Thread: How Do I Dress for Shaabi?

Ok, so I am new to the belly dance community. I have been dancing about a year, and just started to do haflas. I know haflas are a place to let loose, but I still want to be informed about how to dress accordingly. I am doing a shaabi song for my next hafla by Saad, but I want to make sure I dress correctly. I can't find anything on the nature of it. I dont' really want to dress cabaret...can I dress in gypsy style? Any help would be great!

I took a shaabi workshop with Tarik Sultan, and I remember him saying that beledi dresses and galabeya are more appropriate costuming choices than bedlah.

Then again, since shaabi is an informal street dance that people do for fun, *technically* anything goes. Even some type of funky streetwear might be fun. I've always wanted to wear a silver bedlah with embellished jeans ..g.:

"Gypsy" style is not really great for shaabi music.
A sexy baladidress (the ones like a tight long lycra t-shirt with slits in the sides) or a bra/belt or bra/skirt costume is nice. In regards to cabaret costume I definitely think more modern simplistic bra /skirt than bra/belt and swirly chiffon. Some make a "costume" with a pair of jeans a sparkly top and a hip-scarf or a piece of fabric around the hips. This has been done a lot and I've heard egyptian teachers say that they hate when people perform in jeans. There are definitely different opinions on that though.
I'm curious to see what others say about dressing for shaabi.

Orit has a really cute Shaabi video and she's wearing a form fitting dress with lips all over it. I adore that video. She's dancing to Fakerny by Haifi W.

Yes! I love Orit's dress in that video.

Come to think of it, Dina also wears a little hot pink minidress in Saad's "El-Enab" video.

Party clothes would be totally appropriate, and usually after the holidays, you can get some great bargains on little party dresses!

Thank's for the tip, yes that is very cute!
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT1Ny14ABBM&feature=related]YouTube - Orit show in Korea- bellydance to "Fakerni"[/ame]

the latest of estha would be awesome for shaabi! ..g.:

http://www.bhuz.com/forum/belly-danc...tml#post566347



Qamar

Depending on the music I'd go either for a gallibaya or beledi dress or street clothes like jeans. The other option if it is a fantasy folkloric interpretation (which isn't really shaabi but a number of people eg Denise Enan are teaching that) is harem pants and a tie top.

Whatever choice you go for though - no bedleh!

ITA with the above. A galabeya, a little party dress, etc. would be perfect.

Check out the clips of Dina performing with Saad to get an idea...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geBZu-zN398]YouTube - Dina in film سعيد الصغير و دينا[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpmU7lOiCag]YouTube - Dina in film دينا[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcJpUL9Ch2Q]YouTube - Dina in film, 2006 سعيد الصغير و دينا[/ame]

And, not Dina, but other Egyptian costuming choices for a Saad song:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-5UAs5ooLI]YouTube - El Hantour[/ame]

Most dancers tend to wear outfits that are contemporary interpretations of Egyptian folkloric costumes or stage-worthy, Western-style street/party clothes--in other words, pretty much anything that doesn't make you look like you are in costume as a genie, a fortune teller, or a princess.

(BTW, if you haven't done so already, you might want to look at a translation of the lyrics to your song before getting on stage. Saad can get kind of racy...http://www.bhuz.com/forum/music-trad...nab-about.html)

Thank you all so much. This info is extremely helpful. I bought this skirt and was going to wear it with the vest, minus the bedlah bra with some kind of shirt...thoughts?

We3 Belly Dance Turkish Gypsy Tribal 4 Pt Skirt - eBay (item 360216709560 end time Dec-17-09 15:54:50 PST)

Beautiful we3 set! I'd probably save that for a more Turkish or vintage cabaret-flavored set than shaabi, though. Just my $0.02!

This thread had some good info on what to wear for shaabi too -
http://www.bhuz.com/forum/belly-danc...i-discuss.html

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Beautiful we3 set! I'd probably save that for a more Turkish or vintage cabaret-flavored set than shaabi, though. Just my $0.02!

Absolutely agree 100%. The outfit you're describing would be perfectly suited for Turkish Romani (Gypsy) dance.

As far as costume suitability goes.. if you're a student dancing in a recital or hafla, it's OK to wear what you like/what suits your body/what you can afford.

I, for one, don't expect people who dance as their hobby to run out and buy a new costume every time they try out a new dance style.

If i were in an audience and saw a student dancing to Shaabi in this costume, I wouldn't turn up my nose or be judgmental, I'd assume she was working with what she had.

But since you asked about appropriateness, and the goal is to educate you and anyone else who reads this thread -- the outfit above really isn't well suited to Shaabi for several reasons. It's an Indian interpretation of a Turkish style, far removed from anything an Egyptian might wear. It's also reflective of styles that were popular 30-40 years ago, whereas Saad is a very modern artist. So it would be a little like dancing to Kanye West in a poodle skirt in a way. Except that Kanye West and poodle skirts are at least from the same part of the world.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

So it would be a little like dancing to Kanye West in a poodle skirt in a way. Except that Kanye West and poodle skirts are at least from the same part of the world.

