Author: Davina

Davina ~ Dawn Devine is a belly dance costume designer, dance instructor and author of more than a dozen publications on Middle Eastern dance.

The Jewelry Bra – Weekend Belly Dance Costume Project

Post author By Davina
Post date October 14, 2015

Hello Gang,

Throughout the month of October, I’m finishing up costuming projects for the upcoming book, “Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage.” Chapter 8 of the book is dedicated to weekend costuming projects. Many students, hobbyiest, and troupe dancers are looking for fast, easy, and affordable costuming projects. So we’ve gathered together some simple and easy projects that are low-sew or even no-sew and yet, still pack a visual punch in performance. Last week, I test drove the directions for the “Jewelry Bra” to make sure they worked. I documented the process with my cell phone, and posted a few of them to my Instagram account. These little “behind the scenes” photos give you a sneak peek into the content of our new book, slated for release holiday, 2015.

Jewelry Bra
This bra is exactly what the description says, a bra with jewelry stitched to it. The jewelry bra is one of the several formulas, or recipes you can use to quickly make a bra. Here’s a quick run-down of the process. For more detailed information about this style of bra, and several more, be sure to pick up a copy of our new book in December.

Ingredients
• Good fitting, Foam-cup, underwire bra. Purchase a plunge, push-up, or add-a-size bra which creates the shape prefer.
• Two matching necklaces.
• Two yards of 1″ wide twill tape
• Two rings.
• Upholstery Thread

Tools
You probably already have a small, hand-sewing kit pulled together and ready to go, if not, click on the links below which will take you to my favorite hand-sewing tools available on Amazon.com. But remember, the best tools are the ones that are comfortable for your hands.
• Needles
• Pins
• Thimble
• Bee’s Wax
• Needle Puller
• Pin Cushion

Order of Construction
1 – Remove existing straps.
2 – Using the twill tape, reinforce the inside edge of the bra cups.
3 – Remove the hook and eye portion of the band.
4 – Add using 3″ strips of twill tape to attach rings to existing band at cut edge.
5 – Cut remaining twill tape in half and attach to tops of cups.
6 – Pin jewelry into place and stitch down.

I was able to hammer together this quick and easy bra in an hour and a half. The tie-back makes it quite adjustable, and removes awkward fitting issues. Keeping a portion of the existing bra band allows the bra to comfortably stretch around the body. How does it look when finished? Here’s Bay Area dancer Shalimar modeling the bra. This bra cost about $45 total from start to finish. Depending on your local sources and internet research, you may be able to craft a similar design for even less!

I hope you find this look inspiring. It’s super easy, super affordable, and comfortable to wear, a complete win-win-win. You can do it!

Dawn Devine ~ Davina
October 14, 2015

General

5 Reads for a Lazy Fall Afternoon

Post author By Davina
Post date October 2, 2015

Fall is here, and there is nothing quite as satisfying as cuddling up with a cup of hot apple cider, a comfy blanket and an interesting book. Over the summer, I’ve been collaborating on an upcoming book entitled, “Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage.” I’ve been tasked with putting together a suggested readings list for this upcoming book. This project involved re-reading old standards, exploring new titles, and crafting a select bibliography to get the reader started if they are planning on continuing their research and exploration of our dance art. So without further ado, let me present a few faves for lazy-day reading.

The Belly Dance Handbook: A Companion for the Serious Dancer by Princess Farhana.
If you are on a trajectory into the stratosphere as a belly dance star, or if you just want to read a really good book about belly dance, then get this book! I’ve read this book a couple of times, first casually for entertainment. Then I sat down and really savored the information in the book. It’s full of great “from the trenches” tips on how to manage a belly dance CAREER. But this book is also an enjoyable read. Princess Farhana is warm and generous in the text. She doesn’t just tell you what you need to do, she tells you why. She tells great stories that really illustrate the often not-so-glamorous behind the scenes world of the belly dance profession. You will laugh out loud, you will find yourself saying “awwww,” and don’t be surprised if you also have a few “Ah-HA” moments as you work your way through this book. My personal favorite section is the costuming section, but I really think the professional insights throughout this book are worth their weight in gold.

