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| Mesmera in a custom made Hallah Moustafa original Photo: Maharet Hughes, Graphic Vibe LA |
The Historical Belly Dance Costume Fashion Show
took place on May 3, 2014, in Los Angeles. Produced by Jenza (Suzanne McNeil) who
has been active in the LA dance scene since the 1970’s as both a performer and
a costume designer. The event highlighted the diverse beauty of a plethora of
lavish vintage handmade costumes and faithfully reproduced replicas from every
decade in the Twentieth Century. The
pieces show ran the gamut from luxurious cabaret costumes covered in bugle bead
flatwork and fringe to antique Assuit.
Some of the costumes featured were reproductions of Ghawazee or Ouled
Nayl apparel, but even as replicas, since they were handmade over thirty years
ago in the 1970’s and 1980’s by dancers like the legends Aisha Ali and Helena
Vlahos, these costumes themselves are now vintage!
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| Zoe Apoian in a replica of Nejla Ates' "Son Of Sinbad" costume by Jenza Photo: Princess Farhana |
Just some of the designers
featured were the late, great Madame Abla and Hallah Moustafa , an American dancer turned designer who lives in Cairo, heading up her own costume
atelier. LA-based designers costumers were featured as well, including Jenza, Nadia Simone, Anaheed and Kathy Sanders, who now goes by the name Kat Bushman.
All of these women were dancers as well as designers.
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| Persian Lace, pearls and bugle beads: Classic 1970's Cabaret Costumes, Photo: Princess Farhana |
Antique belly dance
costumes and are an obsession of mine … I collect the genuine article as well as
hand make reproductions from many decades, especially the 1920’s to the early
1960’s. I also love wearing the genuine
article, collecting and restoring older costumes to their original glory… and I
am not alone! There are even large social media groups (especially on Facebook)
devoted to discussing, caring for, buying selling and trading vintage belly
dance costumes. For every dancer who must have the latest designs from Egypt or
Turkey, there are countless others who are absolutely in love with the costumes
of a bygone era. Many dancers seek these
elderly beauties out, refurbish them carefully and wear them as a return to the
glamour and fantasy of the days of
yore.
The importance of this
show- and the beautiful pieces on display- cannot be denied. For hundreds of years, oriental dance was
almost considered insignificant, even though probably at least a third of women
on earth at any given time period
were actively practicing it and handing down the movements -and prized costume
pieces- to future generations.
Similarly, the models in the show ranged from dancers who were 1970’s veterans
to those who had been performing for barely a year or two.
Enjoy the glorious pictures!
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| Oceana in a 1970's cabaret costume by Nadia Simone Photo: Princess Farhana |
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| Aisha Ali's 1980's Ouled Nayl costume reproduction on the runway Photo: Princess Farhana |
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| Aisha Ali's Ouled Nayl costume as seen backstage Photo: Princess Farhana |
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| In my Edwardian costume replica on the runway Photo: Maharet Hughes, Graphic Vibe LA |
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| Bugle bead flatwork & hand-strung fringe: Shira's 1970's Egyptian scarab costume, made by Kathy Sanders Photo: Princess Farhana |
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| Tova backstage in amagnificent pearl and bugle bead fringe costume-from the mid 1970's. Belt by Amal ( Jenny Rife) bra designed to match the belt by Suszanna McNeil Photo: Princess Farhana |
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| Helena Vlahos in action, early 1970's |
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| Helena Vlahos and me backstage. Helena is in her magnificent '80's Serpent costume |
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| Old meets new: Jayna Manoushe backstage on her contemporary smart phone, in avintage Cleopatra costume designed and sewn by Helena Vlahos Photo: Princess Farhana |
If you’re a costume addict, you’ll enjoy the
many sections on making, caring for and
storing belly dance costumes- both antique and contemporary- in The
Belly Dance Handbook: A Companion For The Serious Dancer. Purchase a signed copy here:
Posts
Ooooohhhh! Love the Vintage costumes! I have two that a women gave me, used to dance in SF I don't know her dance name, Sorry....
ReplyDeleteI am redoing to bra's one belt is ok other belt finishing, the bra's were too trashed out but I have pics. There is also a nice vintage book you can find called "the compleat belly dancer" vintage 1973 and you can still find copies on Amazon. I love that people are doing this! I have pics of the bra and belt if anyone is interested. Plez are you writing a piece for GS? Can't wait for it. I just read something on Twitter that the oppressive gov in Egypt is cracking down on Belly Dancing! It is up to us to keep it going and learn all we can! If they are oppressing it that means music books etc will be lost! :(
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1373029.stm " But out on the streets of Cairo, the Islamic revival has taken its toll on this controversial dance. Most Egyptians now consider its lewd movements to be 'haraam' - forbidden by Islam. Today, there are almost no new faces bursting onto the Egyptian belly dancing scene.
Islamists, like the MP, Mohammed Mursi, say this is just as well, for a number of reasons.
"From the viewpoint of our religion, it's not allowed, it's forbidden," he says. "It's a bad thing for a woman to show off her body to the public. "
YIKES!!!!
*JoyDancer*
The Compleat Belly Dancer was written by Marta Schill, she is the mom of the dancer Jayna in the Cleopatra costume, the one on the cell phone, towards the end of the pix!!!! <3 <3 I know Marta, she is WONDERFUL!!!!
DeleteThat is awesome! Its a great old "Vintage" book on Bellydancing.
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