Category: General

Categories
Assiut/Assuit Belly Dance General

Happy Thanksgiving!

Basinah-All Drapes-WEBThere is nothing like a tasty treat on one of the USA’s most important holidays, Thanksgiving.  So, to celebrate, I’ve begun to put up the videos from our party, Assiut Fest, held back in August.  We had an incredible lineup of dancers and a great turn out. This is a performance from that show by the lovely Bay Area rising star Basinah performing to classic music in a retro fusion costume that appears in Cloth of Egypt.  Video was shot by Mark Scott and edited by Jerry Case. Thanks to everyone who came to the event, supported the production of the book, bought me coffee, or just gave me a shoulder to cry upon!  You, my friends, family, and fans, are what I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina

PS: The book is done, so I get to work on some of my project backlog, including putting up a collection of videos from Assiut Fest. If you want to see more as they become available, you can subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Categories
General

Performance Bag Essentials Checklist for Belly Dancers

Here’s a useful checklist that appeared in the spring 2009 Costumer’s Notes.  Between 2005-2009, I put together a printed version of my newsletter for distribution at events I attended.  When I was teaching belly dance regularly, one of the important parts of my “Preparing for Performance” student handout was this checklist.  Although this may seem like overkill, the more events you do, the more you realize that there’s a lot of little things you may find you need!  When I was dancing multiple times a week, organization was the key to being able to go from ordinary woman to performance goddess in 30 minutes flat.

PerformanceBagEssentials

Categories
Assiut/Assuit Belly Dance Costuming DIY Design General Publications

“The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut” is Done!

I’m so pleased to announce that my book, The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut is now available for sale for the introductory price of $29.95.   When the book is available on Amazon.com in late November, it will retail for $34.99.

Thank you all for sharing this amazing journey from concept to finished product!  I hope enjoy my book, I’m so very proud of it!

Dawn Devine ~ Davina

The-Cloth-Of-Egypt-Cover-WEB

Categories
Assiut/Assuit Belly Dance Design General

Pinterest and Assiut – A Love Affair

Hello Gang!

I love Pinterest! I find it to be an exceptional tool for both research and design. It gives the user the ability to save not only a link, but the key image as well. You have the power to annotate the image, share it with friends near and far, or in private. As a research, it has allowed me to create an inspiration board for assiut – and a links list to sellers, costumers, researchers, and fans like me. As a designer, pinterest gives me the tools to organize my images in any way I like, by project, subject, color, or fabrication. At the moment I write this, the assiut board curated by me, and my Cloth of Egypt co-author Alisha Westerfeld has over 970 images, with links to explore.

Pinterest-ScreenGrab-Assiut

I have enjoyed having the power to share my visual research instantly with the world.

Wanna see more assiut?  Follow the link below.  Enjoy!


Categories
Assiut/Assuit Belly Dance General

Photo Style Concept: Vintage Assiut Shawl Worn as Head Scarf

Assiut Over Head

Getting ready for your next photo shoot? Have a vintage shawl and you’re looking for ideas for posing for pictures? Why not try this flapper favorite, the assiut shawl worn over the head. In both of these shots, the model is apparently topless, and draped artfully with a glittering assiut shawl.

The image on the top, of Ziegfeld girl and silent screen actress Nita Naldi features a demure pose paired with a direct gaze. Below, in Frank Eugene’s iconic image “Oriental Bride,” the modesty of the model is played up in the soft tilt of her head and downward gaze. A metal circlet keeps her shawl in place and gives her a royal demeanor.

In both of these images, the model takes center stage, elegantly seated and large in close-cropped vertical frame. This monumental pose and the soft drape of the assiut combine to create images that echo centuries of enthroned Madonna’s.  These photos are at once period to the early 20th century and evocative of iconic religious imagery. Be daring or demure – or try both and experiment with how much you reveal and conceal, the direction of your gaze, and the extension through your torso.

Best of Luck and Enjoy!

Dawn Devine ~ Davina,
Feb 11, 2014.