Buying this book directly from the author provides her with the biggest financial payback for her hard work! Visit her website to pick up your copy, and be sure to tell her I sent ya!
Bellydance by Keti Sharif

This is my favorite general reference guide book to the art of belly dance. Keri Sharif did a great job in putting together this overview of belly dance. It’s a quick read, with lots of beautiful imagery, and lots of information about what makes this dance unique. Bellydance provides a lot of interesting background information about the history and development of the style. But the thing that I love most about this book is the delicious full-color photos. Sometimes it might be a little difficult to read because of the lush layering of text and imagery, but frankly, I actually enjoy that. I’ve had this on my shelf for years, and still pick it up and casually thumb through it to look at photos.

Bellydance

The Belly Dance Reader 1 and 2 edited by Lynette Harris of Gilded Serpent Magazine
If you want to read some of the most current research, thought, and trends in dance today, check out the pair of anthologies produced by Gilded Serpent eZine. The articles vary in topic and length and there’s a topic that will appeal to almost anyone involved in the community of belly dance. There’s information on history, culture, process, theory, costuming, and much, much more. From academic scholars to celebrity dance stars and everything in between, Lynette really searched out pieces that showcased the broad diversity within our art form. Even if you don’t agree with every point of view, it’s great that these books present a variety of opinions.

The Belly Dance Reader 1
The Belly Dance Reader 2

The Art of Manipulating Fabric

For my fellow costume making junkies, be sure to get a copy of this amazing book. The two best ways to save money on costuming are:
• To do it yourself
• To use less expensive materials creatively to create visual interest, texture and contrast.

This is the best books for introducing the art and technique of fabric manipulation. It’s so good, it’s required reading for my costuming students. I’ve found this book endlessly inspirational, and go back to it again and again.

The Art of Manipulating Fabric

Bead & Sequin Embroidery Stitches
by Stanley Levy

If you’ve looked at the crusty goodness of imported belly dance costumes and thought, “maybe I could do that,” then this book is a great start. Although the author was writing with textile and fiber artists in general, the methods presented in this book provide a good foundation to use for progressing towards the more complex designs. Informative and inspirational for budding costumers, and an essential for any costume designer’s bookshelf.

Bead & Sequin Embroidery

I want to shout out to my collaborator Sara Shrapnell of Teaching Belly Dance, a great book for budding dance instructors and my co-author on the upcoming Becoming a Belly Dancer. These titles and many more are included in the suggested reading portion of our book. Visit her website for more information on her past, current, and future projects.

To follow the development of Becoming a Belly Dancer, from Student to Stage, you can sign up for our mailing lists, and come over to FaceBook to join the conversation.

Happy Costuming and Dance!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Oct. 4, 2015

Makeup and Appearance Publications

The Magic of Black, White, and Grey

Post author By Davina
Post date September 25, 2015

For the past six months, I’ve been using a makeup styling technique taught to me in a workshop by Sara Shrapnell, author of Teaching Belly Dance, and my co-author on the upcoming, Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage. In this book, we are sharing our top tips for progressing your dance journey from the classroom to public performance. (( Are you a dance teacher? Check out Sara’s book over on amazon.com and be sure to visit Sara’s site here))

As belly dancers, we need to wear stage-worthy makeup. When it comes to the eyes, the goal is to be bigger, bolder, darker, and brighter than you would be in your daily life. One way to achieve this effect is to lay down a good monochrome base layer of eye shadow using black, white, and mid-grey. Your mission, is to have a perfectly perfected, eye look, that you can then quickly add color to at your event venue.

Left: Poppy Maya, international dance professional, has used this technique to create the look at left. The black, white and grey base was topped with purple eyeshadow, and finished off with black liner and false eyelashes for maximum drama.

Of course, you might be asking, why would someone want to wait to add color until they got to their performance space? Well, there are many answers to this question, but the most important three include:

• You don’t know what the lighting will be like. Often, you don’t know until you arrive at your performance venue what the lighting will be like. From harsh florescent, to dim pseudo-candle lit, bright stage spots, to flashing disco-ball spots, its a good idea to assess the lighting and apply that last pop of color to suit the conditions.

