Thought Provoking Belly Dance Costumes: the good, the bad and the hideous

[Greek Bonfire]

Maybe folks will go back to more traditional costuming once they realize that acres of exposed skin and visual references to BDSM are no longer shocking. Garters and black leatherett corsets accessorized with handcuffs, ho-hum.

I sure hope so. The costumes are not even pretty and don't even compliment the dancers' bodies.

 

[Tourbeau]

Unfortunately, the need to go back to pretty, elegant dance costumes is tied to having pretty, elegant music to dance to. The native music scene in Egypt is currently dominated by brash, tell-it-like-it-is, Western-fusion music with subject matter that pushes social boundaries, so why would you need modest or glamorous costumes for that? What popular music there is that isn't mahraganat or indie-hipster style tends to be formulaic and blandly appealing to pedestrian tastes.

There's not a lot of sophisticated, sublime music coming out of the Levant, either, because it's mostly dabke and more "habibi" songs. North Africa and the Gulf never had big belly dance scenes. The high style of Arabic music that dancers relied upon is simply dead right now. Basically, the Arab World is at the point of musical evolution where we were in the late 1970's, when young people revolted against what they felt was phony commercialism, and punk and rap happened.

(I don't follow Turkish music closely, but I assume if they were having a popular renaissance of long-form, orchestral music, dancers would be flocking to it.)

 

[Amulya]

It seems to me more and more that I see costumes where they aren't wearing the skirt; however, they wear the bra, belt, garters, weird stockings, footwear, armwear - everything but the SKIRT! Tacky, tack-ay.

luckily I haven’t seen those costumes yet in videos of actual gigs. Hopefully people will realise it’s gone out of hand. An average belly dance costume already shows a lot of skin, I used to close skirts for that reason, I didn’t like it to be all about naked skin.

 

[Amulya]

Unfortunately, the need to go back to pretty, elegant dance costumes is tied to having pretty, elegant music to dance to. The native music scene in Egypt is currently dominated by brash, tell-it-like-it-is, Western-fusion music with subject matter that pushes social boundaries, so why would you need modest or glamorous costumes for that? What popular music there is that isn't mahraganat or indie-hipster style tends to be formulaic and blandly appealing to pedestrian tastes.

There's not a lot of sophisticated, sublime music coming out of the Levant, either, because it's mostly dabke and more "habibi" songs. North Africa and the Gulf never had big belly dance scenes. The high style of Arabic music that dancers relied upon is simply dead right now. Basically, the Arab World is at the point of musical evolution where we were in the late 1970's, when young people revolted against what they felt was phony commercialism, and punk and rap happened.

(I don't follow Turkish music closely, but I assume if they were having a popular renaissance of long-form, orchestral music, dancers would be flocking to it.)

So no more gorgeous classic orchestra music? That’s my favourite! Especially the type Bastet Radio plays (I’m not sure it’s around anymore) Turkish music was great too, some folkloric, classic but also pop, was great in the 90s. Remember the silly Mezdeke ones? They had the most tacky music videos but the music was so fun for belly dance parties. It was in Turkey but Arabic lyrics.

 

[Amulya]

Came across this for sale, all those ruffles, so much. But I find the supposed ‘skin toned’ (depends on who wears it) pieces so hideous. Why can’t that be purple too?

Those types of supposed skin tone would be so hard to match, not many people would have that exact colour.

 

[Tourbeau]

Came across this for sale, all those ruffles, so much. But I find the supposed ‘skin toned’ (depends on who wears it) pieces so hideous. Why can’t that be purple too?

Those types of supposed skin tone would be so hard to match, not many people would have that exact colour.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the style of embellishing "nude" fabric so the audience has to spend the first minute of your performance playing "Costume, Tattoo, or Skin Condition?" (remember when those costumes with one embellished legging came out and everybody lost their minds?), but there is a valid school of thought that if you're going to wear "nude," make it obvious you're not actually nude.

Having said that, I really don't like costumes that look like a flesh-tone bra. Those are a special kind of tacky. If you want to look like you glued shiny bits on your legs or torso expanses, you do you, but please don't look like you're wearing a piece of visible, supposed-to-be-invisible-under-clothes underwear, whether you embellish it or not.

TL;DR: Purple Floofmare, I can deal with the pearl and rhinestone cabs on the illusion net, but I don't like the beige straps and back band.

 

[Shanazel]

"Costume, Tattoo, or Skin Condition?"

Oh, yeah, that style was quite, um, quite.

"Floofmare." Amulya, we need to dig up the old thread for costume terms and add that one.

I once saw a very good amateur dancer do a shemadan piece while wearing a white skirt and what looked like an ordinary white lingerie bra with a very few embellishments to distinguish it from its homely sisters. She deserved so much more.

