Thread: Cane in Restaurant Set - What to wear?

When you incorporate a cane number in your restaurant set, what are you wearing? (I've been instructed to always wear a beledi dress of sorts for cane - never bedleh!)

So, what do you all do? Wear bedleh anyway? Wear a beledi dress for your whole set?

How about a thobe tied at the hip with a scarf over bedlah? Is that "kosher"?

I wear a bedleh. I have seen visiting guest performers from the Middle East wear bedleh too. Most of the audience could probably care less or don't know otherwise anyways.

Send in the Ethnic Police....but I've always done cane in my bedlah .w.:. Not for a lack of respect or authenticity, but more out of not knowing exactly how to pull it off gracefully. Decidedly un-P.C. and uncouthe though that may be to some, nobody's ever gotten offended. I've also seen both of my former instructors do cane in bedlah and, once again, there were no uprising from Arabic audience members or from other dancers.

An awkward costume change, or wearing crunchy folkloric garments for the entire duration of an otherwise glamazon set seems to me like it would be more off-putting than not wearing traditional garments in the first place. It really is hard to please everyone. *shrug* But I'm sure there will be plenty of differing schools of thought in this discussion.

I'd say in mixed company, you're probably fine doing cane in your bedlah. I might even incorporate some funky sleeves into my costuming that night, if I know I'll be doing cane. Just as a nod to Saidi styling.

For a predominantly Arabic crowd, you might want to end your Cabaret set, gracefully disappear for a moment to slip into your galabeya, come back out, and do cane as a finale of sorts.

Just my $0.02.

Lisa

Originally Posted by stardancer

I wear a bedleh. I have seen visiting guest performers from the Middle East wear bedleh too. Most of the audience could probably care less or don't know otherwise anyways.

I agree. For a restaurant set, I don't know what it would be like to do a full set in a galabeya or saidi dress (at least for a non-ME audience)...they probably wouldn't get it. And doing a costume change in one set probably isn't realistic. I would say the BD police wont get ya if you do cane in a bra and belt.

Whatever you wear, do not wear a full circle skirt. Cane loves to catch on the bottom of that full skirt while it's twirling...
If you wear bedlah, wear a mermaid or at least A-line skirt. ;0)

You can definitely wear a bedlah if you are doing cane in the middle of a set. I do it all the time! I only wear a beledi dress if I am doing a cane piece by itself, for a stage show or something like that. If there is anyone in the audience who even knows the difference, they'll understand that you are just using the cane as a prop in your show and can't change mid-set.

I wear my saidi trousers outfit from Eman, but also lycra costumes or the more modern outfits nowadays from cairo including miniskirts.

I wouldn't wear a full circle skirt or a pharonics princess look.

A Khaleegy style thobe takes like .3 seconds to get in and out thru the big big sleeves if you can slip behind a screen...but is it kosher?

Originally Posted by anala

A Khaleegy style thobe takes like .3 seconds to get in and out thru the big big sleeves if you can slip behind a screen...but is it kosher?

Mmmm....no.

If you have a chance to leave the room briefly, you can pull an L. Rose U-Top with drape sleeves that matches your skirt as a nod to a more folkloric styling. But as part of a larger set, it's common at least around these parts to just leave your costuming as is.

It's totally acceptable to do saiidi in a 2 piece when you're doing it as part of a set. If you have one of those pretty dresses that look like two pieces, that would work just fine too. I think when you're dancing at, say, a showcase where you only have that one solo you should definitely wear a galibeya. That's because the only thing you're doing at that time will be a saiidi dance, so there's no excuse!

also, I personally think it'd be awkward to leave and come back. At least, where I am, people would see me no matter what and I don't want them to see me changing!!! The vast majority won't even get why you are changing anyways so it would just confuse them

Originally Posted by Safiyah

It's totally acceptable to do saiidi in a 2 piece when you're doing it as part of a set. If you have one of those pretty dresses that look like two pieces, that would work just fine too. I think when you're dancing at, say, a showcase where you only have that one solo you should definitely wear a galibeya. That's because the only thing you're doing at that time will be a saiidi dance, so there's no excuse!

Ditto!

Thanks for feedback!

Mmmm....no.

