Real Hair vs. Fake Hair?

tanjora · 08-10-2007, 01:15 AM

How many of you wear a hairpiece of some kind when performing? How many wear just your own hair?
A local dancer recently implied to a potential client that a dancer is more valid/prefessional if wearing just their own hair at a performance, so I was wondering how common either practice was?
Thanks for any response!

wigglewhiz · 08-10-2007, 05:42 AM

OMG, I can't believe the things some people say "implies" you're a better dancer!

As if your hair length/style made you more professional...

Personally, I only ever wear my "real" hair when I'm dancing. But this is because my hair is long anyway and also HUGE - if I wanted to wear a wig I couldn't - my hair is too thick to hide under a wig! Well... too thick to hide without having some weird lump at the back of my head that might freak people out.

I must confess when I watch a dancer and she has short hair - I'm a little bit disappointed. I KNOW it's a total stereotype that a dancer should have long hair, but it still kind of finishes the look for me. That said, I must say that the important thing for me is how she *DANCES*, not how her hair is. And the big big bugbear for me isn't so much the length of the hair - it's the finish. A dancer with long but ratty, unkempt hair in need of the attentions of a brush would bug me SO much more than a dancer with short, pretty hair that was clearly styled and be-sparkled and prepared for performance.

Just my rather mixed-bag two cents!

Egyptianangel · 08-10-2007, 07:27 AM

I'm the same as Wigglewhiz (love the name), my hair is a few inches off my waist, so don't need to wear a wig. BUT, if my hair was really short I think I would. I don't know, but long hair on a BD just looks nicer. (ditto Wigglewhiz) Saying that I would rather watch a performer with short hair that can dance, rather than one with long hair who can't.

lisazahiya · 08-10-2007, 08:08 AM

I have very long hair but on occasion will wear a fake ponytail. Last night it was so hot here that a sweaty pontytail would have made me look like I'd come from the gym. I have great ponytails that gave a drawstring that go around a bun.

beafarhana · 08-10-2007, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tanjora

A local dancer recently implied to a potential client that a dancer is more valid/prefessional if wearing just their own hair at a performance

Yeah, that Jillina is a total Amateur

Lauren_ · 08-10-2007, 08:54 AM

I think many professional entertainers wear some kind of recreational hair. Actresses, singers, etc. Just because it's sooooo much easier to look polished & stay that way, and that's professional.

As long as the finished product is a professional appearance and performance, I can't imagine that it matters. Those *might* not be the dancer's real boobs either. Her fingernails probably don't grow in that color. Neither do her eyelashes or her lips. Her tan might also be phony, and she might have applied some body glitter or shimmer. But if she just presented her natural self, she wouldn't be giving you a 'larger than life' stage persona.

amulya · 08-10-2007, 09:07 AM

People do seem to expect a dancer to have her hair long and wearing it down. It's not always practical, I must say I like to wear it in a decorated bun, because my hair is too long for dancing. But people (general audience) get disappointed, asking: why don't you let your hair down?

08-10-2007, 09:11 AM

It doesn't matter, as long as it looks polished.
However, one thing that does look awful is a bad wig or bad hair piece.

tigerb · 08-10-2007, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beafarhana

Yeah, that Jillina is a total Amateur

*snerk!*

tahiradancer · 08-10-2007, 09:31 AM

I do both. I also wear it up in a French twist with flowers and jeweled pins. . .

And I agree with the people who said, it's less about real or fake, more about whether or not it's dressed. Bank Teller Hair is NOT acceptable!

{{{{HUGS}}}

vilia · 08-10-2007, 10:01 AM

When I was dancing regularly my hair was long so I didn't wear wigs. In recent years I've wanted it shorter and don't perform much anyway, so have worn a ponytail a couple of times. I have to say it's a lot of trouble putting the thing on and it looks fine but I'd rather just use my own hair. That way, I don't have to worry about it coming off during a vigorous whip-lash move! But yeah, the idea of hair having any connection to dancing ability is absurd.

I do think long hair looks better on a BD, only because I like the moves that use the hair ... hair tosses etc. When I see someone with shorter hair doing the same thing, it just doesn't have quite the same impressive effect.

BTW, is Jillina using a wig anymore? The more recent pictures I've seen look like she's grown her own hair out and is going natural now.

LauraLevana · 08-10-2007, 10:39 AM

Since I've been doomed to a bad hair LIFE, I definitely feel more glamorous and confident with fake hair. Besides, no matter how long I spend on my real hair, it's guaranteed to fall flat by the time I'd walk on stage, so the fake hair saves me hours of prep time.

nasila · 08-10-2007, 10:44 AM

I've been wearing a piece lately to go to work, as it's so easy...I don't have to (un)curl my hair and few times a week, and it doesn't stick to me like my real (curly, long but super-thin) hair does. I also think it balances out my butt nicely.

That said, I feel "put on" when I have a piece on and feel I don't dance as well, as I'm limited in my head movements (quadruple turns, bending, etc are risky). So, while it improves the "look" and the first impression, it does affect my dancing.

I'm pretty sure Jillina's au natural now, unless she's putting on pieces even for classes and workshops. Her hair is long and strong and gorgeous!