 

[Tourbeau]

So no more gorgeous classic orchestra music? That’s my favourite!

It hasn't completely disappeared, just like there are still musicians performing 1940's-style Big Band music. They still make orchestral and folkloric scores for movies and TV in the ME. Some musicians continue to position themselves as throwback specialists and ethnic traditionalists. Dancers will always commission recordings for themselves and other dancers. But the world where Farid al Atrash or Abdel Halim Hafez debuted his latest hits in a movie and Egypt screeched to a halt to listen to Umm Kalthoum's radio concerts is gone.

There is lingering expectation that professional musicians should be able to perform at the old level of complexity, but there's also a young, defiant backlash, and that is where the energy is. For every wannabe who showed up to sing Warda on the Arab version of "The Voice," "Idol," or "Got Talent," there are dozens on the street making Arabized hip-hop and rap on laptops.

 

[Amulya]

"Floofmare." Amulya, we need to dig up the old thread for costume terms and add that one.

Where was it, not under costumes I think? I will have a look. Floofmare, so good!

‘"Costume, Tattoo, or Skin Condition?’ I vaguely remember the leg coverings like that but not in detail, was it very thinly decorated, so you couldn’t see what pattern it actually was?

 

[Amulya]

Here it is:

The Orientaldancer.net Dictionary

For all those who are new we probably need to explain some orientaldancer-isms: sparkle fart = a piece of fringe placed at the bum part of dance pants crassels = crotch tassels nassels = nipple tassles 3 am zill brigade = a trouple of dancers who will play zills at 3am under the bedroom window...

bellydanceforums.net

 

[Shanazel]

You're a honey, Amulya, as always. Thanks!

 

[Amulya]

Guess what, I wasn’t difficult to find! I just had to think of one of our dictionary words and it popped right up! Nassels!

 

[Shanazel]

(Slap to the forehead.) I was looking through titles.

 

[Amulya]

I started that way. But then I realised it might be completely buried

 

[Greek Bonfire]

Unfortunately, the need to go back to pretty, elegant dance costumes is tied to having pretty, elegant music to dance to. The native music scene in Egypt is currently dominated by brash, tell-it-like-it-is, Western-fusion music with subject matter that pushes social boundaries, so why would you need modest or glamorous costumes for that? What popular music there is that isn't mahraganat or indie-hipster style tends to be formulaic and blandly appealing to pedestrian tastes.

There's not a lot of sophisticated, sublime music coming out of the Levant, either, because it's mostly dabke and more "habibi" songs. North Africa and the Gulf never had big belly dance scenes. The high style of Arabic music that dancers relied upon is simply dead right now. Basically, the Arab World is at the point of musical evolution where we were in the late 1970's, when young people revolted against what they felt was phony commercialism, and punk and rap happened.

(I don't follow Turkish music closely, but I assume if they were having a popular renaissance of long-form, orchestral music, dancers would be flocking to it.)

I recently saw a video of a local dancer performing with a band! Bands are almost non-existent now. Her costume was beautiful; however, most of her dance style was frantic, popping and shocking, and I know this dancer can dance the more classic style even though she can't resist throwing in those popping whatevers. I think this is why one dancer I know who sponsors Amcab shows only, has such a high turnout of viewers because it's more like actual Middle Eastern dancing and less about hip hop!

 

[Shanazel]

Popping bopping body gymnastics trying to pass for dance get tedious pretty quick. They remind me of the strong man who could twitch his chest muscles to wow his audience.

 

[Amulya]

Popping bopping body gymnastics trying to pass for dance get tedious pretty quick. They remind me of the strong man who could twitch his chest muscles to wow his audience.

Thats a gimmick, like rolling coins over a belly. There was someone could was able to do that with opposite directions at the same time, long ago, maybe in the ‘70s? Could be famous? American. But very impressive way more than peck muscle movements.

 

[Shanazel]

Flipping coins and folding dollar bills had a season in the late seventies. There was a dancer in Ft. Collins who used to do both as part of her restaurant gig. People loved it, paritally because she was so funny and charming during the "parrty trick."

 

[Greek Bonfire]

Thats a gimmick, like rolling coins over a belly. There was someone could was able to do that with opposite directions at the same time, long ago, maybe in the ‘70s? Could be famous? American. But very impressive way more than peck muscle movements.

That was Helen Vlahos and she's still around. But she also could dance like nobody's business.

 

[Zorba]

That was Helen Vlahos and she's still around. But she also could dance like nobody's business.

I actually have a coin that she flipped on her Belly like that. In with my "first tip" framed dollar. And yea, can she dance! When you can dance like she does, you can do parlor tricks all you want! I've taken workshops from her too.