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Belly
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Costumes
BELLY DANCE, ETHNIC DANCE and BOLLYWOOD
COSTUMES and
ACCESSORIES
Belly Dance and Ethnic
Dance Costumes
For the Professional and for the Novice
Sensuous * Exotic * Mesmerizing
We offer decorated or plain velvet, satin, cotton and chiffon skirts, tops, bra tops, hip scarves, and veils, as well as complete custom 5 and 7 piece professional belly dance costumes. We stock metal hip belts, necklaces, bangles, hand bracelets, and anklets in gold and silver metal, decorated with bells and/or coins. We also carry zills for the novice and higher quality zills for the discerning professional. You will also find a selection of belly dance music, instructions DVD's, henna body art kits and lame slippers. Most items are in stock and can most often ship within 24 hours, though the professional dance costumes are custom made to precise measurements and require 4-5 weeks for delivery. Special orders must be paid in full in advance.
Bollywood Costumes
Bollywood costuming is usually brilliant, colorful, and elaborate, with many unique ethnic influences mixed with Hollywood fantasy. Traditional Indian clothing combined with Arabic and American Belly Dance fashions. India is famous for its beautiful jewelry, which is often used generously in the costuming, with headpieces, nose rings, earrings, necklaces, numerous bracelets, anklets, hand jewelry, rings, and more.
About Belly Dancing
An American entrepreneur coined the term "Belly Dancing" to promote the performer Little Egypt in the "Streets of Cairo" exhibit at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. The music and rhythms of this exotic dance immediately captivated America and the Western world. Today this fascination continues, with belly dancing enjoying enormous worldwide popularity.
One of the oldest forms of dance, belly dancing traces its history back more than 5,000 years. At a time when the Pharaohs ruled Egypt, Oriental Dance, as belly dancing was originally called, began to emerge from traditional women’s dances, celebrating weddings, births, and festivals. With roots in temple dances of India, Oriental Dancing spread throughout the East with the establishment of trade routes and commerce. Body movement from North Africa, Egypt and the Middle East, Turkey and India were mixed, creating the style of belly dance we know today.
Belly dancing is for all ages and all body types. It allows for a spontaneous expression of creativity through movement and harmoniously aligns the body, spirit and soul while providing endless hours of fun and entertainment. Belly dancing has become one of the most popular forms of exercise, with classes popping up in formal dance studios, as well as gyms all over the country.
(The Basic 12 Core Moves)
Although belly dance is not considered native to India, it's likely that at least some of the core belly dance moves and core belly dance concepts may have originated in India a millennia ago, and then spread to other parts of the world.
Most belly dancing is derived from one or more of the following 12 movements, along with their many variations. By practicing the "Basic 12", you'll master the core movement vocabulary for all styles of traditional and modern belly dance.
Basic Staccato Hip Moves
1) Hip Twist
2) Hip Bump (Hip Thrust)
3) Up & Down Hips
Basic Rolling Hip Moves
4) Hip Figure 8's
5) Basic Hip Circle
6) Vertical Hip Circle
Basic Ribcage Circles
7) Horizontal Ribcage Circle
8) Diagonal Ribcage Circle
9) Vertical Ribcage Circle With Undulation
Basic Arm, Shoulder and Head Moves
10) Arm Waves
11) Shoulder Rotations With Arm Ripples (Snake Arms)
12) Head Slide
'The Basic 12' core moves and advanced belly dancing moves are taught in the DVD offered in our Shopping Mall, along with a selection of exotic Belly Dance music on CD.
We also feature a dazzling make-up selection from Ben Nye, Graftobian, Cinema Secrets and Mehron, as well as Bindi for face, hands and body, and henna tattoos to transform yourself.
To Enter Shopping Mall
Etoile
Costume and Party Center
Open year round