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

Amulya

Moderator
Wow! That was uhm, different! Haha.

Btw the move that people say is Dina's signature movement isn't exclusive by Dina! This dancer does it too so Dina didn't invent it.
 

Dunyah

New member
I went looking for some garish red, white and blue belly dance costume with stars and stripes, and I didn't find anything. But I did find this, which is quite nice, I think. The caption says "My teacher Katarina Burda balancing a Russian cossack sabre sword on the 4th of July at Point Richmond, 1970's". Found on Pinterest, I hope it is okay to post here. I was lucky enough to take a workshop with Katarina Burda and I have a lot of respect for her and her work. She has an excellent YouTube channel, too.

So, in honor of Independence Day in the U.S., here it is:

Katarina Burda.jpg
 

Amulya

Moderator

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PracticalDancer

New member
The flowers remind me of things we used to create from tissue and pipe cleaners when I was in grade school. I had no idea those skills might be useful later on in life.

Was this movie a comedy? That would explain a lot.

(Aggh! Clicked the wrong button and lost my thoughts! let's see if I remember all that I wrote . . .)

Based on what I see in the film, and lots of learning from Sahra, etc., here is what I see:

The scene is a lower middle class wedding, based on the tent fabric, the stage set up, and the bride and groom. The family is well off enough to afford several lower end dancers vs fewer, better ones. (The women on the stage who are clapping are other dancers.) The women at the wedding are NOT happy with the dancer; but, the men are, in the most lascivious way.

Her costuming is then likely a reflection of her status - too much skin covered by sheer fabric and do-it-yourself decorations to satisfy the modesty police. (Dina's "butt wipe" move is also aimed at the modesty police, which is probably why she does it.)

At least, this is what I can tell from what I see, without knowing the title or plot or the rest of the film. All that said, her dancing toward the end is nice - I like her arms and attitude as the scene ends. And, you have to be a pretty confident dancer to take on that role (of a lower class dancer who is unwelcome, wearing that . . . interesting concoction . . . of a costume.)
 

Shanazel

Moderator
I love it. The secret to its beauty is the lushness of the trims used. Were they less varied or less thick the skirt might be a boring disaster. You'd look adorable in this, Amulya.
 

Amulya

Moderator
I think it would look great with a triangle scarf wrapped around it and a belt over that. The rest of the stuff that that Etsy store has looks pretty awful (it isn't belly dance stuff, but I found this skirt on a Pinterest board of a belly dancer)
 
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PracticalDancer

New member
Hmm . . . I have about 100 yards (or so it seems) of vintage lace.

But, it would be a disaster to wear and maintain. It would snag on everything and be a beast to untangle after a wash.
 

Shanazel

Moderator
Can you say "hand wash gently in soft suds and roll in a towel to dry," m'dear? :D

We made ribbon skirts for my gals to wear over black pants and tank tops for a fusion dance and they aren't as hard to maintain as you might think. A bit of fray check on the ends and you're good to go. One of the gals used a few pieces of trim on hers but these things need to be good and think in order to look spectacular instead of skimpy. I also made a stunning one out of multiple kinds of weaving yarn in blues and grays with a touch of umber. They're going up for sale, too, though I really am reluctant to let the yarn one go. You can see one of the ribbon skirts on the picture on my profile.
 

Amulya

Moderator
I love this Bella, it's not a colour I could wear but it would look great on other dancers:
www.pinterest.com/pin/434878907741911623/
 

Amulya

Moderator
Normally I like vintage costumes, but the top bra is nipple-tactic. The second bra can be saved I think, it would need to be transferred onto a proper bra, this one has a strange shape in the middle and I suspect the heavy coinage would not hold the shape properly. The belt probably looks very good.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/540291286519451852/
 

Jane

New member
It just doesn't track African or Middle Eastern at all. Looks like an Easter/spring craft project. I must be missing the intent behind this one somehow because I just don't get it. :think:
 
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