Costuming for audience of mixed race teens?

[BattyBaby]

I attend a boarding school at the moment, and the school is nice enough to let me use their dance studio, which is heaven, let me tell you. Such a lovely space, perfect acoustics, lots of mirrors. I am expected to perform in return for this.
Normally, I would don a choli and several layers of tribal costuming (in spite of the fact that I do egyptian and american cabaret style) and do so with gusto, however, I am worried about the audience and costuming.
I have no idea what I can wear that would be approved by the teachers (They're letting the "exposed navel" dress-code rule down for me but that's about all...) and still please the teens in the audience who grew up in various Arabic countries (This is why I mentioned the whole "boarding school" aspect of things...)
What can I do?
I know that due to the Egyptians in the audience, I cannot wear a tribal costume because they will not approve... and that I'll have to tone down the floorwork a bit. But that's about all!
Please give me advice, it would be much appreciated.

 

[Daimona]

What can I do?
I know that due to the Egyptians in the audience, I cannot wear a tribal costume because they will not approve... and that I'll have to tone down the floorwork a bit. But that's about all!
Please give me advice, it would be much appreciated.

Hi and welcome to the bellydanceforums.net, BattyBaby. Remember to present yourself in the Meet and Greet-section, as we'd love to get to know you better.


I agree in making the costume less tribal when performing Egyptian or American Oriental. Unless you already have costumes that fits with Egyptian Oriental or American Oriental, a nice top (don't even think about wearing only an uncovered lingerie bra for this performance), a nice skirt and belt could do fine.
Assuming you love the tribal costumes, you might want to aim for a tribaret costuming style in the future unless you actually start dancing tribal style as well.

To avoid exposing the bellybutton try wearing a belly cover (use the search function in this forum to find ideas as there have been many previous questions about that) or cover yourself completely wearing a nice dress (see this article for more information: Dresses in Middle Eastern Dance Costuming). Personally I'm a big fan of the fitted baladi dress or the evening gown whenever I want to be covered.
Other than that, I'm sure the teachers knows better than us what is acceptable or not. A costume rehearsal well in advance of your performance with some of the teachers could be very valuable for you. This way they can tell if the costume is modest enough or need modifications too meet the requirements.

 

[BattyBaby]

Actually, I have permission to wear a costume that bears my belly. Also, I'm less worried about suiting my own costuming preferences than I am about suiting those of my audience. I cannot do much in the way of tribal costuming because those in my audience from arabic countries will think that I am a crazy westerner. ><
I'm sorry that the post was confusing...

 

[Daimona]

No problems. I wasn't too sure and included the last paragraph just in case.

I think that the most important thing to avoid being seen as a crazy westerner is to stick with the style of costuming that goes with the style of dance you'll be performing. If you are doing American Oriental, wear a costume that resembles that style. If you are doing Egyptian Oriental, use an Egyptian style costume. It is as simple as that.

 

[Kashmir]

Not sure why you would want to wear tribal costuming at all - especially if you are not dancing tribal!! Totally crazy (and I am a westerner) What costuming do you have?

A bare belly is actually not a requirement for Egyptian dance. You can actually dance in a nice dress - and by "nice dress" I mean a "normal" dress with enough give to dance in that is upmarket - a bit of shine and flair. In fact dancing in something like that would be far preferable to a tribal costume. Personally I'd even go for that before a cheapy wrap around belt.

Also avoid harem pants on their own - they are underwear. If the students are conservative also avoid showing your crutch or thigh - even visible through sheer fabric.

 

[Darshiva]

I agree with Kashmir - a nice evening dress with a pretty shawl or scarf tied around the hips would show the arabic people in the audience you honour their culture and history and will also fit with the school's dress code.

Also, unless you start to learn & perform american tribal, it's time to retire those costumes or onsell them entirely.

 

[Shanazel]

Another vote for a pretty fitted gown with a bit of flare and shine.

Tribal costuming for AmCab/Egyptian?:shok: Not and still call it Am Cab in my class!!!

 

[Mosaic]

Welcome to the forum. I have to agree on the gown/dress style of costuming, & also as Darshiva suggested a shawl/scarf around the hips. If you still want to go with the bare midriff, find a double layer chiffon skirt, or straight lycra skirt & team it with a tie front top or cropped top plus the scarf tied around the hips. I am sure being at school your costume funds would be limited, so do a google search on images for costuming ideas. Good luck with your performance
~Mosaic

 

[Shanazel]

After a decade of dancers revealing everything they can get away with, an elegant covered style is charming, fresh, and (as they say on Project Runway) fashion-forward.

