Thread: When are dresses not ok?

Jetgirls post about modern costumes got me thinking. If you have a beautiful belly dance Oriental dress (no mesh, but is beaded) (not the saidi kind) is it okay to dance in for anything? is there a time when it doesn't quite work? I have recently decided to wear more colored belly covers to make two pcs look like dresses. I love the "old style" costumes with colored belly covers. I also have a couple dresses that I have yet to perform in because I'm always wondering if it looks right or not. Am I over thinking this? It just seems that (especially on Bhuz) that a dress means, shamadan or saidi.

A dress means I feel too old for a bedlah.
A dress means I want to be more modest.
The dress means I don't care to show my midriff.
A dress means I like an easy life getting changed.
A dress can be just as glamorous and appropriate for raks sharki.
Some dresses can be more risque than a 2 piece.
I don't think restauranteurs understand the dress and I would perfectly understand him/her saying..."Er no dear bedlah please" Although I once danced for a friend in a restaurant in a dress and the staff all liked it.
I think a dress can go down well when you want to be more conservative and you are not sure all the audience (say at a wedding or party) may approve of the idea of a belldancer.
And in the final analysis, you see dancers in Egypt wearing them.
If you have the figure for a bedlah or revealing two-piece you go for it unless you are worried about the reaction of your customers and then even a gorgeous sylph will do well in a sparkly frock and for those of us less sure of how our flesh is regarded, it's a frock any time.

I offer you :

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr8WwH0oHak"]YouTube - Egyptian - Dina belly dancer[/ame]

If they're good enough for Dina....

I have seen Cassandra, Saroya (in Egypt), Dina, and others dance Raks Sharki in dresses. I think they are appropriate for wherever and whenever you dance with the exception being when the client asks for the bedlah look, as Lizajuk stated above!

Going through my closet to organize costuming (again), I was surprised to discover that I have no less than 4 dresses for costumes, and while they're each very different (an Egyptian net/bead dress, a woven/bead/fringe dress from Syria, a "dress" I made that's inspired by Theda Bara's Salome and Cleopatra images which is a velvet bra with floor-length drapes and an underskirt, and a 1920's style dress I altered with gems and other shiny bits), I use them all in similarly-themed pieces: when I want that classy, turn-of-the-century look that's part modesty, part "ankles really ARE sexy!". None of them really accent the hips that well, but they're all close-fitting enough that you can clearly see the movements and isolation...and I tell ya, I have never gotten more comments on how sexy my legs were and my use of footwork as I do in these dresses. Here's a clip of the last dress I mentioned in a piece I did in November:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbvB2_ww0c4]YouTube - Tempest @ November Noir, San Antonio, TX 2008[/ame]

Always appropriate (right dress for the right dance of course) but some audiences might not *get* it - restaurants with a lot of american gp, bellygrams for americans.

it totally depends on the venue and the audience.

for a regular restaurant gig with an american audience (like "go around the tables at a restaurant"), a bedlah works best in my experience. sometimes they don't even get the lycra 2 piece costumes. they expect the old school belly dancer fantasy stereo type.

2 piece costumes work best if you will be accepting on body tipping. otherwise their only options is in arm bands (which don't hold a lot) or in the bra top which i personally do not favor.

dresses are great for weddings because they are family appropriate and show movement without scandalizing the more conservative relatives. dresses are most appropriate for shamadan at weddings. all this assumes the guests know to give you money showers, money necklaces or tip in an envelope at the end of your show.

this is all based on my personal experience. of course others will have different opinions based on their experiences.

I love dresses! Whether two piece or dress a good costume always fits right! Not all two-pieces look good on me but some do. I wear both.

I also wear both and sometimes I like dresses WAY better!

Originally Posted by lizajuk

A dress means I feel too old for a bedlah.
A dress means I want to be more modest.
The dress means I don't care to show my midriff.
A dress means I like an easy life getting changed.
A dress can be just as glamorous and appropriate for raks sharki.
Some dresses can be more risque than a 2 piece.
I don't think restauranteurs understand the dress and I would perfectly understand him/her saying..."Er no dear bedlah please" Although I once danced for a friend in a restaurant in a dress and the staff all liked it.
I think a dress can go down well when you want to be more conservative and you are not sure all the audience (say at a wedding or party) may approve of the idea of a belldancer.
And in the final analysis, you see dancers in Egypt wearing them.
If you have the figure for a bedlah or revealing two-piece you go for it unless you are worried about the reaction of your customers and then even a gorgeous sylph will do well in a sparkly frock and for those of us less sure of how our flesh is regarded, it's a frock any time.

All of this. I agree that they're not quite right for bellygrams and some restaurant work (although I dance for one manager who likes my gold dress a lot).

Originally Posted by mahira-michelle

Jetgirls post about modern costumes got me thinking. If you have a beautiful belly dance Oriental dress (no mesh, but is beaded) (not the saidi kind) is it okay to dance in for anything? is there a time when it doesn't quite work? I have recently decided to wear more colored belly covers to make two pcs look like dresses. I love the "old style" costumes with colored belly covers. I also have a couple dresses that I have yet to perform in because I'm always wondering if it looks right or not. Am I over thinking this? It just seems that (especially on Bhuz) that a dress means, shamadan or saidi.

A dress means classy to me. I prefer dresses to two pieces to dance in. There is something inherently sexy about a classy dress. Less is more, so to speak. I've never ever had a problem in restaurants with wearing a dress.

I haven't had issues wearing a dress in restaurants either.
Most of them have strategiclly placed cutouts and are almost bedlah like.
To me its more mysterious since its not all out there and leaves the audeince guessing. I also have one thats all sheer (like chiffon except 4 way stretch) amde by pharonics and all that goes under it are sorts and a bra.
Dresses are VERY classy!