• You have a costume change. If you are performing twice, you might want to start off performing with your monochrome look for your act 1, then change gears with a bright pop of color for performance 2.

• You have several costumes to choose from. When you’re performing in a line-up with other dancers, it’s a good idea to pack one or even two backup costumes. Why? Well, if a line-up of 8 dancers has five in red, you might want to wear a different color to stand out from the crowd. Alternately, you might taking a gauge of the audience and choose a costume based on their taste.

Of course, you might be totally familiar with your location, wearing one costume, and performing solo, in which case, adding color at home might be fine for you. Using this monochrome base will help you modulate your color tones, forming a tonal base upon which to add the rest of your colors. One single shade of eyeshadow, suddenly looks like three subtle – and perfectly matched – nuances.

The essential ingredient necessary for creating this look are a trio of white, black, and mid-grey eye shadows. Many makeup companies have created trios, quads, and larger eyeshadow palettes that feature this particular combination of neutrals. You should select a product and formulation that suits your skin, your taste, and your pocket book. We’ve already done some of the research for you, and have gathered together some of the best drugstore/discount shop brands that are useful for laying down the monochromatic base.

The complete directions for creating this makeup look is in the book “Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage,” and we are anticipating a holiday 2015 release. But don’t wait for the book to come out to give this technique a try. Pick up a smoky black, grey, and white shadow set and start experimenting. If you feel like showing off, share your eye shadow experiments with us over on our FaceBook Group!

Dawn Devine ~ Davina
September, 25, 2015

Black and White Eyeshadows – Part 2 by davinadevine featuring an eye shadow

General

Embellished Bras – Birthday Sale 2015

Post author By Davina
Post date September 23, 2015

Hello Gang!

September is my birthday month and to celebrate, I’ve put my best selling book, Embellished Bras on sale over on my Etsy store. Through September 31, 2015, this book is on sale for the lowest price ever – only $15 + shipping. I’m so proud of this book and it continues to be my best selling publication. This is, quite literally, a “workshop in a book.” These are the techniques that I present to students during bra making classes and workshops. There are many-many ways to make a bra. In this book, I present a simple draping technique for making a pattern for the bra cups. Once you have your pattern made, follow the step-by-step directions for sewing the fabric to the bra. The last half of the book is filled with ideas, materials, and supplies for embellishing your bra. If you already make dance bras, this book will offer you new insights, tips, tools, and techniques for taking your bra-making to the next level.

All of my in-print titles are available on Etsy, so if you are looking for a different title, stop by the store and check it out. If you are a regular Etsy shopper, favorite the store and keep in touch for new products and book releases!

Thanks for joining me in my birthday celebration!
~ Dawn Devine ~ Davina

Embellished Bras – On Sale for $15 + Shipping
On Davina’s Etsy Store through Sept. 30, 2015.

PS: I’ve been adding a few assiut accessory pieces made from scraps left over from the production of The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut. If you are in the market for a hair flower, headband, or other accessory piece made from assiut, be sure to keep an eye out. All through the month of October, we will be finishing up new pieces! One might be right for you! ~ Happy Costuming ~ Davina

Belly Dance

Musings Belly Dance Performances: Past and Future

Post author By Davina
Post date September 1, 2015

In 2011 I was invited to a student recital show in Palo Alto, California hosted by the lovely *Setareh* and featuring her classes, drop-in-troupe, and friends. The Palo Alto Arts Center had this lovely stage for us to play on, and I although I was “dressed for class” rather than for a show, I was dancing to some of my favorite music for my favorite people. Of course, after the fact, all I could think was, “Why didn’t I wear a “REAL” costume?”

This week, I’m preparing to dance to live music at Tannourine restaurant in San Mateo, California. I’m still hot on the “Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut” marketing campaign, so I’ll be wearing assiut! If you’re in the area, see you there!

Happy Costuming and Dance ~ Dawn
Sept. 1, 2015

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Embellished Bras – On Sale for $15 + Shipping On Davina’s Etsy Store through Sept. 30, 2015.

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Embellished Bras – On Sale for $15 + Shipping
On Davina’s Etsy Store through Sept. 30, 2015.