melaya dress

[mehndidancer]

Okay i know what they look like and where to order a traditional one. Would a party dress just below the knee work.I can sew pailettes and embellish it if i need to.should I get a traditional one or
would a party dress be okay for a melaya number? (music picked working on polishing routine) But what type of dress would be okay? I can make one don't got the time. Any advice will be helpful. thanks.

Alrana

[zumarrad]

Would a party dress just below the knee work.

Yes.

I've done melaya in a dead plain stretch short dress with short sleeves. This pic, if the link works, shows it: http://pics.livejournal.com/suzycat/pic/000597e6/

I'm the one on the right, obviously.

[mekyria]

any short dress with stretch would do. Adding ruffles gives a big effect for relative little work, adding extra movement to the dress.

[reyhan]

Even blue jeans would work. The melaya is to be considered as something to wear over the normal dress, just like our coats. It depends on your message. I would not dance a traditional piece in jeans or a real Isanderani in a party dress. Other is fully acceptable.

[wigglewhiz]

Have you got a slinky galabeya? I did a kind of "Cairo beledi" melaya wearing an Eman Zaki galabeya. And I only did that AFTER seeing a couple of the big names over there do it. For me, the Melaya is the main point, rather than the dress/costume underneath.

[meissoun]

Last year, I danced a melaya number at our big studio show. And on the day of the show I COULND'T FIND MY DRESS!!!!

So after searching for half an hour, I packed an asymetrical summer dress with big flower prints. Basically this worked fine but...

...it was a duet number and the other dancer had custom ordered a dress to match mine!

Well, since we were playing two women meeting in the street it was kind of OK not to have the same dress. But hers was so much sparklier.

MEISSOUN

PS: two weeks later I found the dress.....

[badriya_al_ahmar]

Originally Posted by wigglewhiz

Have you got a slinky galabeya? I did a kind of "Cairo beledi" melaya wearing an Eman Zaki galabeya. And I only did that AFTER seeing a couple of the big names over there do it. For me, the Melaya is the main point, rather than the dress/costume underneath.

I do the same for meleya, except I don't know who made my galabeya Browsing through YouTube, you can find plenty of examples of modern Egyptian dancers incorporating a little Cairo type meleya into their routines, wearing galabeyas, so I figured it was just fine for me.

[kashmir]

Any dress with some sass would be fine. Depends what impression you want to give.

re "traditional dress" - only for the last couple of decades and can be misinterpreted by a mundane audience. So don't sweat it unless you have your heart set on one of those over the top numbers.

[mehndidancer]

Thanks I got to think about what I will wear. I appreciate all the input and advice.

Alrana

[carolynn]

please remember that the "traditional" Meleya Luff dress is not "traditional" the way folk costumes are traditional. it's "traditional" only because it was what the Reda Troupe wore in their Meleya Leff numbers.
the dress we think of as "the Meleya Dress" - uneven hem, ruffles - was designed by Farida Fahmy's sister who did costuming for the group.

pick a costume that suits the character you are portraying, since, as Meleya Luff dance is a theater piece, not a traditional dance form, you can do whatever you want and wear whatever you want.

[mehndidancer]

thanks carolynn for the advice. i have something to wear in mind that will work perfectly. thanks again..

Alrana