Teacher's Features

I publish a monthly email newsletter for my belly dance students and these articles have appeared in previous newsletters under my column with the same name.....hope you enjoy reading them and find them useful.

"Basic Class Etiquette for Students"                                    " Use Your Mental Skills When Dancing"                                "How to Get the Most from your Belly Dance Classes"

1001 Things You Need in your Bag for a Show

TIP #1:  Gather your supplies in advance of the show when you are not rushed and place them in your bag

TIP #2:  Lay out all of the pieces belonging to your costume so you know what items you must bring

TIP #3:  Use tips 1 and 2 for makeup items

TIP #4:  Use large pillowcases to hold bra and belt, coin belt, hip scarf or other items which may tangle or snag en route

TIP #5:  Plastic zip lock bags work well for earrings, necklaces and other accessories

TIP #6:  Use a garment bag for skirts, veils, harem pants and other items to avoid wrinkling, snagging or soiling

Here is the list of necessary items that every dancer should have on hand for a show:

Large safety pins or diaper pins - use the pins to secure bra and belt hooks.  I never rely on hooks alone to do the job!  Also pin your belt or hip scarf to your costume skirt or harem pants.  This prevents the belt from falling, sagging or "dancing" around your hips when performing.  The pins also come in handy for making quick repairs to broken elastic in skirts or broken bra straps.

Underwear - sounds silly to say, but I must admit that I've seen more than my fair share of "bare bottoms" at shows.  Please NO sheer skirts or harem pants minus the underwear!  Remember, you want to be treated as a professional performer and appearance DOES count.

Vaseline - when your mouth is dry and your lips want to stick to your upper teeth.  Apply a small amount to the teeth with your finger and you'll find this problem solved!

Water - please don't ask others to share, for obvious reasons

Eye glasses - if you wear them regularly, need them for close up vision or wear contacts, keep an extra pair in your dance bag so you can see directions, maps, how to fix your costume, etc. if necessary

Breath spray - I think you can figure this one out on your own!

Small mirror - for those times when you have need of it

Hairbrush and hair spray - neat, clean hair counts!  Purchase a travel size hair spray, if you use it

Small hand towel - for dabbing perspiration after dancing and other various uses you may find for it

Bandaids - for those times when you need one, i.e., you step on a glass bead, stab yourself with a pin or something worse

Kleenex - small size package for makeup smears, etc.

Lipstick and makeup - use your own products to avoid cross contamination

Perfume - to freshen up if necessary and it's part of the "mystique"....I can still smell my teacher's favorite one if I think about her

Finger Cymbals - placed in a tiny bag so that you can find them quickly.  Check elastic bands periodically to make sure the elastic bands have not stretched out when you weren't looking.  Color code the thumb cymbals so you know which ones they are in order to save time. 

Dance Music - Always have TWO copies of your dance music in case one doesn't work

Extension Cord - handy to have on hand if the batteries die in a portable music source

Dance Shoes - in case the dance surface is not suitable for barefoot dancing

©Arabian Nights - Belly Dancer 2006