What attire is appropriate for belly dance class?
I want to begin belly dance as an exercise regimen & I was curious what clothing is recommended other than traditional garb. Sometimes different activities require specific clothing for performance ease & I would like to hear what attire works for people. I obviously do not currently work out or otherwise I would have an exercise wardrobe already.
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You don’t need anything special. Just non-restrictive clothing you are comfortable in! You’ll need to be able to move but also see what your body is doing, so I would say some sweats or yoga pants and a tee that’s not too loose or too tight would do the trick. Good luck!
For your first class, the best choice is probably a pair of loose or stretchy long pants or an ankle-length skirt, and a t-shirt. Maybe you’ve got some baggy cotton “happy pants” or some yoga pants. If you wear a skirt, it needs to be loose enough to move freely (a boho skirt is good).
Whether you wear pants or a skirt, choose one that sits on your hips, not at your waist. Having something sitting at your hips will help you feel the movement better. You can tie a scarf around your hips which will help even more.
Don’t buy anything special for your first class. You’ll want to fit in with the rest of the class “vibe” so wait and see what everyone else wears.
Most dance classes have some kind of uniform – not deliberately, it just develops! At some belly dance schools, you’ll find the students wear gym gear and the only bellydance embellishment is a coin hip scarf. At the other extreme, you’ll find belly dance schools where students dress up in full performance dress for every class. So wait and see what your school is going to be like.
Enjoy!
Sirena
http://bellydanceoz.com
for class you dont really need many things…just a bolero-type blouse or shirt (even a choli, if you own one), leggins or some other sort of hosiery/skirt you can move in easily and a shimmy scarf/belt. some dancers wear leg-warmers too, so thats an additional option
HAPPY BELLYDANCING
the one, the only Theeny
you will need slippers or you can go barefoot.
kinda like ballet slippers.
make sure to wear something you can be very comfortable and flexible in.
and you will need a towel.
you will also need a hip scarf. go here. http://www.marzino.com
good luck.
Speaking as both an instructor and as a student here’s what I would suggest and why:
Dance/Yoga pants – They are comfortable for you but allow the instructor clear visibility of your leg placement and what you are doing which is essential if they are going to help correct your posture or help you perfect movements.
A tight fitting top – does not need to prevent you from breathing but should be tight enough that your instructor can see your muscle isolations. Some prefer to wear a choli or other midrif bearing tops but this is not necessary.
A coin belt (coin hip scarf) – especially for beginners this is a good tool because you can see what your hips are doing as well as hear them but it works best if that is what your instructor is also using because you will want to hear they proper execution from her to be able to match the sound of your own attempts. If the instructor does not have a noisy hip scarf I’d say try to get a hip scarf or belt that is similar to your instructors because it will make it easier to tell if your hips are doing the same thing as hers.
No shoes or just the dance sandals that cover only the balls of the feet. Most shoes will slide on the dance floor and make the movements difficult unless they are tennies in which case they will generally stick and make the moves harder. You could also use dance slippers like ballet slippers but I wouldn’t recommend it unless your studio has a policy about wearing shoes. (I often would dance in my socks for practice but my feet are always cold). I would not recommend heels unless you are an intermediate level bellydancer… it changes all the moves and you need to understand the basics of them before you go altering them.
A different option to a bottom and top is to get a leotard. This is a very good choice and you can even get ones with a mesh midriff so that your stomach is somewhat visible if you really like that.
I prefer students not wear skirts because it blocks my view of what their legs are doing which is often the key to correction. If you absolutely must wear a skirt I’d recommend a panel skirt such as the following so that your instructor will be able to see your legs through the splits:
http://www.marinadance.com/bellydance/bellydance.htm
(Notice the very small panel in the front, openings for both legs and a full back all of which allow for your legs to peek out for your instructor to see all while giving you the comfort and grace of a skirt, if that’s what you like). If you do wear a skirt wear leggins of pants of some type underneath because you will have to get down on the floor from time to time (especially for warm up / stretching and possibly cool-down).