Upcoming Events:
News:
~Caitlyn recently received funding from Oxford University to continue her study of Turkish Roman (Gypsy) dance in Istanbul in 2008.
~The Oxford Middle Eastern Dance Society (formerly the Oxford University Middle Eastern Dance Society) has a new website! It is www.omeds.org.uk.
~Caitlyn will be playing a dancer on a Chanel Punjab TV series. Details coming soon!
~Three portraits of Caitlyn were recently on display at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition in London. The Annual Exhibition is regarded as one of the world’s greatest forums for portrait painting today.
Public Shows in Oxford and London
~If you have a party at Oxford's Euphrates Restaurant, you can book Caitlyn to dance. Or you can just go there to eat and hope someone else has booked her :-) 126 Cowley Rd. 01865 205 204
~You can book Caitlyn to dance at your event at Escape. 9a High Street, Oxford. 01865 246 766.
~You may also book her to dance at your event at Al-Salam Restaurant, 6-8 Park ENd ST., Oxford.
Articles
~Caitlyn's article for Gilded Serpent
~An interesting article with some truly fantastic logic on the part of Hamas...and a pithy response from a Lebanese blogger
~BBC article on dance in Egypt
Dance Workshops
~Find something in your city at:Bhuz
Information About Middle Eastern Dance
~ Excellent articles. Dance classes and performances in New York City. Morocco
~ Music lyrics, costuming information, information about dance styles and more: Shira
~ The Gilded Serpent is an online magazine about Mideastern dance
~Another good magazine is The Hip Circle
~A history of finger cymbals on the Saroyan site
~Cross-dressing in Middle Eastern dance
~Costume Gallery
~A history of American Tribal Style Bellydance on the Fat Chance Belly Dance site
Musicians and Arabic Music
~Learn about Arabic music at MaqamWorld
~Buy Arabic Music at Maqam.com
~The Music Box: Popular Favourites in music books for all instruments from a real UK music shop.
Books:
~Brown, Barry Owen and Dawn Devine. Costuming from the Hip.
~Brown, Dawn Devine. Embellished Bras: Basic Techniques.
How to decorate a bra to make it part of your dance costume.
~Brown, Dawn Devine. Style File.
Cute little 40-page booklet describing the different kinds of costumes out there—nightglub, Ghawazee, Rrom, etc. Well-illustrated.
Websites:
Desert Moon Dance
Instructions on sewing garments and embellishing your costume with beads. Includdes a useful glossary of terms such as “caftan” and “bedleh”.
Madame X
Very clear, easy instructions; excellent results. She doesn’t give instructions for embellishment, though; you need to go to Desert Moon Dance for that.
Shira’s Costuming Corner
All sorts of useful information for making your own costumes.
Supplies:
Cost Less Belly Dance Costumes
They also sell supplies for making your own costumes. Mainly coin bra-and-belt sets. The can be a challenge, as you have to find something decent to put under the bra. They don’t actually cost less, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t pretty!
Buying Costumes
Costumes are often sold more cheaply in other countries, but you’ll run into two problems. First, many Mideastern companies that sell mainly gift items do not carry high quality dance products. I recommend buying from UK or US retailers who sell only dance items; the quality is usually better. If you order from the US, you may pay so much in shipping and tariffs that you won’t actually save money. Avoid costumes made in India or Pakistan; the quality is usually low and the look is slightly "off".
Costume Vendors Abroad
If you happen to be in Cairo, go to Mahmoud abd Ghaffar at 73 Gawhar Al-Qayid St. in Khan El Khalili 202-589-7443. The store is four storeys. Enough said.
In Istanbul, go to Bazar Ali Baba at Fesciler Cad. No. 119-21 Kapalicarsi (i.e. the Grand Bazaar). (0.212) 527 09 75. The quality is excellent and there is a wide selection of costumes to chose from. The staff are very friendly and helpful.
Costume Vendors in the UK
Egyptian Shop
I haven’t ordered from them (yet).
Egyptian Dreams
I haven’t ordered from them (yet).
Farida’s Passions
I haven’t ordered from them (yet).
Forbidden Fruits Bazaar
Very nice quality, reasonable prices, quick shipping.
Aladdin’s Cave
Wide selection, good quality. They bring their items to many Mideastern dance events, so if you go to an event such as Fantasia, you can try the items on. Their selection on CDs and videos is unparalleled and their customer service is excellent.
