go unusual with a wrap skirts or even a modern skirts over a pair of yoga pants. There are a lot of vendors now, too, that sell ready-made hip scarves and belts for tribal fusion dancers—a popular one is Geisha Moth.

To decorate a bra, use buttons, trim, beads, or broken pieces of jewelry. You can also pin an extra scarf over the bra cups to change the color. Vintage fabric and jewelry are great additions to a bra and can be purchased from many different sellers on Etsy. Just check the vintage listings and let your imagination go wild.

Arm warmers, fingerless gloves, and wrist cuffs are a great tribal fusion costume accessory, and can be kinder to your budget. You can also fashion your own wrist cuffs with ribbon or fabric. If you’re handy with a needle and thread or a crochet hook or knitting needles, try making your own.

For hair, make your own hair falls from ribbon and yarn: cut lengths of each, as many as you’d like, and tie them around a regular hair elastic. ‘Flapper’ headbands are popular now, too, and it’s easy to find a collection of them at accessory stores. You can also make your own with plastic headbands and some feathers or fabric remnants. Vintage cocktail hats make great headwear, but can be a little pricier. Check ebay for some good sales, or your local vintage store.

For jewelry, check modern accessory stores. Remember that anything you buy can be reused and upcycled to make something new and unique. For stretched ears without the stretching, there are earrings made to emulate the look. Bindis are a nice addition, and aren’t just for the traditional belly dancers. Another Etsy seller, KuhlJewels, has all kinds of bindis, from the traditional to skulls and crossbones.

When you’re shopping around for tribal fusion costume pieces, don’t think about putting together a specific costume. Instead, buy pieces that interest you, and when you start planning your next costume, take out everything and start mixing and matching. Most importantly, don’t stick to any rules. Just because something started out as a necklace doesn’t mean it can’t end up as a belt!

If you’re just starting out as an American Tribal Style dancer, you’ll soon realize that the performance costumes are going to take more time to put together than the show. For 5-10 minutes of stage time, you’ll need: harem pants, 20+ yard skirts, a belt, hip scarves, a choli, a coin bras, hair decorations, bracelets, necklaces, and rings. Accumulating all these pieces can take a lot of time and money, especially if this your first costume, so here’s a few tips on how to assemble your costumes without breaking the bank.

First, sewing your own skirt will be very expensive and time-consuming, so it’s best to purchase one. If you want a versatile skirt, get a plain black one. You can dress it up with scarves and belts, and it’ll go with any color. Flying Skirts has good basic black tribal skirts for a reasonable price.

Your choli can be sewn or purchased, and if you run out of time, you can go through the clearance rack in the active wear department, find a black, tight-fitting top, and cut or fold the bottom to give it a midriff. If you want to try sewing one, there’s plenty of patterns online to buy or copy, and you can also purchase a velvet one from L. Rose Designs. Again, basic black is the most versatile color.

Harem pants are easier to make yourself, and can be sewn by the most experienced sewers (or by generous friends). There are a lot of patterns available online, but you can make your own pattern by tracing a pair of folded yoga pants. If you want to purchase them, search both vintage and modern stores—I found a great pair at a vintage store selling off all of its 80s stock.

For the bra, you can buy any black bra that fits, then dress it up with coins, shells, or trim. The upholstery section of the fabric store is a good place to look for trim, and search for grab bags of kuchi pieces and coins at tribal jewelry retailers such as Tribal Bazaar. If you want to change your bra up without buying or making a new one, just find some larger trim and tack it over the existing trim. I’ve taken a piece of lace and tacked it over a tassel trim and tucked the rest under my bra for a quick change.

For belts and scarves, look at secondhand stores. You can find a lot of inexpensive colors and styles to dress up your black skirt, bra, and choli. If you want hair decorations, hot glue a few silk flowers to a duck clip, or wrap a scarf or costume fabric scraps around your head for a turban. Since kuchi jewelry is expensive, check out modern accessory stores for cheap tribal-looking jewelry. I’ve found great items for less than six dollars.

