CONSCIOUS STREAMS OF CREATIVITY

BELLY DANCING USA

I had the pleasure of attending a Belly Dance Carnival on June 7 in Arcadia, near Pasadena. What an experience this was!!

My mentor, Miss C, has been belly dancing for about a year now. Yes, the same Miss C who is a Senior Citizen...not that it matters because it doesn't, but as a point of reference - every one is belly dancing these days.

It was fun to dress up and wear traditional belly dance costumes. I wore blue & gold harem pants with a gold blouse, my gold coin chain belt, sequined slippers and a hip scarf. She wore a hand made a pair of yellow sequined harem pants, and a yellow gauze blouse. She also wore gold dance slippers, and a gold coin hip scarf. To top it off, she wore a beautiful gold headpiece that looked so amazing against her gray hair. Everyone who saw her stopped her to take pictures and asked when she would be performing. :0)

We walked around taking in some of the vendor's wares until we saw the outdoor stage featuring various dance groups. I really was taken in by the range of diversity of the performers. There were children, men, young girls, young and old women....and all shapes and sizes to boot. Seriously, ALL shapes and sizes.

The costumes and routines were amazing. I would soon find out that there are many types of traditional and non-traditional belly dancing styles. As we made our way into the indoor complex, we found more vendors and another stage for performers.

All the while we were walking and taking in the sites I was taken aback at the people who strolled through the carnival. These costumes were some of the most unique, creative and unbelievable costumes I have ever seen. I also learned that they also cost a pretty penny to put together. Miss C and I knew we could get a lot of the items in downtown LA in the fashion district, so I wasn't too bothered by not picking up some of these items.

COIN BELT

However, we did come across some wonderful "Bindi" jewels that are applied to the face. I immediately remembered that I had purchased these some years back and wore them out only once. Miss C and I bought several packages for future use.

TRIBAL
Tribal belly dancing incorporates a more "ethnic" look, but the style is similar to traditional dances. You could even say that the tribal is reflective of the Gypsy culture too. The Ethnic costumes of tribal dancer are not the same beautifully flowing and skimpy attire that that you usually see.

The tribal wear has beaded head gear, more use of the spinning skirts (multi tiered skirts/broomstick skirts), belts with heavy medallions, tassels, cowrie shells, and beading. These belts are also laced with leather straps and have metal beads and coins attached. The cloth is woven designs like you'd see on Peruvian Indians, or Chinese Himalayans. And the dancers wore their hair in "dread locked" styles with lots of yarn ribbons flowing with silk flowers tied to ponytails.

TRIBAL SKIRTS

BEZEM Y MAI LAN

Here is a beautiful example of the tribal wear that can be found in the fashion industry. I absolutely love these designers. Bezem Y Mai Lan are young (25 yrs) designers from Paris/London.

What is so exciting about their runway shows is that they incorporate African, Ballet and Belly dance to show off the attire. (See YouTube video posted above). Every day I find more and more belly dance inspired clothing and lifestyles and I'm loving it.

Extraordinary!!!

GOTH

What amazed me the most that day was seeing that there is a genre of belly dancing incorporating Goth culture.

Their costumes consist of leather and vinyl wear, striped arm and leg warmers, oversized boots, and dark makeup.

Since there are many forms of Goth expression, the differences were evident in the dance styles. It's definitely a cornucopia of dance tradition and costume styles.

As I watched all the performers that day I began to feel a connection to the rhythm and the graceful gestures. This one young group of dancers used beautiful fans covered with flowing silk fabrics. What an amazing spectacle that was.

I have danced since Jr. High school, but never attempted to learn belly dancing. However, I have seen so much of it in videos (Beyonce / Shakira) and movies (Love Guru, Bollywood) lately that I really like what I'm seeing. And sky is the limit on the style you choose to dance.

The most unique dance troupe we saw chose to do a "themed" dance presentation. They chose "Alice in Wonderland." The choreograpahy and the costumes were amazing. No expense was spared. When they first came out, one look at their costumes had us wondering just what we were about to witness. Well, every scene in the fairy tale was interpreted in costume and belly dance like you wouldn't believe. I was very, very impressed with this group.

Not only do I love the costumes, but the music is enchanting and the dance itself is a wonderful way to exercise and keep your body very flexible. Miss C has invited me to attend a workshop to learn the basics. So I will go and satisfy my curiosity about this newfound dance form.

The day ended with us taking lots of photos, more shopping and Miss C even graced the stage when there was a call for a dance "free for all" during intermission. (Photos to come)

This past Saturday I was shopping downtown and happened upon one of the many boutiques that carry Middle Eastern apparel. It didn't take me long to decide to purchase a hip skirt with gold goins and two sets of Zils. I guess I'm now committed to learning the art of belly dancing. Or perhaps I'll just have a great Halloween costume this year!

HIP SKIRT WITH COINS

ZILS (Finger Cymbals)