PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

If you aspire to becoming a paid professional dancer, performing in nightclubs and delivering bellygrams, then you will need to find a way to cover or disguise those scars, either with costuming, jewelry, or makeup. People who pay for a professional dancer expect the illusion of glamor, and scars don't fit the glamorous image.

People expect a different standard from a paid professional versus a hobbyist. This is just as true for Oriental dance as it is for painting, music, or any other art form.

If you want to seek work as a professional dance artist, you'll need to conduct yourself as one, and that goes for paying attention to your appearance as well as your dance quality and business practices. Belly dance is show business. In show business, the person's appearance is part of the package the customer is buying.

Boldly letting vivid scars shout, "I'm here! I'm here!" when you dance will probably inhibit your ability to get professional dance jobs. See below for suggestions on options for how to cover or disguise them.

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, Calfornia.

If you aspire only to having a good time dancing in student-level performances such as belly dance events, student recitals, city festivals, etc. then do whatever you please. Your teacher has done her job in giving you reasonable advice, but only you can decide whether following that advice is right for you. If you don't like her suggestion of a body stocking, you might try challenging her to suggest another alternative — maybe she'll come up with another idea that you do like better! Once she has g

iven you her recommendations, thank her graciously and sincerely for her input, give it due consideration, and decide for yourself what (if anything) to do about it — just as you would do with any other advice. If you decide to take no action on her comments about the scar and she mentions it again, just smile pleasantly and say, "I've thought about it, but decided that leaving my midriff bare is what's right for me. But thanks for wanting to help me!"

I should warn you, however, if you should decide to take no action on your teacher's advice, she may decide to not offer you the same types of performance opportunities she offers her other students. Some teachers are very particular and offer troupe membership or solo performance opportunities only to students who meet their criteria for how a dancer should look/dance/behave.

You have the right to refuse to cover your scars. She has the right to exclude you from some performance opportunities she may make available to her other students. Keep that in mind as you weigh what you want to do, and make sure you're ready to accept the consequences of your decision, whatever it may be.

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by Michael Baxter, Santa Clara, California.

• Some dancers wear belly dance costumes that look like elaborate evening gowns, dripping with beaded fringe, instead of the bra/belt ensemble. In the photograph to the right, I am wearing such a dress, and I don't even have any scars on my midriff that need covering!
• Look for body makeup that is designed to cover scars. You may have to shop around a bit, but it does exist! One brand name, Dermablend, is sold in department stores such as J.C. Penney. Even if the general shape of the scar is still visible after you put the makeup on, it will probably reduce the level of contrast between the scar's color and that of your neighboring skin, and therefore make the scar less obvious.
• Learn how to do traditional folk dances and perform them. Folk costumes do cover the midriff, because traditional people from the folk cultures would never bare their midsections. See the photo above of me wearing the red gallabiya (folkloric dress). An added benefit of folk dances is that many people don't know much about them, which will give you an edge that other dancers don't have.
• One dancer I know who has a horizontal scar on one side of her abdomen used make-up to draw a sword design right on top of it. Eventually, she got a permanent tattoo there of a sword so that she wouldn't have to keep drawing it every time she performed. It looks very elegant, and audiences often comment favorably on it.
• If you prefer the two-piece bra/belt set, you might consider adding a stomach drape to your costume. This is jewelry or beaded fringe that attaches to your dance bra and covers your stomach. You can make your stomach drape from fringe, beads, coins, glittery fabric, or other materials that suit your costuming style. This, too, is popular among dancers who don't have scars, so you'll be right in style with everyone else if you go this route! Many people call these drapes "tummy flutters" because they can accentuate your stomach rolls and flutters.
• If you have a surgical scar (or injury) on your upper back, then perhaps long hair (a wig, maybe?), a vest, a shrug, or a headdress that hangs down your back will provide attractive coverage.

PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by Lina Jang, New York City, New York.

• Ask the Costume Goddess: Large Tummy. Dina Lydia, the Costume Goddess, offers costume ideas for camouflaging the abdomen.
• Ask the Costume Goddess: Apple-Shaped Figure. Although the focus of this article is to provide costume ideas for dancers with large waistlines, some of Dina's suggestions can also apply to scarred areas.

• Ask the Costume Goddess: What Is a Baladi Dress? Another dancer with scars on her stomach area asks about baladi dresses as a costume option.
• Ask the Costume Goddess: Using a Veil with a Baladi Dress. For dancers who embrace a sparkly look with a covered midriff, will a veil work with a baladi dress?