Even with a scarf ?? Is it a "sleeve will get in your way issue"...or...never ever do anything but a Gulf dance in a Thobe....come on...when did just "no" ever work around here??? ;-)

I think that the thobe is worn solely in the Gulf region, so if you want to be correct, you should wear a galibeya since assaya is Egyptian. sooo your attempt at wearing "correct" clothing would be totally wrong to begin with! There are loose galibeyas that you can try though

Ah ha...thank you. Loose galibeyas with velcro for instant folkloric...now there is a seller for you!

Originally Posted by Safiyah

I think that the thobe is worn solely in the Gulf region, so if you want to be correct, you should wear a galibeya since assaya is Egyptian. sooo your attempt at wearing "correct" clothing would be totally wrong to begin with! There are loose galibeyas that you can try though

I have to agree, I'd be pretty confused if I saw someone wearing a Khaleegy thobe and doing cane. I personally am not really a fan of the thobes as coverups, either - they just have a very specific use for me in my mind.

Lol...thank you ladies for explainin' it for me. I would also be confused if I saw the dancer tugging on some other outfit mid-set. It would set off thoughts like she is trying to be too correct and too fussy to just dance and enjoy, then if it were a thobe, I would think something like, she's trying to show off how educated she is by covering her bedlah, but putting a Gulf dress over it?? Whaaaaa?

Sorry Anala, so I repeat: Mmmm...no.

hehehe

well...okay...I have one in my closet and I'm just lookin for an excuse...any excuse....Gulf doesnt get much chance to come outta the closet around here...how about you guys?

Only when the DJ plays Mashkalny.

I have wanted to do it to a Natacha Atlas song from Mish Maoul...Hyati Enta I think is the name without researcing for spelling...

I recently saw a dancer ina restaurant who was doing cane wear a velvet choli style costume. matching skirt and hip wrap (not relaly a scarf, but almost?) I'll see if I can find a pictureof something simular. Her whole set had a folkloric fee to it, so it worked!

{{{HUGS}}}

Like this:

https://www.dahlal.com/default.aspx?...1&s1=1157&s2=0

Ugh! Egyptian Legends Pg. 17. . .

Loose galibeyas with velcro for instant folkloric...now there is a seller for you!

I'm envisioning the equivalent of male stripper pants now. The galabaya you can rip off to reveal shiny shiny underneath!

When Caroline Evanoff was here, she said that her shows in Egypt usually consist of her doing several songs, then her going off for a costume change while some male performers did their stuff, and returning in folky garb for a folkloric set, so it can be done.

I think in your average restaurant situation whipping out the old cane mid-set in bedleh is fine.

Now I have to ask: What about slipping on a ghawazee coat? (We'll be two dancers trading places, so I'd have an opportunity to do that gracerfully.)

And, yeah, cane in one of these huge big 25-yard skirts requires practice ;-) It can be done, though. One just has to do swings away from the body.

What about slipping on a ghawazee coat

Perfect!

I've actually changed into a SharifWear assuit dress that I have with a hip scarf during a break before I go out for a folkloric set. It has enough sparkle that it works for the rest of the set after the cane as well and I just pick more folkloric style music.

I usually do a long cane piece in the middle of my show. I just leave all my same stuff on. This (from what ive seen and done) is the norm. I would only wear a beledi dress if the set I was doing was mostly cane and saidi music.

I guess it also depends on venue. If its an American audience I feel like you can wear whatever but if its a ME audience they would think its weird to be dancing a whole set in a saidi dress. Unless its all to the right music.

......

And now im thinking too much, MY BRAIN ESPLODE!

This is ideal and more "how they do it over there".

Originally Posted by miriamgamal

I've actually changed into a SharifWear assuit dress that I have with a hip scarf during a break before I go out for a folkloric set. It has enough sparkle that it works for the rest of the set after the cane as well and I just pick more folkloric style music.

Since my set is continuous, last Friday I went for bedleh with trumpet skirt. You know how sometimes you want reassurance from the Bhuz group, even though you know what you've decided is okay? That's how I was feeling last week when I posed the question.

I have this for modern saidi:

but realize the GP doesn't even understand why a belly dancer has a cane in the first place, nevermind that she's not wearing what they think of as a belly dance costume.

Thanks again for all the comments!