Of course, you can always ask your more experienced dance sisters if they have something you can borrow and they’ll be more than willing to loan you a thing or two. Just remember to pay it forward when you’ve got a closet full of costumes and the new dancer timidly asks you “What do I wear?”

As dancers, we know there’s always going to be that one photo where you’re right in the middle of a beautiful body wave and the photographer catches you just as you’re hunched over and your stomach is caved in. However, when you look at the photos from your latest show, do you ever want to throw most of them out because you’re frowning or doing something weird with your mouth or hands? Well here’s 8 tips to improve the quality of your show photos.

Smile!

1. Smile! This is the biggest improvement you can make for your photos.When you’re dancing, just be in the moment and enjoy yourself. Too many dancers try to think about what they’re going to do next or remember choreography, and the photos make them look like they’re miserable.

2. If you’re performing for a long time, practice several expressions in the mirror to see what looks best on you. This way, you can change your expression several times to give your facial muscles a break (and ease up on developing those wrinkles!) and you’ll still look performance-ready.

3. Videotape yourself dancing. Pretend you’re actually performing, and then watch the video to see if you have any movements or expressions that you wouldn’t want preserved forever on film. Keep practicing with the video camera until your expressions and movements are camera-perfect.

4. Before performing, do a dress rehearsal with your full costume, jewelry, and makeup. This is especially important if you’re planning to wear something you’ve never worn before. Make sure nothing bothers you at all, because if it’s a small annoyance now, it’ll be all you can think about when you’re performing. If you can, try wearing some of your costume pieces around the house, to get used to the weight and feel of them.

5. Practice your posture constantly. Walk to the copy machine like you’re ascending the stage, stand in the grocery line as though everyone in the store is watching you, and practice your shimmies and chest lifts while you’re washing your dishes. The more used to your dance posture you are, the easier it will be to find and hold it on stage.

6. Practice your hands and arms. I do hand fluorios while on the phone and at my desk. This will help keep your hands looking pretty when you’re performing, and your hands will start to naturally gravitate to a pretty position when you’re not doing anything with them–beware the claw hand!

7. If you know the photographer, have a talk with them before the show, and discuss good shots. If you have an idea as to how your show will play out, give them some tips about where you’re going to stand or what to watch for to get a good shot of you.

8. Have fun and learn to laugh at yourself! Even the most professional of photographers will get a bad shot of you once in awhile. If you’re having a good time, you can shrug it off and keep it just to show your family and friends.

Lacy, glittery gauntlets accent graceful hand movements in belly dance and add flair to your costume. If you’re comfortable knitting with sock needles, you can whip up a pair of elegant gauntlets with an openwork lace pattern. This pattern uses a metallic yarn called New Smoking. If you’re unable to find this yarn, choose any worsted-weight yarn with a glittery finish.

Materials:
1 set size 3 double-point needles
2 25 gr. balls “New Smoking” yarn – or equivalent worsted-weight metallic yarn
Stitch marker
Crochet hook
1/4 inch elastic
Sewing machine or needle and thread

Directions:
Cast on 54 stitches. Divide the stitches evenly between three needles. Place a marker and join stitches, being careful not to twist.
Knit 1, purl 1 ribbing for 1 inch, then begin knitting lace pattern.
Lace Pattern:
Round 1: P 1, K7, P1 around.
Round 2: P1, K1, K2tog, yarn-over (YO), K1, YO, slip the next two stitches, then knit them together (SSK), K1, P1. Repeat to end of round.
Round 3. P1, K7, P1
Round 4: P1, K2tog, YO, K3, YO, SSK, P1
Repeat these rows until the gauntlet measures the desired length. One ball of yarn is enough to make a pair of short gauntlets that reach a few inches past the wrist. For longer gauntlets, purchase two balls of yarn.
Bind off all stitches loosely.

