I know I haven't posted in ages, but I have had some things on my mind that I decided to post on my blog. As I progress as a bellydance student/addict/performer, I am so aware of the difference of good costumes,makeup and jewellery make to your overall look and quality of performance. Of course, this doesn't mean that you don't need to train and practice regularly, but the difference it makes to your performance is so critical. A dancer with average skills can take her overall performance up a lot of notches with a gorgeous,professional costume, good makeup and accessories.
Now, to be fair, this is much more relevant for bellydance addicts who perform quite regularly at paid/non-paid gigs and take part in stage productions etc.
But even as a baby beginner, I still believe that it's better to invest in a good quality Egyptian hipscarf rather than the china made ones. My first ever hip-scarf was a gorgeous maroon hipscarf, with pale gold and silver coins and beading. I wore it for class, I wore it for workshops and performances. I had been in class for about a week or two when Christine told me it would be perfect for me. After comparing it to cheaper China-made versions, I decided it was worth the investment and never looked back. The coins are heavier and the scarf felt better on my hips, and in photos, it didn't disappoint. It was significantly more expensive (about 450 thou compared to 150-250 thou for a China-made one) but 4 years later, it's still in perfect condition even though I wore it numerous times and none of the coins have fallen off. I also received many compliments on it, and it really perfectly complemented the simple costumes we used to get made when we were first starting out.
Of course, this depends on how much use you think you will get from it and your budget, but I felt at the time I would prefer saving up for a beautiful hipscarf that would be long lasting and make me feel beautiful every time I put it on. However, I realize this isn't for everyone. For those of you just starting-it's just something to consider.
Since I started to get a lot of paid performance opportunities quite quickly after I started classes, I was fast-tracked in terms of appreciating professional quality costumes. When we started wearing our Egyptian/professional costumes, we looked so much more polished and professional!
I think that if you're serious about bellydance, and/or being hired to perform, it's an investment you should seriously consider. When people actually hand over cash to book you for a gig, they want you to look fantastic and professional aside from actually being able to dance. It's a tall order, but that is the life of a dancer. I know in Indonesia and many other countries the gigs don't make you rich by any means, but if you're committed to doing it, you need to look the part. I cringe everytime I see bellydance performances where the dancers are wearing flimsily beaded bras in garish and poor quality beads, poorly made skirts and loads of nasty accesories. It ruins the dancing for me. I think you're on a really tight budget, you would be better off in a simple chiffon top and skirt, with a beautiful hipscarf and nicely made hair and makeup. I should probably add at this point that I am specifically talking about Cabaret-style bellydancers and not tribal, since Egyptian-Cabaret is what I do.
I know professional costumes are expensive, but you do get what you pay for. Now, we get ours from Egypt via Christine, and they are absolutely gorgeous and add so much polish to our look. I am a big girl-and this works against me in a lot of situations, so I am even more convinced that it's important to pay attention to your overall look as well as your dancing (the dancing goes without saying). My first bra and belt is still beautiful and sparkly, it came with tons of beading and crystals and it has lasted a number of years. So has the other girls' costumes. And they dazzle on stage-the sparkle is different to the China made bras/costume sets. Since we started getting the Egyptian costumes, we have started making some here with our seamstress. She's been doing our costumes since Christine first opened her doors and has evolved in terms of her skill just as much as we have...it's been a learning experience for us both! The problem with getting costumes locally made is the choice of fabrics. The Egyptians source their fabrics from Asia also most of the time, but those fabrics aren't available in Indonesia-there is very limited choice here. In terms of beading and crystals, our seamstress has some excellent people working for her, but to get the level of sparkle and dazzle we want, the costumes end up costing almost the same as the ones we get from Egypt. I'm talking about the mid-end costumes which are mass produced (they have lots of beautiful ones) in Egypt. But I promise you, when you put on a well-made costume with beautiful crystals and beading in a great design makes you feel gorgeous and ready to face the audience!
I have to admit that I am in love with my costumes. On my trip to Egypt last year, I purchased a custom-designed Hanan dress in white with silver beading which gives me tingles every time I put it on. I also got a turquoise bra and belt with a beaded skirt which flares out at the bottom which looks amazing. I love them both and know they will last me a good several years.
Hanan, IMHO, is the go-to designer for plus-size dancers looking for great quality,flattering costumes at a price slightly more modest compared to say, Amira El-Kattan or Eman Zaki (although many of their costumes are to die for, if I was small enough to fit into their standard cups and sizes I would definitely save up to buy a couple!), and others charging hundreds of dollars (can't afford those designers *laugh*). She is a tall, plus-size woman who carries herself with an almost regal air, but also exudes a warm,earthy energy. I was taken with Hanan. When she sketches for you, you feel like she already knows what you need to look and feel beautiful. She inspires a lot of confidence. No wonder she's such so famous.
I did purchase a very pretty gold bra and skirt, and black mesh dress with beading from a Egyptian seller who stocks mid-range costumes. They were really pretty except the cups were too small even though we did two fittings while I was in Cairo. Sigh. We had to take the sleeves and use it instead to add to the bra so it wouldn't be too scandalous:). My mesh dress also had to be completely overhauled by our seamstress as it was way too big, and she had to remove a lot of tacky looking stones and completely re-do the beading. But I love the fabric, and it's a shame we can't get it here. She did wonders with both of these costumes.
I also have an amazing buy I got from Christine- a custom designed Hoda Zaki in black with beautiful gold and red beads-they put so much detail into their costumes, I know why it comes with that price tag. Plus their concepts are so creative! Christine wore this costume once and decided it didn't fit her as well as it should...so she let me buy it for half-price(this is the perk of being the same size as your teacher!). I love the way it clings to my body,it's so flattering, and even though it's black, the beading just stands out in photos and on stage. I will never,ever sell this costume!
If I ever get around to it, I will snap pics of my costumes and put it in a post.
A good quality costume will last you several years at least, continue to impress clients and audiences and will make you feel absolutely gorgeous. It is an investment, but it is a worthwhile investment if you're starting to take paid gigs regularly. After a few gigs, the costumes start to pay for themselves. For those of you who love dress-up aspect of bellydance and have the $$$ to spend on it, do it. It makes you feel so beautiful and such a departure from everyday boring work wear:). I swear one costume can last for years.
Ok, this was my costume rant lol. More later. I want to do a section on makeup later on.
Mwah!
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