Tribal Costuming...need some expert help here chicks xx

[Tribal_Butterfly]

Hi Girls,

I have really been thinking about buying an egyptian costume but the practical reasons of buying a gorgeous sparkly number just don't really allow me to get one. I don't perform and plus I think I really am so into tribal/ATS at the mo that I might regret buying an egyptian style costume when I could buy some neat falls and heavy silver jewelery to create a fab tribal look. Im off to Mexico next week and know I will be able to get some great buys for gothic/tribal style arm bangles and cuffs etc.

I was watching tribal fest and saw that alot of the performers didnt have costumes the way egyptian style dancers do. It all seemed a little bit more 'put together'. One troupe had army boots and a knee length skirt with a gorgeous tribal bra etc.

So...what I was wondering is...is there certain rules etc about what you should wear when you perform tribal??

I have my eye on a gorgeous floor length black skirt and a really nice and quite expensive tribal belt with lots of gorgeous detailing and pom poms attached which is floor length. Could I put something like this together and then buy a tribal bra top and then customise to the hills with tons of gothic and tribal accessories???

My friend in Japan is going to send me some really nice head pieces (flowers and japanese combs with shells and mirrors etc) and I already have nice ethnic accesories as thats my style outside of work etc anyway.

So....is there any rules to tribal wear?? Are there any faux pas like the butterfly tops in the egyptian/turkish styles like some people wear??

All advice is very much welcome...thank you xx

[zumarrad]

It depends on the style of tribal you do. And who your tribe is and how they dress.

Tribal is not about solo dancing, you realise.

If you want a generic tribal look then yeah, big skirt, ATS belt, choli top, coin bra, and 20,000 pieces of Afghan bling will probably do it.

[Tribal_Butterfly]

I know its not solo but I just want to get a look together. The problem is that I have only been dancing for 2 months now and I still have loads of tribal moves to learn. As for a troupe...thats non existant as Im only just starting and I dont know any other girls who want to do tribal stuff. My teacher does ATS though so maybe she will have some advice for the future.

[CalgaryBibi]

I agree with zumarrad. You likely don't need a costume until you start performing and with tribal, when you do start performing, it will likely be with a troupe.

One of the principles of tribal is to look as together as possible when performing as a troupe. That is, you synchronize your movements, even when you're improving. You practice so that you are holding your arms at exactly the same angle, etc. Usually, you dress very cohesively as a troupe, too. I dance with what our teacher calls an intermediate/advanced student troupe, and while she does try to keep the costuming expenses down for us, we are given guidelines for our costumes: e.g. black harem pants, mirror belt with fringe belt or scarf underneath, choli, black bra (decorated with old Afghani coins and/or cowrie shells), etc.

That said, if you are just interested in getting some fun stuff that you can wear for practice or to class, consider picking up a broomstick skirt in a dark or earthy colour--try to find one with a large circumference to the hem, so it flares out during turns. Some sort of fancy fringed shawl to wear around your hips would be nice. A small, black mantilla could be made into a head piece at some point. And silver cuffs or tribal-looking jewellery, stuff made with cowrie shells, etc. could be put to good use sometime. However, I'd get any of these only if they were very cheap to buy there, because, as mentioned, you would probably be performing in a troupe when you do perform, so there's no guarantee you would use all of it, except for practice-wear.

One rule our teacher has (but it doesn't seem to be entirely universal--because I've seen costumes for sale advertised as tribal but with gold trim) is that our costumes use silver, not gold, coins, etc.--and this silver is not really shiny, but old or old-looking.

[steffib]

I don't think it is a good idea to invest in a costume when you are very new, and haven't quite found your style yet.

When it comes to "tribal", there are so many branches these days that it is impossible to come up with good guidelines beyond suggesting to wait until a dancer has found her direction in dance and music - at which point the costume will fall into place anyways.

Given that you're into the Indigo thing right now, the traditional ATS tribal costume staples won't do you much good - big skirt, tassel belt, choli. Instead, chances are that a pair of Melodia pants will be a necessity.

The best you can do on vacation is pick up jewelry that speaks to you and then incorporate it into your costume when the time has come.

[Monica]

My advice? Relax! Focus on learning to dance and enjoying weekly classes! Use your cash for traveling workshops instructors and for going to see live dancing and music whenever you can. Buy fabulous and unique jewelry and invest in cool practice wear that you like (Melodia pants, maybe some Sharifwear). Start saving photos of dancers who have a look you really admire, and when you are ready for costuming pieces you will have a much stronger base to go from. Let the joy of being a student and a fan soak in before you take on the pressures of defining yourself as a performer and having a 'style'. That can take years and years.

Just my opinion. :)

[lizajuk]

My advice is the same to either orientale or tribal belly dancers...don't buy a costume until you need one to perform in. The obsession will soon set in.
Getting together a good tribal outift is just as pricy as a good oreintale one. However they are often more interchangeable.
ATS and other fusions are usually troupe costuming so you have to fit in with others' or leaders' choices. I bought my first tribal choli in my favourite cool colour combos only to find that the troupe leader decided she wanted everyone in hot colours. It came in useful later but I had to find something else. And it's all very well saying home made is the way and yes it is(I made my first tiered skirt..never again!) but fabric and time make that an equally expensive venture.
Solo tribal fusion work of course is something else but frankly you need to be very skilful to apppeal to your average audience in an RB style of dance and costuming and I certainly doesn't suit evryone which is why you , as a troupe come up with costume that suits all of you.
Costuming can wait as everyone else had said until you are part of a performing troupe or decide there is an upcoming event you want to perform at as a soloist.