Costume Vendors in the USA
Aliah’s Closet
They have a store in Portland, Oregon. The owner designs some of the clothes herself and has them made in India…wherein lies the problem. The clothes are gorgeous, but the fabrics can be so obviously Indian that people will come up to you at performances and say things like, “Hey, my auntie has a sari made of the same fabric.” Kind of awkward when your dance show is supposed to be Middle Eastern. Plenty of non-Indian stuff, though.
Dahlal Internationale
High quality, with an amazing selection of professional costumes. Carries designers such as Madame Abla and Phaeronics. Great selection of CDs, zils, hip scarves. Excellent customer service.
Flying Skirts
American Tribal style costumes. Expensive, but quality. Fabulous dance bras made with real coins (though the real coins don't really imply any "authenticity" as they claim. When was the last time you saw an Arab girl in a coin bra, hmm?).
L. Rose Designs
Custom-made bellydance costumes!
Moondance: Gifts for the Dancing Spirit
Amazing deals on this site! They have an especially enormous selection of skirts. Do be wary of buying a narrow skirt that inhibits your stretching and dancing. Also be wary of their international shipping prices. Eeeeek.
Salome’s Tent
They provide fantastic customer service. Competitive prices.
Saroyan Mastercrafts
Possibly the best zils in the world. They Saroyan Grecian zills have an unusually low, mellow tone, perfect if you or your audience have sensitive ears.
ShimmyShimmy
Big selection, well-organized site. They have goddess-size clothes as well.
Topkapi Designs
For professional Turkish costumes. The models look like rejects from a Miss America pageant, but they do have some pretty costumes.
Turquoise International
Recommended particularly for their finger cymbals. They also have some CDs that can be difficult to find elsewhere.
Wicked Harem
American Tribal clothes and accessories. I especially love their hair decorations.
Yasemin Yildiz
Gorgeous, unique, extremely high-quality professional costumes with a tribal feel.
Costume Vendors in Other Countries
Australian Bellydance
Costume Articles
Cairo's Costume Disasters
Miscellaneous Sites
~World Bellydance
~The Wedding Index - your Elegant, fast & free Wedding Directory
~Belly-Dancing.info
~Smooth Moves, a dance e-zine
~Belly-Dancing.info Promoting the art of bellydancing around the world.
~Caitlyn recently received funding from Oxford University to continue her study of Turkish Roman (Gypsy) dance in Istanbul in 2008.
~The Oxford Middle Eastern Dance Society (formerly the Oxford University Middle Eastern Dance Society) has a new website! It is www.omeds.org.uk.
~Caitlyn will be playing a dancer on a Chanel Punjab TV series. Details coming soon!
~Three portraits of Caitlyn were recently on display at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition in London. The Annual Exhibition is regarded as one of the world’s greatest forums for portrait painting today.
Public Shows in Oxford and London
~If you have a party at Oxford's Euphrates Restaurant, you can book Caitlyn to dance. Or you can just go there to eat and hope someone else has booked her :-) 126 Cowley Rd. 01865 205 204
~You can book Caitlyn to dance at your event at Escape. 9a High Street, Oxford. 01865 246 766.
~You may also book her to dance at your event at Al-Salam Restaurant, 6-8 Park ENd ST., Oxford.
~Caitlyn's article for Gilded Serpent
~An interesting article with some truly fantastic logic on the part of Hamas...and a pithy response from a Lebanese blogger
~BBC article on dance in Egypt
Dance Workshops
~Find something in your city at:Bhuz
~ Excellent articles. Dance classes and performances in New York City. Morocco
~ Music lyrics, costuming information, information about dance styles and more: Shira
~ The Gilded Serpent is an online magazine about Mideastern dance
~Another good magazine is The Hip Circle
~A history of finger cymbals on the Saroyan site
~Cross-dressing in Middle Eastern dance
~Costume Gallery
~A history of American Tribal Style Bellydance on the Fat Chance Belly Dance site
Musicians and Arabic Music
~Learn about Arabic music at MaqamWorld
~Buy Arabic Music at Maqam.com
~The Music Box: Popular Favourites in music books for all instruments from a real UK music shop.
Costuming
Making Your Own Costumes
Making your own costumes can save you a lot of money. I recommend making veils and harem pants as your first items, as these are the easiest.
Books:
~Brown, Barry Owen and Dawn Devine. Costuming from the Hip.
~Brown, Dawn Devine. Embellished Bras: Basic Techniques.
How to decorate a bra to make it part of your dance costume.
~Brown, Dawn Devine. Style File.