Shhhhh....don't say it too loud. This might become the next big trend .w.:

ETA: In all seriousness, you could probably even find something affordable at one of those cheap clubwear stores like Joyce Leslie or Forever 21. They have tons of little snug-fitting party dresses at those stores, all for usually under $30. Appropriate and reusable!

Ok cool. I would of course go and pick a song wayyy off from the costume style I like. You girls are great. Glad I joined this site!

Originally Posted by Shereen80

Ok cool. I would of course go and pick a song wayyy off from the costume style I like. You girls are great. Glad I joined this site!

Hey, that's what we're here for, and we're glad to see you on here asking the right questions. I wish I knew about Bhuz when I first started out. I would've prevented a lot of SNAFU's!

Ok one more question...would a Ghawazee dress work?

I admit I'm not an expert in Ghawazee dancing, but a ghawazee dress would also appear anachronistic in a shaabi setting. Ghawazee-style dance even predates cabaret-style belly dance, as it was performed in the 19th century. Wikipedia is not always the most accurate source, but this article is a general overview: [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghawazee]Ghawazee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

Again, totally legitimate question, and thanks for asking!

When costuming your shaabi performance, think loosely in terms of what you might see young people wear to a party or a club. Something cute, sexy, modern and fun, right?

I guess what I'm trying to say is, even though shaabi "belongs" to another culture, resist the urge to go too folky or costume-y...if that makes any sense!

This is the costume I wore when I did a shabbi performance to El Enab:

Love! Where did you get that awesome dress, Laura? ..g.:

Along the lines of Laura and Qamar's adorable dresses, these slinky galabeyas from Hanan are another good option. They come in lots of colors and are very versatile -- throw on a cute hipscarf and you can use them for cane, beledi, melaya leff, and even oriental.
Blue: Belly Dance Costumes | Belly Dance Store.com: gallery
Fuchsia: Belly Dance Costumes | Belly Dance Store.com: gallery

Originally Posted by laura 2

This is the costume I wore when I did a shabbi performance to El Enab:

And it was a really cute sassy interpretation! I can attest!

Hello again Shereen80,

Just from the two pictures you've provided I would say you are more familiar with Triabl and Fusion costuming, these are not what would be associated with Egyptian Shaabi. Hmmmmmm, how I can say what is in my head without being confusing? Go with a simple dress of some sort or maybe even a melaya dress (minus the melaya leff). Possibly even these paired with a cute hipscarf. MAYBE.

Belly Dance Costumes | Belly Dance Store.com: gallery

Belly Dance Costumes | Belly Dance Store.com: gallery

OR this
Belly Dance Costumes | Belly Dance Store.com: gallery

Originally Posted by Shereen80

Thank you all so much. This info is extremely helpful. I bought this skirt and was going to wear it with the vest, minus the bedlah bra with some kind of shirt...thoughts?

We3 Belly Dance Turkish Gypsy Tribal 4 Pt Skirt - eBay (item 360216709560 end time Dec-17-09 15:54:50 PST)

Sorry, no. That skirt doesn't fit any kind of Egyptian. And I wouldn't do a vest for Egyptian (unless you are in drag as a Nubian guy - or really old style ghawazee). It was pretty well labelled - it's fantasy gypsy.

Any of the above suggestions sound fine - except maybe not the harem pants.

Maybe something like this?

Belly Dance Costumes | Belly Dance Store.com: gallery

Originally Posted by kashmir

Depending on the music I'd go either for a gallibaya or beledi dress or street clothes like jeans. The other option if it is a fantasy folkloric interpretation (which isn't really shaabi but a number of people eg Denise Enan are teaching that) is harem pants and a tie top.

Whatever choice you go for though - no bedleh!

This. I asked Caroline Evanoff this exact question - she is really into shaabi and studying it quite intensively in Cairo, helped by the fact she lives in a shaabi part of town - and she said a) you wouldn't do it as a performance style and b) but if you were doing it as a tableau or something, a normal galabeya or street clothes like jeans. And don't wear a headscarf.

Would a ghawazee dress work?

No. Shaabi people are real modern people, not people who used to live 150 years ago. I assume by ghawazee dress you mean the coat?

Originally Posted by zumarrad

This. I asked Caroline Evanoff this exact question - she is really into shaabi and studying it quite intensively in Cairo, helped by the fact she lives in a shaabi part of town - and she said a) you wouldn't do it as a performance style and b) but if you were doing it as a tableau or something, a normal galabeya or street clothes like jeans.

It makes more sense to perform it outside the culture than within it. Sha'abi dance is the contemporary form of indigenous belly dance "in the wild." It's not thrill for people in Cairo to see a performer doing something that their relatives do at every wedding and party they go to. For people who live elsewhere, it's instructive to see another culture's social dancing demonstrated, particularly since doing it properly requires an awareness of posture, body language, and gestures that aren't native to them.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Love! Where did you get that awesome dress, Laura? ..g.:

I got it from a vendor called Diamond Pyramid at a BD event in Las Vegas (not the Intensive, that other one they put on in 2007 only). I think it was a pretty good price too, like $115 or so?