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Bellydance
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Bellydance is my other major hobby. Unlike the SCA, most of my bellydance projects are fleeting performances. The choreographies may remain, the performances themselves exist only in the moment. Each and every one is different. While I might like to share the choreographies that I have spent so many hours creating, that really is not possible outside of performing or teaching them, and this really isn't the ideal forum for either of those. Instead, here are some of my favourite costumes and costume elements I've made over the years. White Bedleh Completed during 2005 I don't have any pictures of me wearing this ensemble. It consisted of a white bedleh worn with a baby pink, satin skirt. On occasion a purple mirror-organza overskirt is also worn. Bra: I have used two types of purchased fringing in the construction of this bedleh. The shortest is only 3-5 beads deep, and adds movement to the bra straps. The second is somewhat deeper and is used in two layers across the cup, as well as along the bottom of the belt (pictured above). Belt: The longer fringe was created to echo the commercially available fringes I used throughout the rest of the bedleh. Accessories:
Completed during 2004 This bedleh was specifically designed to evoke the 'old fashioned' and 'hollywood' style of bellydance costumes. Bra: Belt: The pattern of the belt was drafted from scratch to sit fairly high on the hip. My belt pattern differs from the common local methods in that it is constructed in two completely separate sections; a front piece and a back piece. One side is stitched together, while the other acts as the opening. I deviated from standard practice creating the whole belt in one piece so that when I needed to alter the size of the belt (for example, to make it sit lower) I could do so on both sides to ensure it would still sit evenly. Accessories: The picture of me wearing this bedleh was taken by Peter Grooby during a solo performance at the School of Contemporary Bellydance, June 2004 "Club Orientale" show.
Completed during 2004 Choli It is made from a muted, paisley patterned, mesh fabric. For strength all load bearing seams and the neckline are bound in black cotton tape. 'Security' concerns necessitated threading elastic through the back hem in order to help it stay in place during vigorous dances. The garment has a cross-over front, and fastens with cotton ties in back. Skirt As expected, the upper tier is a 3m length of fabric, the second is 6m gathered onto the hem of the upper tier, and the third is 9m lighly gathered and attached to the hem of the second tier. Rather than turning over an inch or two at the top of the upper tier and threading the elastic through to form the waist of the skirt, I attached the upper tier to a linen basque. The purpose of this change is two-fold. First, it creates a non-bulky and smooth line under the various layers of hip scarves and tassel belts to be added on top. Secondly, it provides a matte base to which the additional layers grip more easily than the synthetic fabric of the skirt. Hip Scarf Tassel Scarf The above picture was taken by Peter Grooby during a performance to Rampi Rampi at a School of Contemporary Bellydance "Club Orientale" student night.
Completed during 2002 Created for a School of Contemporary Bellydance performance of Tribal fusion, this belt was designed to fit with the group costuming requirements. (The image to the right was taken by Liz Bond in order to test costuming options for a solo tribal fusion performance in 2004.) The base fabric of the tassel belt is plaid wool (in shades of pink and purple) I had hanging around in the cupboard, backed with several layers of quilted cotton canvas. It is embroidered all over with simple geometric patterns in crochet cotton using backstitch and chain stitch. Gold thread has been looped through sections of the embroidery for interest. Bugle beads have also been sewn on to highlight elements of the design and catch the light during performances. Also catching the light are the 'mirrors', which are in fact silver paillette sequins. As there were no actual shisha mirrors available at that time, it was necessary to improvise to create the look I wanted. Tassels of knitting wool and smaller tassels made from sections of the base fringe have been ornamented with beads and added to the belt to emphasise hip movement. A number of small brass bells have also been added along the bottom of the belt in order to accentuate movement. |
Green Bedleh
Fusion
Ensemble
Tribal
Belt