 

[Roshanna]

A nice option for Egyptian style that wouldn't cost you too much would be to get a plain maxi dress in a solid jewel colour from a normal clothes shop (in a fairly fitted style with a straight skirt - something like this Candice Side Split Slinky Maxi Dress at boohoo.com or this Sandy Scoop Neck Maxi Dress at boohoo.com), then accessorise with some big gold-tone costume jewellery and a sparkly hip belt (I think a high-quality coin scarf actually works nicely with this look, as it's a bit baladi). Simple, tasteful, looks contemporary because the dress is currently in fashion, and you can re-use the dress for other things afterwards if you want to

This is actually what I'm planning to have my students wear for their class dance this term

 

[BattyBaby]

Tribal costuming is generally more modest than a bedlah... If I wore a bedlah or another cabaret style costume I would most likely die a horrible death at the hands of the teachers... ><
I know. I've worn a baladi dress before, but the style I'm performing is more oriental with a very small amount of tribal style thrown in than it is folkloric, so I wasn't sure if I could do that, and I know that I have a few students from Turkey in the audience and I wasn't sure if that costuming would be OK with them.
Thank you! I will make a note of that. I had no idea.

 

[Darshiva]

I would STRONGLY dispute the assertation that a tribal costume is more modest than an oriental costume. Sure, if you go back at least 30 years for both genres, that could be the case, but honestly my costumes range from modest to very modest, with my sole tribal costume (in the 'incredibly old-fasioned' style) is definitely squarely among the costumes that are merely 'modest'.

If you honestly think that a typical tribal costume (even in the old-fashioned, more modest style) is more modest than this:

Or even this!:

- both of which were suggested to you as alternative styles - then you really do need your head examined.

 

[BattyBaby]

I know... I really do know my costumes pretty well now, and most branches of costuming range from modest to not so much. It's just that I do have an audience with a lot of Americans in it as well, who I have noticed get very particular about the costuming if it doesn't bear the belly. I have to consider them as well (I don't want to cause uproar on my first performance! Later on once my classmates have grown used to me I will don a dress without any fuss.). So a tribal costume with a choli seemed very alluring to me, a good alternative that would please the American teens and the American teachers. But the others! Argh! I just have no idea how to cover all the bases! ><
And- correction. Usually my style is around the area of fusion with a largely Egyptian and AmCab base, but with some tribal thrown in, and my stage presence is very "tribal fusion". Of course in this case I'm doing a set with zils and it's all very oriental. I'm sorry for the confusion.

 

[Dunyah]

And- correction. Usually my style is around the area of fusion with a largely Egyptian and AmCab base, but with some tribal thrown in, and my stage presence is very "tribal fusion". Of course in this case I'm doing a set with zils and it's all very oriental. I'm sorry for the confusion.

I'm just curious - what music are you using for this presentation? I usually start from there when I am planning which costume to wear, as the music/dance style/costume ideally should be in harmony with each other. Are you planning to use tribal fusion music or more traditional music?

 

[BattyBaby]

Style, oriental, music, oriental.
The opening is Zeina, with zils, then I do a short dramatic veil piece that's a wee bit sinister ("Faithful" by Raquy and the Cavemen) but that still fits very well with the style of the set, then I have a sword piece that's to a pretty generic chiftetelli by Children of Paradise, and I'm still working on a finale.

 

[Kashmir]

It's just that I do have an audience with a lot of Americans in it as well, who I have noticed get very particular about the costuming if it doesn't bear the belly. I have to consider them as well (I don't want to cause uproar on my first performance!

So, you'd rather play to the ignorant bias of an uninformed American audience than respect the cultural heritage? Frankly, if my options were to give a faithful performance which is unexpected or cause offense I'd go the unexpected route. Or is it that you really want to get out there with a bare (not "bear" - unless you are very hairy) belly and show how cool you are? In that case why ask?

Style, oriental, music, oriental.
The opening is Zeina, with zils, then I do a short dramatic veil piece that's a wee bit sinister ("Faithful" by Raquy and the Cavemen) but that still fits very well with the style of the set, then I have a sword piece that's to a pretty generic chiftetelli by Children of Paradise, and I'm still working on a finale.