Measure around the part of your arm where the gauntlet will end. Cut two pieces of elastic this length plus 1/2 inch. Using your sewing machine or needle and thread, sew the elastic to the inside of the bound-off edge of your gauntlet. This elastic will help to keep the gauntlets in place as you dance. Hint: Use a wide zig-zag stitch on the sewing machine to sew the elastic in place. Pull the elastic taut as you sew.

You’ll also need a loop in which to insert your middle finger. This keeps the gauntlets in place and also looks elegant as they cover most of your hand. Try on the gauntlet and decide where the loop should fall. Slip the crochet hook beneath one stitch at this location and tug gently to make a loop.

Make a second gauntlet to match the first. You can knit these to match all your costumes. Experiment with fuzzy or novelty yarns for different looks.

Tips: Remove your rings and other jewelry before you slip on the gauntlet. The lacy knit will catch on jewelry . Hand-wash your gauntlets in a mild detergent and cool water and lay flat to dry.

Belly dance costumes require special care.

Make timely repairs. Don’t let a small snag or one picked thread become a disaster. Carry a small repair kit in your bag with a needle and thread, small crochet hook (for repairing picked threads), a tube of nail glue (quick repair for decorations that can’t be sewn), spot-remover, safety pins, and even extra sequins or coins. If you notice a loose decoration, a torn hem or a spot, tackle it right away.

Spot clean. Treat washable fabrics with spot-removing wipes or pens. Test the solution in an inconspicuous place, such as an inside seam, before you use it on the garment, if you’re not sure of the fabric’s washability. For dry-clean only fabrics, the small bottle of liquid in home dry-cleaning kits such as Dryel will remove many stains. Place the garment, stain side up, with a folded towel beneath and dab on the stain remover a little at a time until the stain dissolves. If you’re caught without stain-removing solution, blot the stain with a clean cloth. Don’t scrub. Clear club soda will also remove many stains on washable fabrics. For dry-clean only garments, get the stained garment to the dry-cleaner’s ASAP and point out the problem area to the cleaner so they can mark it.

Air them out. You don’t need to wash your costumes after every wearing. Instead, hang them in a ventilated area, out of direct sunlight, and allow them to air out overnight. This will be enough if you don’t notice any obvious stains or odor.

Test before washing. Check garments for labels with washing instructions. But many costumes are hand made and may not include washing instructions. If an item is cut simply and doesn’t include a lot of added decorations such as sequins or fringe – for instance, a pair or pants or a simple skirt – you should be able to wash it if the fabric is washable. Cotton knit, cotton velvet and jersey are usually washable if the dye is colorfast. To test, wet a washcloth with warm water. Lay the garment inside out on a white or light-colored towel. Dampen the seam allowance only with the washcloth and rub. If any color comes off on the towel, the garment isn’t colorfast and needs to be dry-cleaned. You’ll also need to dryclean items that are heavily adorned with sequins, coins, fringe and other decorations. Washing subjects these items to too much stress and can damage the fabric.

Dry clean. Try to find a dry cleaner who has experience handling specialty fabrics. Ask your local community theater or university theater department who they use to clean costumes. Because of all the decorations, belly dance costumes require special handling and you’ll probably have to pay extra. Also, the chemicals in dry cleaning solutions can discolor fabrics over time, so reserve dry cleaning for times when the costume absolutely needs it.

Transport costumes properly. Put costumes on hangers when possible. Wrap smaller items such as veils and belts in silk scarves. Silk won’t snag on decorations. Spread the belt or other item on the scarf and roll up into a long tube. Then roll the tube and stash it in a plastic or cloth zipper bag. You can also make cloth bags for storing belts, etc. Use a separate bag for each belt, pair of gauntlets, etc, and clip or hang the bag to the hanger for the corresponding costume. This will keep you from forgetting an essential piece of a costume as well. Cover the garment on a hanger with a cloth or plastic bag to protect it from dust and dirt, and from snagging on items you might walk past. Hang the garment in your car, or in a suit bag if you’re traveling by plane.

