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

Figures vary over time, and belly dance costuming fashions change over the years. Perhaps you have woken up and discovered you are out of fashion and out of fit.

Or maybe you don't care about fashion: "As god is my witness, I will never relinquish my fringe monsters!"

1. Fits well. The costume is clearly correctly sized for the performer. Correct length. No bra gapping or awkward belt overlaps. Not too loose, not too tight. No obvious extensions.
2. In good condition. The costume is clean and appears to be in good repair. Things that should be ironed are ironed. There should be no loose trim, threads, or tears.
3. In good taste. The costume should be appropriate for the venue. If the venue is family then it should err towards conservatism, especially since performers are much more comfortable with exposure than your average audience. If guests are seated on the floor eating dinner perhaps you should check that audiences aren't getting an eyeful through a slit skirt. In a nightclub setting, NOT being too conservative.
4. Dancer specific. The costume should be a good choice for the body type and style of dancer. Although there should not be appearance requirements to dance, we are still presenting a performance art, so we should avoid bringing in distracting elements and/or natural imperfections by covering and supporting anything that needs covering and supporting. And then we should select costumes that work with the style of the performance, either the cultural style (e.g. Egyptian, Turkish, etc.) or the personal style (youthful, tidy, ethereal, elegant, romantic, etc).
5. Technically Appropriate. The costume should work for the technical aspects of the dance. It should not expose the dancer or fight the dancer during dance movements. It should take into account the actual movement style of the performer. (Aggressive dancers may need more coverage and skirt stretch, dancers who do floor dancing could use something that will stay in place or not be uncomfortable to sit on.)
6. Musically Appropriate. The costume should work with the musical aspects of the dance: obviously Turkish for Turkish, Saidi for Saidi, street or Shaabi influenced costume for Shaabi, etc. However, the costume should also reflect musical content if alternative musical choices are used.
7. Not Distracting. The costume should not distract from the dancer or overpower the dancer, perhaps by being too busy. It should not make the audience spend significant time speculating about what they are seeing or whether there are undergarments

Putting it all together into a costume selected to best present you and your dance will overcome most style issues and make for an enjoyable performance for any audience.

• Are You Sure Your Costume Isn't See-Through? By Saqra.

• Pro or No? What Makes a Professional Costume? By Shira.