Belly Dance Costume

One of the most appealing aspects of this dance is the variety of costumes in bright colours and flowing fabric, with delicate beading and shiny jewels. The costume is great for accentuating moves, adding effect and creating a mood.

However, it's not what belly dancing is about, the costumes are purely for an aesthetic reason and various costumes were introduced worldwide when the dance entered stage and screen. Saying that, it's important to know what is appropriate and the type of costume available.

Most beginners will start by wearing a hip scarf which can be very noisy but it helps the student with the sound of movement, which in turn will eventually help to create fluid movements that are integrated with the music.

A hip scarf can be worn tied up in the middle or tied up at the side, most prefer the coins to be resting on both hips either side. The hip scarf can have straight, curved or angled edge. Egyptian dancers traditionally dance in bare feet, but these days often wear shoes and even high heels.

The costume most associated with belly dance is called bedleh (which is Arabic for suit) but it is not authentic Middle Eastern dress.

The bedleh style includes a fitted top or bra and hip belt, both can be richly decorated with beads, sequins, braid and embroidery. This can be combined with either a skirt or harem pants and the belt may be a separate piece or attached. Sometimes pants and a flowing skirt are worn together, in which case, the skirts are usually made of multiple layers of sheer fabric such as chiffon. The other type of skirt is made from a figure-hugging lycra material which is usually worn on its own.

In Egypt, America and Europe dancers wear full-beaded dresses for the folkloric and baladi dances. But generally costuming varies with the particular style of dance.

Costume Worldwide:

Since the 1950s, it has been illegal in Egypt for belly dancers to perform publicly with their abdomens uncovered or to display excessive skin. It is therefore becoming more common to perform in a long, lycra one-piece gown with strategically placed cut-outs filled in with sheer, flesh-coloured fabric.

In Lebanon, the bedleh style is quite common and the skirts tend to be a skimpier than Egyptian outfits, showing more of the dancer's body.

Turkish dancers also wear bedleh style costumes. In the 80s and 90s the art became debased in Turkey and a 'stripperesque' costume style developed, with much shorter skirts and bras that display a large amount of cleavage. Such styles still exist and reflect the playful, flirty style of Turkish belly dance. However, there are also many who opt for the more moderate costumes.

Dancers in America and the United Kingdom often purchase their costumes from Egypt or Turkey. However, American costumes are likely to include a headband with fringe, sheer harem pants or skirt rather than tight lycra and the use of coins and metalwork for decoration.

Sources/Research: Wikipedia / Shira
Here are a selection of my favourite costumes from http://www.turkishemporium.co.uk. The prices are high, but they do a very wide range and not necessarily Turkish.