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Zorba · 07-04-2008, 07:30 AM

How in tarnation did I miss this thread?

Here's my take on it - keep in mind this is what works for ME - others need to make their own choices in the matter...

There are all kinds of options for male dancers in the top department that aren't necessarily vests, but aren't bras either. I don't wear bras as I don't have the anatomy that requires one - that's my "line" between masculine and feminine (no quotes). Take a look through my galleries for "some" of the possibilities - but remember I don't have them all covered by any means! My very favorite top is my blue "Raffa top" (Named after the male dancer from whom I blatantly stole the idea) - its unabashedly masculine in the true sense (based on anatomy), yet it is very "pretty" or "beautiful" or whatever pronoun you want to apply to it. Its quite versatile in that it can be decorated much like the female bra can be in a variety of ways (lookup Raffa on the web, there's a couple of pictures of him in this kind of top). It also shows off the dancer's torso quite well and highlights isolations spectacularly - something that neither a bare chested look, nor a shirted look can do.

My "famous" quote: I'm neither a woman, nor do I desire to look like one; yet I do reserve the right to seek my own beauty.

As far as skirts go, I consider them a unisex garment as they're not dependent upon anatomy - indeed, I wear them full time in my mundane life. Plus the usual blab about skirts being worn by men for thousands of years in much of the world.

In my dance life, I wear them when the dance calls for one, i.e. the dance includes skirtwork. I otherwise tend NOT to wear them performing as I realize that my audiences most likely do NOT consider them a unisex garment and I don't want to warp their brains any more than I already do by my mere presence. But again, if the dance calls for one, I'll gladly wear one - if someone can't handle it they can leave. I'm not going to spoil my fun because of stupid cultural norms - and most of my audiences seem to love it. Remind me to tell you about the time I was asked to demonstrate skirtwork in a workshop because I was the best in the class at it!

I don't recommend wearing a skirt in class (unless doing skirtwork) - most teachers don't either because they want to be able to see what your lower body is doing. As someone else pointed out, Melodia dance pants or similar from Sharifwear or L.Rose are excellent and beautiful things to wear. They're about the only pants I'm ever seen in these days (for the simple reason that Belly Dance is about the only time I wear pants).

07-04-2008, 07:30 AM	#20 (permalink)
Zorba Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 861	How in tarnation did I miss this thread? Here's my take on it - keep in mind this is what works for ME - others need to make their own choices in the matter... There are all kinds of options for male dancers in the top department that aren't necessarily vests, but aren't bras either. I don't wear bras as I don't have the anatomy that requires one - that's my "line" between masculine and feminine (no quotes). Take a look through my galleries for "some" of the possibilities - but remember I don't have them all covered by any means! My very favorite top is my blue "Raffa top" (Named after the male dancer from whom I blatantly stole the idea) - its unabashedly masculine in the true sense (based on anatomy), yet it is very "pretty" or "beautiful" or whatever pronoun you want to apply to it. Its quite versatile in that it can be decorated much like the female bra can be in a variety of ways (lookup Raffa on the web, there's a couple of pictures of him in this kind of top). It also shows off the dancer's torso quite well and highlights isolations spectacularly - something that neither a bare chested look, nor a shirted look can do. My "famous" quote: I'm neither a woman, nor do I desire to look like one; yet I do reserve the right to seek my own beauty. As far as skirts go, I consider them a unisex garment as they're not dependent upon anatomy - indeed, I wear them full time in my mundane life. Plus the usual blab about skirts being worn by men for thousands of years in much of the world. In my dance life, I wear them when the dance calls for one, i.e. the dance includes skirtwork. I otherwise tend NOT to wear them performing as I realize that my audiences most likely do NOT consider them a unisex garment and I don't want to warp their brains any more than I already do by my mere presence. But again, if the dance calls for one, I'll gladly wear one - if someone can't handle it they can leave. I'm not going to spoil my fun because of stupid cultural norms - and most of my audiences seem to love it. Remind me to tell you about the time I was asked to demonstrate skirtwork in a workshop because I was the best in the class at it! I don't recommend wearing a skirt in class (unless doing skirtwork) - most teachers don't either because they want to be able to see what your lower body is doing. As someone else pointed out, Melodia dance pants or similar from Sharifwear or L.Rose are excellent and beautiful things to wear. They're about the only pants I'm ever seen in these days (for the simple reason that Belly Dance is about the only time I wear pants). __________________ -Zorba "The Veiled Male" http://www.doubleveil.net "There is nothing sadder than a veil, that is for sale." Last edited by Zorba; 07-04-2008 at 07:33 AM.