Costume ideas for a group choreography

[nisha]

Hi!

Im back,I left for a few months there,very busy!

Im teaching Egyptian Classical to a group of young women in a University here in Cork,and we have a performance on march 11th. We are dancing to Ya elby by hakim and i would like some ideas for costumes?????

All of them are beginners and do not own any bellydance attire.I dont want them to have to buy a costume as they are all students and have no money!

 

[Kharmine]

Got anyone in the group who is a decent seamstress? Some simple caftans with a hip scarf could work and wouldn't cost a lot if a group clubs together and buys inexpensive fabric in bulk. You might be able to get a school discount at some places.

I've put together stitching parties where people who can't sew are pinning seams and hems together while the sewers run a machine. Many people can learn quickly how to do simple seam stitching on a machine.

 

[Madeline]

You could sew veils together into beledi dresses or tunics, and wear these with hip scarves over camisole tops with or without harem pants.

Dahlal’s Dancer Designs might have something that would work. Here’s the link: Dahlal Internationale

 

[Shanazel]

The world's fastest cheapest baladi dress: take one length of semi-opaque chiffon or georgette long enough to reach from shoulder to floor times two. (Example: if you are five feet from shoulder to floor, buy ten feet of fabric plus a bit for blousing and hems). Cut a hole for your head in the middle of the fabric. Put your head through the hole. Tie a scarf over the baladi at the hips, adjusting the sides for more or less coverage. Throw on lots of jewlery. Your students could even wear their leotards underneath. I can almost always find chiffon on the remnant or flat fold tables at the fabric store for $2, so a costume would cost about $7 and require no sewing.

 

[Kharmine]

I've put together stitching parties where people who can't sew are pinning seams and hems together while the sewers run a machine. Many people can learn quickly how to do simple seam stitching on a machine.

Forgot to add that there is a popular name for these sessions -- Stitch 'n' Bitch! :lol:

 

[Jamil]

ok this is going to sound odd... but bare with me.

my sister and her friend needed to make a quick bellydance costume for a bellydance dance party that was being held here in sydney...

with an expense of about Au$50 (i know thats cheaper in the states) we made a professional costume that turned heads from the other side of the room.

what they did was bought a pair of Black underwear whcih were very tight and had a nice sturdy elastic.
after that they bought 2m of Black chiffon (or a veil) and put it around their waist so that the center of the veil was where there bottoms were, while they held out the sides infront of them.
i measured the best length for them and tucked what overlapped into the underwear and pinned it.
from the sides there was alot of chiffon drapping off each hip, so i folded each side and tucked it into the underwear on the side... (GOD i hope this is making sense) so the final result was a half skirt that when from Right hip, behind to left hip.
Then we bought a Red piece of heavier material then chaffon, i think it was saturn, but only a strip about 20cm wide and she tucked that into the front region of her underwear and pinned that.

so all that can be seen now is a small slit of both the right and left leg. a black coin belt was tied over the front of that with the knot at the front and pinned into position.

the bra was simply another black coinbelt made into a halterneck style and pinned to her actual bra.

it looked Very traditional Turkish/egyptian meets Tribal... i cant explain it... but u want to see people thinking that your costumes cost you heaps? try that! lol

this obviously isnt the dress... but its similar to hpw the legs poke out,, but on both sides!

what a shame i ddint take photos!! sorry

-=Jamil=-

 

[sstacy123]

Yes, i wish you would have, I'm having a bit of trouble picturing it in my head! But I think you probably explained it well, it's probably just me...

 

[Jamil]

attached is a rough diagram of the steps involved in my earlier explanation...
it should help alot.

the side view, is facing the front in <---- that direction.
the oval symbolises a human body!
sorry not the best drawer! lol

-=Jamil=-

p.s if you cant see it properly... sent me a privte message of ur email, and ill send it threw there!

 

[sstacy123]

Okay, now I understand, thanks!

 

[Safran]

Indeed! The scheme you draw was so logical! I will remember this tip - you never know when you have to "improvise" something together on the spot