Making some headway

[badseed1980]

Ok, so I finally e-mailed Shadia about a costume. I figure if I don't hear back from her by the end of the week, I'll call her. I've also spent some (read: "too much") time looking at costumes online and printing out pictures of them, making notes about the coverage and plunge of this bra, the thickness of that strap, the v-cut front of this skirt, too-high versus just-right slits, etc. Yay!

I should find out if AJ has any beginner students who might be interested in buying my older black costumes.

Comments

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

What size? :)

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

For the ones I'm selling? Well, they fit me when I was a size 12 with a 38DD bra. The one in this pic is one of them.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

The skirt would fit me, but I'm certainly not as blessed in the boobage as you are. *hugs*

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Aw, too bad. I'd have been happy to sell to someone I know.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

That would have been nice, eh? Keep me in mind if you have any more skirts you want to get rid of.

I really, truly need to get off my duff and find a good teacher. Any suggestions for the preternaturally body shy?

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Yes: this (http://www.amirajamal.com) is my teacher. She's in her 50s, plus-sized, mother of two...and she can still take your breath away when she dances. Don't ever think that you need to be skinny to be a belly dancer, or to look good when you dance. Find a good costume and learn to love moving to the music, and you'll be gorgeous no matter what size or shape your body is.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

Trust me, I have been well educated in the "perfect body for belly dancing" is every body by folks who belly dance. Watching the great diversity of bodies at the WOW conference really hit that home.

I haven't a good kinetic sense, which means I can watch what people are doing for hours and have no idea how to re-create it myself! But, I'm going to give it a go, anyway. My boss at the bookstore has been pressing me to give the class she attends a shot for several years now, and she's 20 plus years older than I am.

So now, I just need something to wear to class. :)

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

For a class, I'd recommend a tank top or fitted tee shirt, a broomstick skirt or circle skirt, and a hip scarf. The hip scarf with coins is good because the sound of it when you move is helpful in learning: you can figure out when your hips are moving by mistake or moving too much. Hermes sandals (http://www.reflectionsofdance.com/products/6243.jpg) or half soles (http://www.zappos.com/images/713/7135568/1733-77610-d.jpg) are also good, for shoes, because they'll allow your feet to move freely without sticking to the floor, they'll protect your feet from any beads or coins that might fall off people's costumes, and they are appropriate for stagewear as well. I love the look of hermes sandals, myself.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

The Hermes sandal link doesn't work, but the other gave me an idea what you meant. I've got a few tank tops with support bras built in, thanks for reminding me! We have a local shop I can get a hip scarf from, I'll see if they have any broomstick skirts. I know I have a few tucked away in my summer wardrobe. Somewhere.

You realize you're point by point destroying my excuses not to go, right?

*nail biting*

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Good! :)

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

If you ever wonder why I adore you, know its your enthusiasm, ok? :)

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Heh. Yeah, I tend to have that in buckets. :)

[miss-lisa-ma.livejournal.com]

What are your favorite sites for costumes?

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Well, for a beginner, I'd recommend someplace like http://www.moondancebellydance.com or http://www.shimmyshimmy.com since you DON'T want to be spending hundreds of dollars on a costume at that point. I got one of my costumes from Shimmy Shimmy, and still get veils from there.

[miss-lisa-ma.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I hadn't heard of Moondance before, will add to my collection of sites to consider when I'm ready to get off my ass and start studying in earnest. (At home I have another link for a site whose name I've forgotten with particularly tasty-but-cheap costuming. I'm starting to appreciate the attraction to things shiny and jangly!)

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Well, one of them, the first costume I ever owned, I'd probably sell for $50. It was made by another student of my teacher, and I bought it for $80. The other, I'll have to check the prices on the website and find out how much I paid.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

I'll have to take some!

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

I'll have to take some on me. Here are shots of the other bra and belt set:

Bra (http://www.shimmyshimmy.com/Bras/bras0617newL.JPG)

Belt (http://www.shimmyshimmy.com/BeadedBelts.Panties/138L.JPG)

With this one, you'd need to buy a skirt to wear under it. You also need a black halter bra to wear under it (Lane Bryant has some GREAT convertible bras). The total cost to me for an extra large bra and a small belt (which fits hips of up to 41", I think) was $132 plus shipping. I'd sell it for $100. So $50 for the handmade one and $100 for the storebought.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Ok. The handmade one is the one in the icon, but I can take a better picture so you can see it better. You do need a bra under it, but a regular two-strap bra is fine.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

I'm only selling them as a set, because otherwise it'll be really hard to get rid of both.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Not a problem. I don't blame you!