"Gypsy" Style Costume
Peasant blouse, choli, skirt, and coin bra sewn by Tinkerbell.
All photos on this page by Dana Myers.
When I need to let my hair down, when I feel sultry and slinky, the gypsy look is for me. On those really hot afternoons at Ren Faire, this is a very comfortable costume. Ren Faires are more fantasy than history, so we can get away with this look. This would not pass at a S.C.A. event.
If your troupe's performance is ever raided by a band of pirates, be prepared to defend yourself with your sword! Our friends the Scurvvy Dawgs know this all to well. Unguarded stage props, weapons, and beads are fair game. "I've come fer yer pirate booty! Gimme yer beads, ya Scurvvy Dawg!"
This coin bra is made from beaded fringe I found at a discount store. The coins look old and have Grecian statue faces and flowers on each side. Although the beads are plastic, they pass for semi-prescious stone. The fringe jiggles and jingles very well.
Since taking a workshop with Artemis Maurat last year, and hearing her discussion of the Romani people and their living, thriving culture, I learned the word "gypsy" is offensive. How can dancers get around using the term "gypsy"? The word is engrained in the music and costuming of folkloric belly dance. We us it to describe zombramora, flamenco, and other forms of dance. Many troupes have "Gypsy" names. When Banat Casablanca goes to ren faire, everyone calls us gypsies. I guess I'm stuck with the word until I can find a better one.
