I never did become truly comfortable with being tipped in my costume, but the alternative of no tipping at all was even less comfortable, so I learned to go with the fashion.
Hmmm, maybe we should start a new fashion in belly dance costumes: a beaded and sequined fanny pack attached to the hip band. Audiences could drop their tips right into the bag, with nary a bill ending up on the floor or down the cleavage. The dancer could just shimmy up to the person with the tip, extend her hip and voila! (one would never wear one's fanny pack on the back of one's belt, no matter what the little bag is called
)