Thread: Break me out of a costume rut.

I'm stuck in a rut. I gravitate toward bellas (who doesn't), especially princess-y bellas. Right now I have a pink bella, a gold bella, a forest green bella, a turqouise and fuschia old-style fringe monster, a red & black eman, and a pale lilac pharaonics 1001 nights. I also have a few odds and ends.

I am desperate for a new costume (or 2, depending on the price). The ones i have I can't bear to part with, but they've been in my rotation for YEARS already. But I want something different!!! I'm a little bored with the same old egyptian style costumes. My instructor has a gorgeous teal bella she's willing to sell me, but I'm not sure I want another bella (gasp!!!) and I have my eye on a couple bellas in the swapmeet, but again, I don't know if I want the same old...

I do prefer full skirts, as my legs are short and my waist is long and my hips are narrow, so it balances me out a bit, but I'm open to any ideas for unique designers, interesting designs, etc.

I like some of the new Russian designs, and I really like the idea of lots of ruffles on a skirt. I'm also a bit infatuated with nude backed bras and so forth.

Ideas ideas? I have toyed with having something made but I'll be honest---I'm not very good at waiting.

Tell us about your performances. Are you dancing mostly in restaurants, hookah bars (guessing not with all those bellas!), outdoor festivals, stage shows? How often do you perform?

Also your usual dance style (though I realize most of us don't dance in boxes). Modern Egyptian? Jazzy westernized Pan-Arabic?

Rrestaurant (yes. Hookah bars even with the bellas), stage, parties, usually 1-2 times/month (was more but I have a 1 year old now). Egyptian with Lebanese styling and fusion, mostly.

Hmm... have you thought about going for an old-school look? One of my favorite costumes is our troupe costume, a bra/belt set just smothered in a mix of gold/silver coins. We wear it with a sleek trumpet skirt, or layered chiffon skirts (lime and turquoise is my favorite combo!) and sometimes with the super-ruffled Endless Wave pants. It's fun to make so much noise, and I love bringing that stereotype 'bellydancer' to life. I also love being able to change out skirts & accessories and get so many different looks (or buy a skirt and get a new look for just $100 or so!)

My other thought for you is Mumtaz. I think his designs are very flattering & feminine but they always look fresh to me. Belly Dance Costumes | Belly Dance Store.com: gallery

I second the old school coin set. I just got one from the bellydance store that has both gold and silver coins on it. It goes with everything, and makes a ton of noise. It's one of my favorites!