Thread: How low do you go?

How low on you hips do you wear your costumes? I have a long waist, and sometimes if I wear mine truly below my hipline, it looks like i'm gonna have some raks beaver going on...

What's the standard? I've always wondered... But have just gone with what I felt comfy with.

I used to wear them below where my belly pooches because it actually de-emphasized it. (strange but true) But now that I've had a child and have extra skin there it looks better to wear things right across it which makes my skirts look too short, lol.

I am short waisted, so I tend to wear my belts low. Not quiet you'll know if I wax low, but getting there.

When I first started dancing, I wore my belts pretty high. When I got the tat on my lower back, I told the artist place it low enough that my belt would cover it. Now, the rule is the top of belt goes along the bottom of the tat. Any lower and I become a plumber.

{{{HUGS}}}

same here. I go pretty low because I have a short waist too.
Just below my belly pooch. Just above the waxing area.....

I like to wear mine on the upper hip area. I worry when I see others wear their skirts so low that you can see their pelvic bone, especially if the skirt is too long - it distracts from the dancing because I am wondering when the dancer will step on the hem so the real show can start...l;,

I have a tattoo of my husband's name on my lower back, about an inch or so above my butt. I use it to determine if my belt is too low. If you can see "Mike", then I need to hitch it up. ..g.:

Lower rather than higher, because I too have a short waist and a round belly.

Top 5 reasons for bellydancers when they get a tattoo:
1- to know where the edge of the skirt needs to go
...

Originally Posted by Kathiya

Top 5 reasons for bellydancers when they get a tattoo:
1- to know where the edge of the skirt needs to go
...

Exactly! ..l;, In my case, I had the tattoo before I started performing, but it really does work.

It sits right at my hip bone. I find it more slimming.

Wouldnt it depend on the cut and design of the costume along with your body type and the weight of the costume?

I personally go by aligning at the top of my glutes rather than going by the front... I could go ALOT lower on the front than the back....yup, cursed with high gluteuses...

Some costumes intentionally emphasise this fact, others - not so much.... it's fun to dip the line of the belt/pants/whatever lower in the front and higher in the back... but it all depends on the costume and it's cut and how heavy it is... I would imagine that a Swarovski studded costume would fall off the hip and onto the floor pretty fast if the dancer wore it too low.

As for me - I dont have a problem with seeing loooow costumes - it adds to the drama of the performance if it's flattering on the dancer. At the same time - I dont want to see a 5 o'clock shaddow either.... I dont mind higher sitting costumes if the cut and dancer's body accomodates it...

It also depends on what you're comfortable with.... some people have HOT bods but wouldnt be caught dead with a low fitting hipline on their costume. Many factors play in...

My pet peeve is rather with too short skirts (at the bottom) than too low skirts (at the top) :)

DaVid

I wear mine just below my bellybutton. I have a big ol butt so I have to wear kind of high to keep it covered. I also like that it cuts across my belly pooch working to minimize at least that half of my keg.

I like to wear my bottom stuff at the top of my hip bones. I feel like it's low enough to show off my belly but high enough that it doesn't freak people out

I wear mine quite high just bellow my belly button. I like the look of them lower but on me NO, not after having my son!

My pet peeve is rather with too short skirts (at the bottom) than too low skirts (at the top) :)

THIS. I think ideally feet should be minimised as much as possible. I'm tall and while my feet are not huge, they're not small either. Big feet hanging out below a hemline attract attention. Some of my older skirts are really far too short. We used to get told to have the hemline at the ankle bone but on me that's not low enough, not even close. I would love to be able to work with floorlength or close to it. I think it looks nicer.

Originally Posted by david

yup, cursed with high gluteuses...
DaVid

Oh, yea...such a "curse"

If the multiple of nucleus is 'nuclei' should the multiple of gluteus be 'glutei'?

I was always taught that the hem line should be in the middle of your heel. So, barefoot that would be what? 1" above the floor?