Cute little 40-page booklet describing the different kinds of costumes out there—nightglub, Ghawazee, Rrom, etc. Well-illustrated.
Desert Moon Dance
Instructions on sewing garments and embellishing your costume with beads. Includdes a useful glossary of terms such as “caftan” and “bedleh”.
Madame X
Very clear, easy instructions; excellent results. She doesn’t give instructions for embellishment, though; you need to go to Desert Moon Dance for that.
Shira’s Costuming Corner
All sorts of useful information for making your own costumes.
Supplies:
Cost Less Belly Dance Costumes
They also sell supplies for making your own costumes. Mainly coin bra-and-belt sets. The can be a challenge, as you have to find something decent to put under the bra. They don’t actually cost less, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t pretty!
Buying Costumes
Costumes are often sold more cheaply in other countries, but you’ll run into two problems. First, many Mideastern companies that sell mainly gift items do not carry high quality dance products. I recommend buying from UK or US retailers who sell only dance items; the quality is usually better. If you order from the US, you may pay so much in shipping and tariffs that you won’t actually save money. Avoid costumes made in India or Pakistan; the quality is usually low and the look is slightly "off".
Costume Vendors Abroad
If you happen to be in Cairo, go to Mahmoud abd Ghaffar at 73 Gawhar Al-Qayid St. in Khan El Khalili 202-589-7443. The store is four storeys. Enough said.
In Istanbul, go to Bazar Ali Baba at Fesciler Cad. No. 119-21 Kapalicarsi (i.e. the Grand Bazaar). (0.212) 527 09 75. The quality is excellent and there is a wide selection of costumes to chose from. The staff are very friendly and helpful.
Costume Vendors in the UK
Egyptian Shop
I haven’t ordered from them (yet).
Egyptian Dreams
I haven’t ordered from them (yet).
Farida’s Passions
I haven’t ordered from them (yet).
Forbidden Fruits Bazaar
Very nice quality, reasonable prices, quick shipping.
Aladdin’s Cave
Wide selection, good quality. They bring their items to many Mideastern dance events, so if you go to an event such as Fantasia, you can try the items on. Their selection on CDs and videos is unparalleled and their customer service is excellent.
Costume Vendors in the USA
Aliah’s Closet
They have a store in Portland, Oregon. The owner designs some of the clothes herself and has them made in India…wherein lies the problem. The clothes are gorgeous, but the fabrics can be so obviously Indian that people will come up to you at performances and say things like, “Hey, my auntie has a sari made of the same fabric.” Kind of awkward when your dance show is supposed to be Middle Eastern. Plenty of non-Indian stuff, though.
Dahlal Internationale
High quality, with an amazing selection of professional costumes. Carries designers such as Madame Abla and Phaeronics. Great selection of CDs, zils, hip scarves. Excellent customer service.
Flying Skirts
American Tribal style costumes. Expensive, but quality. Fabulous dance bras made with real coins (though the real coins don't really imply any "authenticity" as they claim. When was the last time you saw an Arab girl in a coin bra, hmm?).
L. Rose Designs
Custom-made bellydance costumes!
Moondance: Gifts for the Dancing Spirit
Amazing deals on this site! They have an especially enormous selection of skirts. Do be wary of buying a narrow skirt that inhibits your stretching and dancing. Also be wary of their international shipping prices. Eeeeek.
Salome’s Tent
They provide fantastic customer service. Competitive prices.
Saroyan Mastercrafts
Possibly the best zils in the world. They Saroyan Grecian zills have an unusually low, mellow tone, perfect if you or your audience have sensitive ears.
ShimmyShimmy
Big selection, well-organized site. They have goddess-size clothes as well.
Topkapi Designs
For professional Turkish costumes. The models look like rejects from a Miss America pageant, but they do have some pretty costumes.
Turquoise International
Recommended particularly for their finger cymbals. They also have some CDs that can be difficult to find elsewhere.
Wicked Harem
American Tribal clothes and accessories. I especially love their hair decorations.
Yasemin Yildiz
Gorgeous, unique, extremely high-quality professional costumes with a tribal feel.
Costume Vendors in Other Countries
Australian Bellydance
Costume Articles
Cairo's Costume Disasters
Miscellaneous Sites
~World Bellydance
~The Wedding Index - your Elegant, fast & free Wedding Directory
~Belly-Dancing.info
~Smooth Moves, a dance e-zine
~Belly-Dancing.info Promoting the art of bellydancing around the world.