HEAD, TORSO, HIPS, LEGS:
What Does It Have in Its Closets?

"The quickest and easiest answer for those with short hair is a head-band decoraged with coins, ethnic jewelry, or beads. This band has elastic in the back and goes behind the head, not under the chin, and can be secured with hairpins. It can be placed over a veil, and the veil itself can be tucked under the chin... The headband can also be created from braided pieces of fabric to create a turban-style headdress.

"Turbans are impressive, dramatic and easy to make. They can be fashioned from simple gauze for a folkloric look or from glitter veils for a opulent [Orientale] style. Turbans can also quickly lend a unified look to a dance troupe with members who have a variety of hair styles. Troupes like Gypsy Caravan and FatChanceBellyDance... add ethnic jewelry to their wrapped turbans to create the fabulous eclectic ethnic look known as 'California Tribal' or 'Berkeley Bedouin.]"— Lauren Victoria Gray, Essence of Orientale: Hair, Hats and Head-dresses, Crescent Moon magazine, July 1996, Print.

BODY SUITS, AKA Body Stockings

BRA and BELT SETS

• Difficult to alter, so buy one that fits.
• If mail ordering, use a reputable vendor who does exchanges and refunds. Allow yourself ample time so you can exchange costumes if needed.
• Susi, author of Making Wise Choices in the Belly-Dance Wear Market-place for the Gilded Serpent, discusses evaluating a proposed purchase for quality and figure flattery.
• If your first set is a metallic color, you can mix and match skirts and accessories to make several costumes.

COATS

DRESSES or ROBES

Form-fitting dresses with long side slits and folkloric stylings are popular for theatrical cane dances (Raqs Assaya). The dress may or may not have sleeves.

GALEBEYA

The ones made of assuit are prized by all genres of dancers, MED to Tribal.

TOPS

A shrug provides modesty and hides a lot of bra problems; if you didn't have time to complete the back of your costume bra, the right shrug will get you on stage with confidence.

• Cholis are popular. Stretchy cholis have less ethnic zing to them, but they have become popular, since they avoid fitting problems. People who need to wear a bra underneath need to plan ahead, unless the choli back is closed and the shoulder comes up over the bra strap.
• A shrug is helpful when a minimalist outfit needs to be quickly glammed up.
• Halter top in various fabrications. People who need to wear a bra underneath need to plan ahead.

HIP SCARVES

Another issue to be aware of is the difficulties caused by lack of tailoring. A square or rectangular scarf may hold up when tied over voluminous ATS layers, but in most other applications it will begin to shift and slide down under the weight of the decorations and the movements of the dancer. Choose a fabric that is not slippery. Try a few darts at center back to improve fit.

Tribal and Tribal fusion: A tassel belt with folkloric fabric base and tassels or yarn fringe is traditional performance wear for both.

OVERSKIRTS and PANELS

• Multiple overskirts are sometimes worn.
• Tribal fusion: Panels of yarn or ribbon are layered over skirts and pants and under tie belts. Panel skirts of assuit or other stage-worthy fabric are frequently used. These are especially helpful when the minimalist Tribal Fusion knit top and pants need to be quickly glammed-up for stage.

PANTS

SKIRTS

Folkloric stylings based on the ruffled Rajasthan skirts and circular Kathak skirts of India are also becoming popular. Potential problems to avoid: cheap fabric (wear, tear and color fade) and parsimonious yardage (awkward fit) in the ruffled skirts; and circle skirts that have not been hung to stretch out bias before adding the hem decorations.

SHOES

• An article on Costuming for your Feet at Shira.net discusses attractive options for dance shoes (foot jewelry, half soles, dance sandals, and heeled shoes are discussed.), followed by a section on foot problems and how to compensate for them.
• From a 2008 article in Body Sense: Wear the correct shoes and check the size regularly.
  • Arch support;
  • Wide toe box;
  • Deep heel well;
  • A strap or closed back to keep heel and ankle aligned.

• Egypt: heels were once expected, but well-groomed bare feet are now an option. Shira states that some stars wear their heels on stage and then kick them off.
• Lebanese dancers are still expected to wear heels: bare foot is considered low-class.
• Turkish dancers usually wear heels, probably because it ups the sex factor. However, unlike Lebanon, it is not de rigueur.

• Rhinestones:
  • Buy AB finished rhinestones; the AB finish reflects more light and picks up the color from your costume.
  • Avoid jewelry with rhinestone settings that catch costume and veil threads: rub the stones against your shirt and make sure the prongs don't catch the fabric.
• Earrings should be about 3 or 3.5 inches long: chin length or just under the chin. 4 inch or longer and you are likely to hit your teeth with it when you turn your head. 2 inches or shorter, and the earrings disappear.
• Necklace: Looks best when you have it half way between neck and cleavage. Pendant no more than 2.5 inches long and one inch wide.
• Necklace and earring sets are not always balanced --- the necklace may be the perfect size but the earrings may be too long, or vice versa. Be firm with yourself.