Lauren_ · 08-10-2007, 10:49 AM

Yes, all about 'good' vs. 'bad' hair. If the customer can TELL you're wearing a wig, then sure, that seems unprofessional.

I always feel like I look phony in mine. But people who don't know me are always super surprised to learn it's fake (why do your friends ALWAYS have to whisper your secrets to random strangers during your performance?) so I guess it just feels phony.

tahiradancer · 08-10-2007, 11:26 AM

I have people come and play with my ponytail. Most don't believe that it is 'fake'. But, as I do head tosses, it does add to their sense of disbelief.

{{{HUGS}}}

ssipes · 08-10-2007, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tahiradancer

I do both. I also wear it up in a French twist with flowers and jeweled pins. . .

And I agree with the people who said, it's less about real or fake, more about whether or not it's dressed. Bank Teller Hair is NOT acceptable!

{{{{HUGS}}}

I agree here. And most (please note I say *most* not all) short and medium hair cuts look like desk hair in the context of an oriental dance performance with glitzy costume, etc., even if the short style is tres chic in the context of real life.

The professional will have hair that fits the image she must create, either with her natural hair or hairpieces.

Sedonia

Nisima · 08-10-2007, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LauraLevana

Since I've been doomed to a bad hair LIFE, I definitely feel more glamorous and confident with fake hair. Besides, no matter how long I spend on my real hair, it's guaranteed to fall flat by the time I'd walk on stage, so the fake hair saves me hours of prep time.

LOL! Me too! I finally started wearing my hair in medium length permed curly layers about five years ago, got disgusted becuase my hair long just gets all skanky and damaged, so what's the point? So ALWAYS wear either a curly ponytail or 3/4 curly fall that blends in with hair, really just depends on the particular costume. I always get compliments on them, my synthetic falls are not "cheapies" and I take them to hairdresser so she can match my color to my falls exactly!
Frankly, and I did not read all the posts to this thread yet, even if a dancer "dresses" up short hair there is the issue of "balance" to the costume. Even my medium length curly layered look just isn't enough hair to balance the body look in a bedlah - not even if I wear a hairband or jewely stuff, uh-uh, no way! I always feel like medium to short hair on a dancer looks like there's this little head balanced on top of a bigger bedlahed body! However, I do not think that just "length" will be enough - long, thin hair that has little "life" to the style isn't enough either. If no headpiece, then I expect the hair to be accented by long sparkley earrings, again, it's about balancing the body which is costumed. I was surprised this past weekend to see as many dancers with long hair and gorgeous Egyptian style bedlah and then no earrings at all and hardly any stage makeup. So again, not enough "emphasis" on head or face and body is over-dressed!

Of course long hair doesn't imply "better dancer" but it is a visual image and for me the balance is important. Would a dancer want to wear a tiny little bra with hardly any embellishments and then a huge, heavily beaded belt? Same thing, IMO - balance is off.

SummerSahar · 08-10-2007, 11:47 AM

I LOVE FAKE HAIR!
I swear by 3/4 wigs because they're SO much easier than styling my normal hair, though I do prefer to wear my normal hair if I can. I just don't always have time to do it for each performance. But if I do end up styling it, I feel more confident in my dancing. My spins have sharper head whips, I throw a little zar in, I'll flip it around and feel generally more free to play with it. I just can't get that kind of dancing in when I wear a fake hair piece....no matter how many pins and clips I use to secure it under that headband, there's still a fear of it falling out of place.

susuabdo · 08-10-2007, 12:39 PM

We can't win! I have let my own hair grow over the last 7 years and it is thick and curly down to the center of my back. I still have people come up to me and ask me where I got my extensions! AGGGGGGGGh! Dammed if we do and dammed if we don't. I do agree if you are going to wear a hairpiece, whether it be a wig,pony, fall make sure it is good quality. If not it is soooooooo distracting from your dance. We danced an event one time where this girl who had short hair wore a really bad black halloween wig. People commented on the wig after (comments were not nice). They did not see her dancing , all they saw was the bad lid! So invest some money in a good hairpiece if you need to wear one.:)

Salima · 08-11-2007, 01:09 PM

An oriental dancer stands for a dream, for the dream of an oriental princess! Can You imagine a short-haired oriental princess? No, it's impossible!
And because we also sell this dream, it's o.k. to fake.
But the fake must be done god!
And so it's not important if somebody use a ponytal, a wig ore extensions if the own hair not long ore sick enough.
Best regards
Salima

tabitha · 08-11-2007, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salima

An oriental dancer stands for a dream, for the dream of an oriental princess! Can You imagine a short-haired oriental princess? No, it's impossible!
And because we also sell this dream, it's o.k. to fake.
But the fake must be done god!
And so it's not important if somebody use a ponytal, a wig ore extensions if the own hair not long ore sick enough.
Best regards
Salima

Hmmm..well maybe, if you are trying to sell an "Oriental Princess" like the type Disney sells...

But I danced with a cute bob a la Samia Gamal and people loved it. And I don't wear fake hair for the reasons Summer listed above. Short hair, long hair, whatevah.