Consider lining your costumes. Cotton or silk linings help protect the outer layers of the costume from sweat, and add body to help support heavy decorations. You can purchase a regular bra and sew it into tops that don’t already include one. Wearing a slip or leggings under a skirt or dance pants also helps protect the fabric of your costume, and these undergarments are easy to launder.

Wear a cover-up. Not only is this good dancer etiquette, but cover ups protect your costume from snagging on upholstery or other furnishings, keep off the dust and sun at an outdoor festival, and prevent decorations from abrading against furniture and upholstery.

The holidays are stressful time for everyone—especially for someone as active as a belly dancer. There’s so much to do, so many people to see, and so much good food to eat that you tend to lag a little bit on your dancing. If your studio or instructor takes a holiday break, this can make things worse, and a lapse in practice can lead to a clumsy return, or even worse, injuries, when you return to the dance floor.

So how do you fit belly dance into your holiday activities? If you’ve already started practicing a few minutes a day, it’ll be easy to snatch a few moments of shimmies while the shower is heating up or your scrubbing all those dishes. Or, try getting up 20-30 minutes earlier in the morning, and spend some time going over basic moves before breakfast.

If your family and friends are still asking what you want for the holidays, ask for a few belly dance videos. You can throw them on when you have a spare half hour and do one or two of the drills. Or, you can combine holiday festivities and belly dance practice by having a get-together with your fellow dancers. Have an impromptu hafla and exchange dance-related gifts and share dance tips.

Just because your class may be taking a break, doesn’t mean that there aren’t any local dance workshops. Ask around, or check with your instructor or other dancers in your class to find workshops. You can also check online for local dance groups in your area. Or, you can look at studios near you and see if anyone is holding an introductory class in a different dance style. Try ballroom dancing, flamenco, or hip hop! There’s also yoga classes and pilates, both of which will improve your strength and flexibility, and you might even pick up a new skill while you’re at it!

If your problem is that you can’t stay inspired, look at YouTube for videos of your favorite dancers, or for dancers interpreting your favorite songs. I always like to see how another dancer would interpret a song I’ve been thinking about performing to, and the video below never fails to inspire me.

However, if you go through the entire holiday without shimmying one shimmy, don’t worry. You likely won’t be the only person in your class who didn’t practice, and just remember to take it slow when you return to class, so you can give your body time to remember how to dance!

As dancers, we hone our craft. We own it. And after countless classes, sweat-inducing workshops, and the occasional costume malfunction, we deserve it. We deserve to be called Dancers. And as belly dancers, we don’t stop there. We dawn ourselves with auspicious styles: From Classic Raqs Sharqi to Belly Dance/Flamenco Fusion, we wear our styles with a certain amount of pride. And we should, without a doubt. It is, in my opinion, a key component of being a successful instructor of dance. You may claim multiple styles,but it is beyond important to know the distinction, characteristics, and techniques of each style you teach.

Even in a beginner class, your style is there. There is no “Strictly Belly Dance Class” or “Belly Dance Basics“. Everything you teach is influenced by what you’ve been taught–even the All Mighty Hip Bump differs from style to style. Some may in fact not even call it that. Hip Piston, Hip Sway, Right Gluttal Pulse, and so forth. What we as instructors must realize is that with those different names come differing techniques of execution and instruction.

You may say hey! That’s not true (as you return from teaching “Beginner Steps For Every Belly Dancer“), but the bottom line is: you teach what you know. Aside from the cheeky or cute phrases that may help a student understand a movement–the end result, the learned step is a unique reflection of the style you teach. We all have a style. There’s no way around it. And as teachers, we owe it to our students to know what said style is.

Bharatanatyam is a form of Classical Indian Dance. Within that form are various styles, usually referred to as schools. The schools use many of the same movements but are still unique. One school may delicately place the hands into formation, while another school snaps them into place. More drastically, one school may incorporate modern musical twists while another would never dream of stepping beyond classic instruments. These styles or preferences give the dance a crisp and informed presentation. And while some of these may go unnoticed by your Average Jo, people within Bharatanatyam are fully aware of the differences.

