Make Up for Male Dancers

Tanglefoot

New member
Okay I have started performing, still a reluctant dancer or rather, and under confident one but, well I am nibbling at it, one step at a time and so I have come to the question of make up. I am aware male belly dancers wear make up as do many other kinds of male dancer, but I am at a bit of a loss as to where to start. I mean I have viewed scores of youtube videos on make up and read countless articles to arrive at not quite as confused as I was but still confused and still I don't know where to start.

Now it is my style is Egyptian style where we do both folkloric and stage style and well no point having the costume if you don't have the face to match where perhaps make up is costume and just as important.

So may I ask, any advice ?

Oh, to say I am particularly interested in eye make up.
 

Kashmir

New member
Make up exists to make your face (and thus expressions) visible. As a minimum eye brows, eye liner, and lip stick (doesn't have to scream "I'm wearing make up" - but has to make it seem you DO have lips under lights)

Personally I go all in with contouring if under full stage lights ie dark in check hollows, light on check bones etc.

Under full stage lights if you look in your mirror and don't see a drag queen quite possible your face will be a white blur on stage. For more "normal" situations and gentler lights pull back the drama.
 

Roshanna

New member
If you aren't going for a specifically 'glam' or drag look, it might be worth researching what stage actors do to make their faces stand out.

For example, I found this tutorial by searching for 'theatrical makeup for men':

[video=youtube_share;yjpiEpTXwDs]https://youtu.be/yjpiEpTXwDs[/video]

If you are feeling overwhelmed, it might be best to see if you can book a private lesson with a makeup artist - or perhaps ask your dance teacher if they can run a stage makeup workshop covering all the basics, either themselves or with a guest makeup artist?
When my students performed together for the first time, I did a session where they came to my house and I showed them all how to do makeup to go with the costumes for the piece. It's also not uncommon for female dancers to have no idea how to apply stage makeup, especially if they are people who don't normally wear any makeup day to day, so your classmates would probably also be glad of the opportunity :)
 

Zorba

"The Veiled Male"
My approach is pretty much the same as any other Belly Dancer's - but we have beards to deal with. After 20 years, I recently shaved mine off, so now I'm looking for a "beard neutralizer" to wear under my foundation (although the foundation does do a pretty good job of hiding the 'dark shadow', but it could be better.). There are TONS of beautiful eye makeup tips/videos/tutorials on the 'net - they all work for guys too!

I recommend finding someone who knows their makeup and getting tutored. Your facial and eye structure, as well as your coloration, will dictate what works for you and what won't.

I also recommend that you "do something" about/with your eyebrows if they're the typical bushy and straight male type (like mine)!
 

Tanglefoot

New member
That Zorba, check out what F to M trans and crossdressers do about the beard shadow, from what I have seen they make a pretty good job of completely obliterating it without looking too made up ..... something about the colour orange as a base hiding the shadow if I remember one of those videos.

Me, I am getting the crap lasered out in the next few weeks of which I just know is gonna hurt.

And eyes I have been investigating that one and so far know I have deep set round partially hooded eyes that look dark anyway through being deep set, in fact I look like a panda most of the time, where I desire to look less like a panda with more defined eyes.

But yeah I will ask my teacher to organise a make up tutorial again after I mentioned I was working on eye make up and so far finding it a very steep learning curve, my teacher was all for me wearing eye make up.

But eye brows I have to do something with them anyway as I am not happy with them, they sort of petering out, but not bushy and not altogether straight either.
 
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Zorba

"The Veiled Male"
Yea, I'm planning on getting the beard lasered off eventually too. HATE shaving, which is why I grew it in the first place 20 years ago!

Brows can be drawn on as needed.
 

Roshanna

New member
And eyes I have been investigating that one and so far know I have deep set round partially hooded eyes that look dark anyway through being deep set, in fact I look like a panda most of the time, where I desire to look less like a panda with more defined eyes.

Princess Farhana wrote an article about eye makeup for hooded eyes, which you might find interesting if you haven't already seen it: http://princessraqs.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/girlz-in-da-hood-eye-make-up-for-deep.html
 
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