Red Tinkerbell the Fire Fairy
Fairies are naughty and like to have fun by causing mischief. Who would you rather go to a party with, Wendy or Tink? I believe Tink has more fun. More photos of the Fire Fairy costume can be seen on the Zoo Station page.
I designed and embroidered this tassel belt. It's my favorite costume piece. I'm very proud that it turned out so well. The symbolism of the design is explained on the American Tribal Style Costume page. If you want to make your own tassel belt, here are some sewing hints: 1) Panne velvet is a bitch to work with, it stretches, puckers, and slides against other fabrics. 2) Metallic embroidery floss is the devil, it breaks and frays easily. 3) To attach the tassels, put eyelets in the belt and stitch over them to cover the metal, which allows you to easily change the tassels. 4) Fancy metallic trim is pretty and saves you the hassle of embroidering a border. Photo from May 2003 by Barb Huyser.
Test flight for the peacocks and tassels! Photo from May 2003 by Barb Huyser.
This Indian sari is six yards of goergette fabric emroidered with silver peacocks on the border. How lucky could I be to find this on Ebay! Synchronicity was working in my favor. I have not yet worn the sari for a belly dance show. It's breathtaking to see the detail with beads, sequins, and silver and turquoise threads. Because peacocks are symbolic of fertility and rain, I think this sari is actually a wedding dress.
This is my favorite dance costume. When I put it on, I feel like a different woman. It's my alter ego. This costume is all about attitude, so look out! Photo from June 2003 by C.M.M.
The brass cuff bracelets add to the feeling of empowerment. Another costuming tip: Cuff bracelets are good for self-defense. Often men do not understand the rules of belly dance performance, "you can look, but don't touch the dancer." If a horny, drunk man should ever grab you around the waist while you are dancing, you can show him the heavy cuff bracelets and threaten to hit him in the face. This technique is effective. Photo from June 2003 by C.M.M.