{{{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by tahiradancer

I was always taught that the hem line should be in the middle of your heel. So, barefoot that would be what? 1" above the floor?

{{{{HUGS}}}

I'd say let it touch the floor...when you move - the costume will move out of the way (unless you lift your foot off the ground and let the costume get UNDER you - in that case: floor work next!)

My costumes actually go UNDER my feet/heels most of the time. My second teacher was big on covering ankles - it transferred onto me. I pull a reverse-Dina and pull on the pant leg to adjust the fabric. Another option is an elastic at the ankles and letting the fabric have enough give to flow - but not enough to slip under your feet... I just get very distracted by ankles if they are visible.

Originally Posted by Doozer

If the multiple of nucleus is 'nuclei' should the multiple of gluteus be 'glutei'?

Doozer - you're probably right - but I'm known for making up words.... its just my personality/humor/lack of attentiveness. Like, I've more than once asked my students to pay attention when they "tranzide" between movements... It just comes out... cant help it. Gluteuses. Buttage. Hipage. Boobage. PEDOmeter..... I read things weird too! It's the British boarding schools fault, I swear. ..l;,

DaVid

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

Oh, yea...such a "curse"

LOL, sounds silly - but come jeans shopping with me sometime and then you'll know lol.

And for those not cursed - shoulder pads for everyone :)

Originally Posted by david

I'd say let it touch the floor...when you move - the costume will move out of the way

ITA - I like my skirts to touch the floor, maybe with just the tips of my toes peeking out. I'm a shorty, and I find having the skirt that long actually elongates my body and makes me look taller.

Originally Posted by laura 2

ITA - I like my skirts to touch the floor, maybe with just the tips of my toes peeking out. I'm a shorty, and I find having the skirt that long actually elongates my body and makes me look taller.

I'm the very opposite, but I find that a longer skirt looks much more elegant on me, too. I have proportionately long legs and arms, and a short wide body (which is why I like being photographed side on or on a diagonal mostly, so you can't see how huge my hips look), and if I have a skirt that is too short it makes me look shorter and boxier because of the two lines across my body.

Just for kicks, I measured the distance from my belly button to just below my hip bone , where I see a lot of people wear their belts, and it was a full 6 inches.... That's enough to freak most people out. Put it this way.. "high waist" jeans come at least 1" below my navel.

I wear it low too. I do think that if you have a rounded belly, it looks better if you wear your skirt below it than cutting it in half with your skirt. It also makes my waist look longer.

Luckily I have a low-slung butt. However, I do have trouble keeping my skirts up and have been experimenting with ways to do that. Pinning it to my panties was one idea but I'm always afraid that both will slide off. I haven't actually had a costume slide off yet but I live in fear.

I have a short torso so I wear them as low as I can, but it's determined by my glutes also. I can only go so low before you get plumbers crack.

That's so funny that so many of us gauge belt hight by our tattoos! My first was a little Neko (Japanese luck-becokoning cat) on the back of my right hip...if I wear my belt too low, or it slips, you can see the Neko 'waving'...I tell my students that if they 'see kitty' to lmk...you should see their shocked expression when they try to figure out how 'kitty' got...back there!

I tend to wear mine higher on my hips to hide some of my stretchmarks.

i use the dimples on my lower back as my judge. i wear my costumes just below them or right on top. if i can see my dimples, i know that's when to stop!

Originally Posted by Sonja2

Just for kicks, I measured the distance from my belly button to just below my hip bone , where I see a lot of people wear their belts, and it was a full 6 inches.... That's enough to freak most people out. Put it this way.. "high waist" jeans come at least 1" below my navel.

I'm the same way. I have to admit I wear my stuff pretty low, it is far more flattering and makes me look like I have a smaller waist. My skirts are not in much danger of slipping off because I have the J Lo can ..l;,

I noticed in the older dancer pictures, their costumes are much lower.