Costume failure!

[Vahana]

Ugh! So I wore my new Bhuz swapmeet purchase to a competition this weekend. I felt great in the costume when I did a photo shoot 2 weeks agon. But I just seemed doomed from the beginning of this weekend. We drove to the event in the rain and got to this little tiny town and realized none of the three of us had any cash with us and we couldn't find an ATM. One of my friends is pregnant and needed to eat, but we couldn't even find anywhere to take an ATM card to get the poor girl food!

It just got worse from there. As soon as I walked on stage, the veil slipped off my shoulder and I slipped on it. Luckily, I didn't go down. That has never happened to me before. Do you think it was because it was a new veil that I hadn't work with yet?

Then, as soon as I began dancing, the head piece came off. But it didn't actually come off all the way because it was attached with clips underneath my hair. So, what to do?? I didn't think I should leave it hanging on the back of my head, so I pulled it off and a handful of my hair with it and those darn clips! Ouch! I tossed the headpiece off to the side of the stage.

Next, one of my sleeves fell down to my wrist. That was lovely. What to do, what to do? So, I put my arm behind my back and wrapped it up in that darn veil. By that time I wanted to throw them both far away from me, but I just dropped them behind me.

So, between all these problems, I couldn't focus at all on the live improvisation music I was supposed to be dancing to. I have never had such a disasterous performance before and hope I never will again.
Sometimes just everything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

[sabrinabellydancer]

yikes. how frustrating. but is speaks well of your professionalism that you dealt with each piece as it failed and continued the show. good job!

[*Shira*]

Vahana, oh, how frustrating for you! Congratulations on holding yourself together, dealing with it matter-of-factly, and finishing the show!

[MariaAya]

Do you think was the day? something with the stars going?
For first time I slipped doing a turn teaching a workshop and fall down !!!!

You did great finising the performance and not screaming on stage !!!

Maria Aya :D

[shashadance]

It happened to me before. It was embarrassing. I usually wears a long wig cause my hair is too short. That day, I thought the wig was secure on my head and decided not to pin it up. Half way thru the performance, I could feel my wig sliding back. As I was doing a wing of isis routine, there is no way I could pose with my hands and hold my hair in place. Thank god, it didn't fall off but the bangs were unusually high on my forehead. It is hard to concentrate on a dance when you know some part of you is coming off.

Now, I make an effort to practice my dance routine with my costume and my wig (if needed) at home at least once.. just to be sure everything is secure.

[Bellydancingcaroline]

Dress rehersal - or friendly hafla if you are trying out anything new.

[dunyah]

Bellly dance costumes can be complex, with multiple opportunities for strange things to go wrong! Leading to costume failures, which seem to be a part of "payiing your dues" as a performing belly dancer. We've all had 'em. I hope you can laugh about it now. Always practice in the costume before performing in it. Even so, unexpected things will happen on stage.

I once stepped on my silk veil during a performance on a very lovely stage with an extremely smooth, polished floor. I went down in a flash and landed rather gracefully on my side. I smiled and posed and acted as if I meant to do that.

What else can you do?

Amazingly, I had not a bruise or sore muscle or injury of any kind afterward. I couldn't go to the floor that fast if I tried! But I don't want to repeat that in future shows.

[Nisima]

New costume items always try their best to sabotage your first performance; it is maddening. I have had my share of "new costume malfunctions" and discovered that trying it on and walking around is no substitute for actually dancing for 20 minutes. Bra hooks will open if they can, belts unhook themselves too so I like to find out all about that in safety of my practice room at home if I can. And veils are no exception - new ones can have a different weight, shape and feel so that unless you are a bit familiar they misbehave in all sorts of ways! My worst veil disaster was the "silk veils sticking subbornly to velvet trumpet skirt" - I had no idea that the static between silk and velvet builds up that fast. Fortunately, this was at home, and when I couldn't figure out how to get both silk veils offa my butt - I simply changed to another set. Would have been ignominious on stage.
My on stage WORST "new costume" malfunction, was the "New Bra That Betrayed Me and Opened Up on Stage". I literally had to exit offstate, clutching bra cups to bosoms and pin it shut and went back to finish my show - hello, it was a paid nightclub gig. I didn't get fired but I never again wore a new bra without dancing in it for 20 minutes at home.

I feel your pain, we've all been there and you get lotsa credit and hugs for the way your handled and finished show.

[cymbeline]

Vahana handled it so well that the audience had very little idea (other than the little slip) that anything was wrong.

[Vahana]

Thanks for the support and comments from all of you. It really does help to hear that other dancers go through similar mishaps. Yes, I am laughing at it a bit more today. What else can I do.

The fact all this happened to begin with had me feeling less than "professional," so it really helps to hear all of you say that the fact I continued with my head up was indeed professional.

I feel much better!

[Lilladancer]

I can relate to the frustration. I had done so many shows in this particular costume with no cameras going and no big consequences of a minor costume malfunction, but then when I was invited to dance on a LIVE local cable tv talk show (which means I couldn't ask them to stop the cameras while I fixed my costume), the darn neck strap on one of my favorite costumes, which I had worn many times without mishap, decides to snap apart within seconds of my entrance. The bra had shoulder straps as well so it wasn't going anywhere, but I had to dance the whole time without moving too much in the shoulder area so that my neck straps wouldn't fall forward and look dorky. I had to dance for 5 minutes that way. When I saw the tape of the show, yeah, you couldn't really tell what happened, but I could tell that my dancing was stiff and not what it would have been without the distraction! Arrrrggghhh....

[Michelle_A]

Hi Vahana,

About halfway through your post I realized that I was in the audience that night too. I've only done one performance at a hafla so I couldn't imagine having all that go wrong at once, but you did a wonderful job of recovering and moving on. Very professional.