Need some encouragement on showing my belly

[Rp1983]

Im just a student that does open mic dances. I've always been shy about showing my belly where I have worn long tank tops and now see through cover ups. My cover up tore, so I will have to bare my belly tonight. I just don't know how some dancers gather the confidence to do it? It's intimidating when you see a lot of slim dancers on YouTube. Do people expect belly dancers to have washboard abs or or is normal to have your belly move when you dance?

I don't have a round belly. It's flat, but it's got an average layer of fat on top of i, if that makes sense. Is it acceptable to be a belly dancer that always covers her belly?

 

[Darshiva]

I know of plenty of dancers who always cover their bellies.

Have you got time to mend the rip & disguise/accent the rip with sequins & beads?

 

[Munniko]

I've seen people who cover their stomachs and people who don't. It is all about, in my opinion, being comfortable while being performing. There is nothing worse than seeing a stiff dancer because they are uncomfortable in either a) the moves or b) the costume. So if you don't want to show it, don't. I've worked myself up to showing off my stomach by slowly just practicing in less and less covering tops, so now I'm down to practicing comfortably in a sports bra.

 

[Rp1983]

The dance is in a few hours..don't have time to repair the cover up.

In my gut, I think I know it would be healthier for me to show my stomach. That's the only way to get over my insecurities.

 

[Munniko]

In my gut, I think I know it would be healthier for me to show my stomach. That's the only way to get over my insecurities.

If your gut says do it, follow your instincts and just dance for yourself:dance:

 

[BigJim]

You'll be fine.... there is nothing out of the ordinary for a belly dancer to have an exposed belly... and once you've done it you'll feel great because now you know you can do it...

 

[AndreaSTL]

How did it go?

You need to cover your belly for no one but yourself. You dance the best when you are comfortable with your costuming and music. Some dancers with flatter stomachs still prefer a body stocking even if it's fairly sheer. There are dancers with large bellies who don't like the squished look they get with a body stocking, so they'd rather go bare.

As a personal preference (please no flaming!), I prefer dancers who don't have washboard abs. I know they work hard to get them, but I like to see that little bit of jiggle in the belly and on the hips.

 

[Farasha Hanem]

And then there are the dancers who have vertical scars from surgery who perform uncovered. We are all individuals, and therein lies the beauty of it all.

 

[Sophia Maria]

As a personal preference (please no flaming!), I prefer dancers who don't have washboard abs. I know they work hard to get them, but I like to see that little bit of jiggle in the belly and on the hips.

Me too! I feel like a weirdo sometimes. I'm naturally really skinny, and have a lot of physical activity over the years so I have really flat abs. But because I've been exposed to so much bellydance, I wish a had a little extra jiggle around the hips...Ha! My friends make fun of me for it.

To the OP: Don't feel self-conscious. I'm sure you have a lovely belly. It is actually very very normal for a bellydancer to have some extra wiggle to her shimmy (and looks good, in my opinion!). Also, covering up the mid-section is totally ok, too.

 

[Ms Minx]

That is the wonderful thing about belly dance ~ all ages, sizes etc. I am sure you will do wonderfully! You are an original and really, does the world deserve that?

Please do report back.

Have fun!!

 

[LadyLoba]

The thing to remember about most of the stomachs we see in pictures is that those are not real stomachs. Anytime you see an ad or anything like that, what you're looking at is a crafted image. They start out with a very thin, flat stomach, then use body makeup, posing, and lighting to alter it. Then software alters it some more. If you look around at real women's stomachs, absolutely none of them look like what the media shows...including the ones belonging to the people in the photos/on film. Your own stomach probably looks about 10 times better than you think it does.

 

[Yame]

There are plenty of dancers who cover their bellies all the time, it's a perfectly acceptable choice. The most important thing is to be comfortable in your own skin. If you feel self-conscious, you won't dance as well.

It seems like in this case you had no choice but to bare your belly. Now you'll have to determine for yourself whether or not that is something you are comfortable with and would like to keep doing. If it isn't, it's probably a good idea to have extra belly covers or full dresses so that you won't be put in that situation again.

In any case, it sounds to me like you have nothing to be ashamed of. However you need to understand and keep in mind that no matter what you look like, someone out there will like you and someone out there will find fault in you. Women get a lot of grief for having any amount of fat, but on the other hand in some circles you'll also see women getting grief for not being fat enough. Some people like their women skinny, some people like their women fat, some people like their women muscular, and everything in between. And every single one of these women will be bashed at some point or another for not being enough this or enough that or too much this or that. In fact, a lot of times these comments will be contradictory. You'll hear opposing comments about the same woman! For every comment I've gotten on how great my body looks, there is someone else saying I need to get breast implants, or I need to lift weights, or I need to eat more. I've had people tell me my belly is perfectly flat, I've had people tell me I need more belly fat, and I've had people tell me I look pregnant!!! Go figure!

My point is to say that if you are not ready for that, then you are not ready to expose something about yourself which you yourself are uncomfortable with. You have to find confidence within yourself so that these stupid criticisms don't matter. It's not just about loving your body and learning to appreciate what you look like... it's about loving what your body can do and loving yourself as more than just a body and understanding that all that stuff... it doesn't REALLY matter. The people who matter will see you as more than just what you look like.

 

[shiradotnet]

I see this is an old thread, but I'll go ahead and reply for the benefit of others reading it who may have questions similar to the one posed by the person who started the thread.

It's perfectly fine to cover the midriff when performing. In fact, for SOME styles of belly dance, it's more appropriate than dancing bare-bellied. I have attached a photo to this message showing me wearing a gallabiya, often called a "baladi dress". I bought this one in Egypt. This style of dress is fine for generic belly dance where you're not being real fussy about style. I know of some restaurants with conservative owners who would rather have their dancers performing in this type of costume than in a belly-baring costume.

For more information about dresses in particular as a belly dance costume option, see this article on my web site: Dresses in Middle Eastern Dance Costuming

 

[Belly Dancing Housewife]

I believe most belly dance in cultures throughout history was always done fully clothed. You should only do and show what you are comfortable with. But, I've seen plenty of dancers that were far from stick skinny. It's good to have some curviness to your body because I have seen some dancers that were so skinny you couldn't even see their isolations. Of course, some girls are just naturally skinny and can't help that but I always think having a little bit of weight looks gorgeous in belly dance.

 

[Roxannya]

I know this response is well after your performance, but I still want to comment. If the audience thinks a dancer needs washboard abs, they're uneducated, opinionated, hyper-critical and just plain ridiculous. I adore this form of dance because it's one of the few places I know of where any and all bellies are welcomed and cherished.

I would dearly love washboard abs, but I would have to dabble in anorexia again to get there and I'm not willing to do that. I carry some jiggle to wiggle and that's okay. Believe me, we'll always be able to find something we wish were different that we probably can't do anything about. (For me it's a natural waistline maybe 3 inches below my boobs.)

At the end of the day, it isn't the amount of fat we carry or our natural waistlines that make us good dancers. It's what we've learned, how we learned it, how much we practice and the passion that drives us.

 

[Remus]

Don't worry about showing your belly.
Belly dance is a dance of beauty. It ballances the exterior beauty with the inner beauty and puts them in a sweet harmony. No other dance does that and that's why I love belly dance. It also shows a woman's beauty within. It makes a woman beautiful both on the outside and the inside.