How to Beautify a Plain Belly Dance Costume

I danced at Demo’s Restaurant again last night.  I was a bit nervous about it, especially since I hadn’t practiced since my Demo’s debut three weeks ago.  And why haven’t I practiced?  Because the build-up for that first performance was so intense that afterwards I gave myself a break.  For three solid weeks.  The good news is now I’m more relaxed about performing.  For the moment, that’s not my main concern.

I’m more concerned with my costume.  Last time, I wore my simple gold skirt and top, with a hip scarf added.  When a fellow dancer asked me why I didn’t wear my beautiful fuchsia costume, I explained that it's too heavy for the “Elsekka”dance.   Just to make sure, though, I did a test run in it a few days ago. 

I store the fuchsia costume in pillow cases (not plastic bags--that’s a no-no) and in its very own drawer.  Reverently, I lifted it out of the drawer and carefully slid it out of the pillow cases.  Then I put it on, in all its shimmering glory.  After admiring it in the mirror for a couple of minutes, I popped in the “Jemileh” CD and did a run through of that dance.  No problem at all. Jemileh is nice and slow.  Then I put on the “Elsekka” CD.  Just as I feared, “Elsekka” is not meant to be danced in a skirt that weighs five pounds.   The main issue is the turns.  As I turn right, the skirt naturally swirls to the right, too.  However, when I twirl back to the left, the skirt is still moving to the right.  The twirls and swirls don’t match up.  It’s a ballast problem.  So I’m back to my plain gold skirt and top-with-matching-arm-bands.

I added this fringe belt to
my plain gold costume.
.

Lately I’ve been busy figuring out ways to jazz up the gold costume.  Online I purchased an inexpensive coin belt with matching necklace and earrings, plus a separate fringed belt.  I also got a beaded bra top that I plan to wear under the gold top in an arrangement that’s hard to describe.  You wear the bra top under the gold top.  Then you pull down the front of the gold top, hitching it under the bra.  Sort of like a tie-front shrug.  But I didn’t have time to test drive the bra/gold top combo, that is, actually dance in it, so I prudently decided to wait.  (I attached the new necklace to the bra top for extra decoration - see photo.)

Accessories I plan to add.

In fact, I was so short on time (my fault entirely – that monster called procrastination) that moments before we needed to leave for Demo’s, I was stitching the gold fringe belt onto my skirt while wearing it.  That may sound strange, but since both are stretchy, it’s really the only way to do it.  I made it to Demo’s on time.  My final pre-performance preparation was to drink half a glass of wine.  My four fellow (sister?) dancers and I made it through “Jemileh” just fine.  It turned out I didn’t have to dance “Elsekka” after all, because no other “Elsekka”performers showed up.

More about pimping* my costume in a later post.

* If you can pimp cars, why not belly dance costumes?