As instructors, it is our job to be far above the Average Jo. We should not only notice differences in style, but we should have a clear understanding of what our style is. If you’re an American Cab instructor and you get a transfer student with five years of ATS under her belt, you should immediately see how she dances differently from you and your students.

Now of course, we aren’t clones. Personality is another foundational aspect of belly dance. But personality rarely changes. It’s that personal touch you bring to the stage no matter how many styles you claim. Personality allows you to be you—within your style of course! Style is the gift bag—whereas personality is the tissue paper that spurts out from the bag (can you tell it’s close to Christmas!) In the same vein, a gift bag with no tissue paper is…missing something.

Personality is just as crucial as style, however style comes first. And as instructors, it is our duty to know our style so that we can instruct on an appropriately informed level. If you have a strong understanding of your style, you will know exactly where each inch of the body should be, what muscles must move where, and why you call a hip bump a hip bump and not a hip piston. We cannot expect to be held in the same esteem as other dance forms unless we are fully informed within our dance form. It is imperative to know style for our students, ourselves, and our dance as a whole. Plus…saying, “Yes, I’m a belly dancer, but more specifically, I study Classic Raqs Sharqi and also dabble a bit in Classic American Cabaret” sounds really cool.

UNVIELED REALITY:

~When is last time you’ve gone to a workshop? Do you remember the instructor’s style? Chances are it was your own or something crazy/fun that you just had to look into! If was within your style, good for you! Learn learn learn! A teacher who stops learning will soon have nothing to teach. If it was crazy/fun…good for you! Learning new styles is a great way to expand your marketability and overall knowledge. It will also help you connect with transfer students from different styles.

~If you do not think you have a style or you are unsure of what your style is, you should not instruct dance. You’d be doing your future students and dance genre a disservice. Be fully aware of your style before you begin to teach. Even if you are a fusion artist—know exactly what it is you are fusing together to create your style.

Head slides are a fun accent that look easy to do but in reality are a little more difficult to accomplish. However, with a lot of practice you too can perform head slides without looking awkward.

First you need to warm up your neck muscles by stretching. Try to press your ear to your right shoulder. For a deeper stretch, place your hand over or just behind your left ear and gently tug. Hold for 10-15 seconds, then repeat this on the left side. Don’t try to go past your limit—you don’t want to wake up with a stiff neck!

Next, press your chin to your chest to stretch the back of your neck. Again, hold for 10-15 seconds, then tilt your head back to stretch the front. For a deeper stretch, try this trick I learned from Frederique: stick out your lower jaw so you give yourself an under bite when tilting your head backwards.

Finally, roll your head in circles a few times, first going clockwise, then counterclockwise. Do this about 3-5 times going each direction. Now for the head slides!

To begin the head slides, start them in front of a mirror so you can check your progress. Raise your arms above your head in what’s commonly known as the ‘temple’ position—you should think of a genie when you see yourself. Make sure you keep your shoulders down and back while doing this. Then, slide your head to the right and try to touch your ear to your arm without tilting your head. You should feel this in the back of your neck only, behind your ears. Don’t push yourself or you’ll wake up sore the next morning. For now, just try to isolate your neck muscles and try on how the move feels.

Repeat the head slide to the left, and try to touch your left ear to your left arm. Practice both sides a few times before stopping. As you strengthen your neck muscles, you’ll be able to practice for longer periods of time, but for now, a few minutes is all you need. Remember to repeat your neck stretches after practice, and keep some Icy/Hot or Tiger Balm around in case you push yourself too hard.

If you’re still having trouble with tilting your head or sliding your shoulders, try this: place your hands on your shoulders to hold them still, then practice the head slide again. Make sure you’re looking in the mirror for this, so you can see yourself holding your shoulders still.

Don’t get discouraged if you can’t make the head slide happen right away or very quickly. Just practice for a few minutes every day. This is the perfect exercise to do in the mirror while you’re waiting for the shower to warm up!