Actually Zeina is more folkloric. Both it and veil would be very odd in Tribal costume!! Actually, if you are doing Tribal - where is your tribe? Do you stick to one particular Tribal family of moves or is it just the costume? That is, are you going to annoy people in the audience who know Tribal as well?

 

[Darshiva]

It seems to me like you already had your costume set in your head & you wanted validation for it. I think that the costume I posted in the first pic would work for everything you're doing there and for your audience's sensibilities as well. But I only live & perform in a small country town with a large religious population so what would I know?

 

[BattyBaby]

True, this is very true. I just really have no idea what to wear. As I said, if I wear a dress my more local classmates (who, truth be told, can be very rude, as in: "(walks into the dance studio while I am doing a drum solo with lots of shimmying) What are you doing, twerking?") will be upset, and if I wear a bedlah, the teachers will be upset, and then, as you said, if I wear a full tribal costume just to cover myself up, any tribalistas in the audience will be upset, and the middle eastern students will think me a crazy westerner.
I said that I was doing oriental and that I throw in a little tribal fusion when I perform in recitals and halfas and things, but when I do that it's generally in fusion, which is a bit blurry anyway. :/
Now, I really just put the little anecdote about tribal in there casually, can my liking for oriental dance and tribal costuming not become the main topic of discussion?

I am already going an unexpected route by going up there and bellydancing, and I have to transition slowly. Remember that this is high school, very much a pit of vipers, and if I step out of line so much as to wear a baladi dress (which, in the eyes of an American teen, is basically a deep v cut, sparkly dress with a slit up the side, and I am very curvy, a DD, and have to be very careful with these things (I have popped out before, when doing a set at a friend's house).) they will neverlet me hear the end of it. Please understand me.
Kashmir, please don't make rude remarks at me. The "bear" one was a little over the top.

Would a halter style bra work? Would a bedlah with layered with a choli work?

 

[Shanazel]

The "bear" remark was a gentle joke; one of the fun things about forums is laughing at the images our inadvertent misspellings evoke. Heaven knows I've had my share of them!

I have to transition slowly.

No, you don't.

Honey, the HELL with what the rude, crude, and unkind might say to you about your costume. People like that will find a reason to be rude, crude, and unkind whatever you wear. We've all been in the viper pit of high school or its equivalent and sometimes you just have to walk into the pit with your head up and your music on and not worry about what the detractors will say. You want to be a reputable, ethical dancer or waste your time trying to please a bunch of losers who hang out in groups to prop up each other's lousy self-esteem by undermining folks with the guts to do something unexpected?

If I could "like" Kashmir's remark a dozen times I would do so. We are both teachers, Kashmir still performs, and I performed for decades before finally retiring last year. I can't imagine anyone here wanting anything but the best for you but it is soooooo frustrating to offer advice garnered over a long career and have it rejected because the person asking only wants complete approbation for choices sh has already made however inappropriate they may be.

I just really have no idea what to wear.

Would a halter style bra work? Would a bedlah with layered with a choli work?

Halter bras will destroy your cervical spine. (Just take a look at my x-rays.) Answer to the second question: no.

How many experienced dancers have just suggested a gown as a professional alternative? Does the gown in the link look like you'd pop out of it? Does Darshiva's beledi dress have a deep vee neckline or a slit up to her hoo-ha? For most of my dancing career I wore a DDD and managed to keep the girls from leaping out of their confinements; just find something that fits properly and you're good to go.

 

[Dunyah]

BattyBaby, I understand the performance anxiety and the worry about what people might say and I commend you for your bravery in getting out there and performing at your school. And I also applaud you for coming here and asking questions. From everything you have said about this performance, it really does seem that a gown would be an awesome choice. They are flattering on almost every body type, they offer coverage while still being form-fitting and they are culturally appropriate for the dance you propose doing. I really do think you should consider listening to the advice of very experienced dancers and teachers on this forum. But I also think that a well-fitting bedlah and skirt, possibly worn with a body stocking, could be a good choice.

You really can't let the catty people dictate how you perform or how you live. I don't know that I would have been brave enough to stand up to them when I was in high school, though. But I hope you can hear what us older wiser ladies are trying to tell you. Be true to the dance itself and represent it really well and I predict you will be very proud of yourself after your show.