[bintbeled]

Fatinah, some of the responses here are from "the voice of experience" -- I think we all made costume purchases we regretted when starting out, and we would like to spare you the loss of money that could be spent more wisely when you know what style of dance you want to pursue, have a definite performing opportunity coming up, etc. But maybe this eagerness to leap into a costume purchase is just part of being a baby belly dancer.

I just re-read your ideas.

I have my eye on a gorgeous floor length black skirt and a really nice and quite expensive tribal belt with lots of gorgeous detailing and pom poms attached which is floor length. Could I put something like this together and then buy a tribal bra top and then customise to the hills with tons of gothic and tribal accessories???

Would the long black skirt work for more than one look? If so, it would be a great investment that could be worn with a hip scarf and crop top for a student raqs sharqi performance, or used in any number of tribal looks. Could you find a hip scarf or tribal belt that would also be versatile and not too expensive? A "quite expensive" tribal belt that is floor length might sit in your closet and fill you with buyer's remorse. At this stage of your dancing, if you want to invest, look for basics that can be tweaked with accessories. (Hey, this sounds like fashion advice! )

How about acquiring the black skirt, a black tribal-style bra or choli, and then playing around with accessories to come up with different looks? Maybe a basic tribal belt, with different tassels and decorations that can be clipped or pinned on for different looks? More practical -- although maybe not as exciting as that original tribal belt you were looking at.

Latifa

[da Sage]

I think it's a great idea to gather some costuming, so that when you are preparing for a performance, you can focus on your dance, and not so much on assembling a whole outfit from scratch.

On the other hand, you don't know exactly what you'll need, so try to restrict yourself to things that are very affordable, or that you absolutely love. And if you have 5 hipscarves (or cholis, or silver necklaces...), think twice before dropping $$$ on another one. Think about hitting Goodwill once a week, but don't feel compelled to buy something just because you're there.

[Tribal_Butterfly]

Thanks girls :)

I will save my pennies until Im more experienced :)

[Souzan]

The most practical thing for right now would be to invest in some really great class wear that you can wear for classes and when you start going to workshops. Cool pants, cholis or tie tops, hip scarves. You are going to wear them a lot more than any performance costumes. Spend money on earrings and bracelets and necklaces that you will wear all the time, not just for performance. If you yearn for something elegant or flashy, invest in a really lovely coverup or caftan to wear over a costume (whatever that costume might eventually be) or for studio parties and haflas.

Souzan

[Kash13]

I think a black skirt is always worth having, because you can wear it to class too. I have a few tribalish pieces that I wear in class, they include a black skirt, a pair of faux-melos (Fauxlodias?) a hipscarf with a floorlength fringe and a lace choli coverup. All of these can be mixed and matched with my other practice wear, or coin belts and bras or whatever, if I ever need to up the quality. If you want to bling it up, you can get a kuchii pendant with lots of dangly bits for a tenner. I do also have a gorgeous kuchii coin belt, but as much as I love it, I never really wear it.

[halftruths]

Hi Fatinah - I totally understand where you're coming from. I'm a costume freak (fantasy costumes, computer game/movie inspired costumes, belly dance costumes, ethnic costumes - oh, if I only had the time/money/skill to make them all!) and like putting together costumes just for the heck of it.

If you've got the costuming bug, try adorning your own tribal bras and belts - it takes time to sew all that little stuff on and can help fulfill the costume-madness. I started with hand-covering an old bra, designing a coin/assorted bling pattern to stitch on it, and then started the process of hand sewing every damn coin, broken necklace bit, shell, bead, etc on there. There are lots of resources on how to cover your own bras, or you can get tribal bra bases from a number of tribal costume suppliers. Thrift and charity stores are marvellous for scrounging costuming materials - I particularly like poaching beads, shells, and chains from old necklaces. Made a number of very cool hair falls that way. Keep your eye out for big, unusual belts that would make cool belt bases - you can always punch holes in the leather to hang tassels or other assorted bling from.

If you want to make up your own personal solo costume but aren't sure where to start, go on a google hunt for tribal fusion costumes. Find something you like and try basing your own design on it. If there is a base piece that you particularly like and costs a little more, try to keep it as versatile as possible. I LOVE my black satin-trim spinning skirt from Flying Skirts. Don't really have an occasion to wear it on a regular basis when dancing, but I'll wear it as part of other outfits, and I just like having it. But seeing as it's black-on-black, it'll go with any future costume bits and bobs I may want to match with it. Aside from something like that, try to stick with the thrift stores. Your money will go much further, and you get the thrill of the costume-trinket hunt PLUS the fun of actually building your own costume.

Don't worry if you aren't much of a sewer. If you can thread a needle, you can stitch a bead onto a bra. But BE EASY ON YOURSELF! Try relatively simple designs at first. Then try something grander for your next project!