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Easy, Practical
Costume Ideas for Students
(click any picture for a larger view of the sketch)
Circle Skirt
A circle skirt is a very common
and widely recognized costume piece. Circle skirts are fun to dance
in, and with all that swirly fabric floating around you, you can be
both glamorous and playful in your dancing. Circle skirts can be made
out of almost any fabric as long as it isn't stiff or heavy. If you
prefer an ethnic or American Tribal Style look, use a lightweight
cotton. For a cabaret look, choose a lightweight fabric such as
chiffon, for example. Use standard 45" wide fabric.
 Measure yourself from hipline to
ankles, then add eight inches for hems and the waist hole. Call this
measurement "A". This will make one quarter-circle. Double this
number, and that will determine how much fabric you will need to buy
to make each half-circle. If you want your skirt to be 2
half-circles in the back and one in the front, you will need 3
half-circles (This makes a very full skirt). You can have 1
half-circle in back and 1 half-circle in front, one half-circle in
back and a quarter-circle in front, and so on, however you desire. Lay
your fabric out and measure "A" (hip to ankle plus 8"). Fold fabric
back on top of the first layer. Each two layers with a fold on one
side will make one half-circle. Continue folding the fabric back and
forth until you have the correct number of layers for your skirt. Pin
a measuring tape to the top corner, through all the layers of fabric.
Measure out "A". With a pencil, mark a half-circle using the
measuring tape as a guide. Leaving the measuring tape still pined,
measure and mark a 6" radius for the waist hole. Cut through all the
layers of fabric at once. Sew the half-circles together. Sew the
sides closed, or leave them open if desired. Turn the top edge of the
skirt under and make a casing. Insert 1" wide non-roll elastic.
Hang the skirt up for a week to let the bias stretch out. Trim the
skirt evenly and make a narrow rolled hem. You can add decorative
trim if you desire. It takes approx. 4 yards of trim for each
half-circle..
Harem Pants
 Harem pants are an easy and
versatile costume piece. Wear them with a handkerchief or panel
skirt, under a circle skirt or under a baladi dress. Wear them alone,
or dress them up with scarves or coin belts. Make a matching vest,
add a pair of earrings, and you're all set!
 You will need a minimum of two
yards (or meters) of 45" wide fabric. For fuller pants, use 2.5 or 3
yards (or meters). Fold the fabric in half with raw edges together,
and cut from selvage to selvage. Measure approx. 12" from the top of
one selvage down - this will be your crotch seam. This will vary for
each person -measure yourself from hips to just below the crotch.
Don't forget to add extra inches for the waistband at the top! If you
wish to have a more comfortable crotch opening, cut in about 2" at the
crotch seam, and then cut straight up to the top. Now sew each piece
from the bottom selvage up to the crotch opening. You will have two
tubes. Next sew the crotch seams together Turn the fabric under at
the hip line, making a casing for your elastic. Use a 1" non-roll
elastic. Turn fabric under at leg bottom, making a casing for the
ankle elastic. Thread elastic and sew the opening closed. Try on
your pants. The fabric should billow around the foot.
Straight Skirt
 You can wear a straight skirt
alone, or over a pair of harem pants. Worn alone, the skirt looks
great made out of glittery fabrics, or fabrics with a bit of stretch
to them. Very lightweight fabrics will not work.
 You will need enough fabric to
wrap around your hips plus a little extra for seams. Stitch the
edges together from the top down as far as you like, but no further
than the knee. If you want 2 leg openings, situate the opening
over the front of one hip. Cut an opening for your other leg the same
size as the first leg opening. Hem the raw edges. Turn under the
waistband to make a casing for elastic. Hem.
If you want to wear the skirt
over a pair of harem pants, you'll need to make 2 panels. Measure
yourself from your front hipbone around the back to the other front
hip bone. This is the back of your skirt. Add a little extra for
seams and a bit of gathering if you want. Cut another piece of fabric
for the front, measured from one front hip to the other. Turn top
edge under to make a casing. Wear with a scarf to hide the elastic
that shows.
Handkerchief Skirt
 This is a very easy skirt to make.
You can make it out of any fabric. You can wear it alone, over a pair
of harem pants, or over a circle skirt. You can cut this out of either
a square or a rectangle. The shape of piece you use will determine the
length and shape of the handkerchief points. I am wearing a
handkerchief skirt made out of blue glitter dot fabric over a sea foam
green circle skirt in the photo on the home page of this website. Fold
your fabric in half, and then in half again (see diagram). Cut an 8
inch quarter-circle out of the corner, so that when you open up your
fabric, you will have a round hole in the center. This hole should be
the same diameter as your hips. Turn the opening under and create a
casing for the elastic. When you put the skirt on, the four corners
will fall into points. For a fuller look with 8 points, layer 2
squares, one on top of the other.
Baladi Dress
 A traditional and versatile
costume, the baladi dress is basically a simple gunny-sack style of
dress. The baladi dress can be made out of just about any material.
Use glittery fabric for a cabaret look. Or, you can use lace or a loose
weave knit and wear with leggings or harem pants and a crop-top
underneath. Make it out of an ethnic print fabric for a folk look.
Dress it up by sewing on paillets and sequins. Cut the neckline low so
it tucks underneath the bust, and wear with a decorated costume bra.
Wear it with a hip scarf, coin belt, or make a hip girdle. Make a
sheath, or add long draping sleeves. It's up to you!
Easy T-Shirt Top
 Do you have a shirt that matches
the material in your skirt or harem pants? Perhaps a pretty summer
t-shirt that you can convert into a dance top will look nice! Gather
the front of the shirt up, either by running a basting stitch or by
simply gathering it up into a pretty hair barrette. Or, cut the bottom
to create a crop-top (be sure to mark before you cut, and then raise
your arms over your head to be sure you aren't cutting it too short!).
Sew on paillets, sequins, coins, or beads to the bottom edge, and around
the neck and sleeves. If you want, you can attach jewelry (necklace
chain for example) or beads to drape over the midriff area. Viola! A
top suitable for any student performance. Sew matching beads (Christmas
decorations work great) onto the waistband of your skirt or pants, and
you've got a matching outfit!
Body Suits look just
fine! If you want, you can dress them up with costume jewelry or
beading sewn onto the front.
Bedlah: Costume
Bra and Belt
I personally don't wear bedlah very
often. Since there are a lot of internet sites with excellent advice on
making a costume bra and belt set, I'll leave it to them and just
briefly touch on it here.
Costume Bra: You'll need to purchase a sturdy
bra that fits you well (or is even a bit large to absorb the room you'll
take up with stitching) and that has adequate coverage. No demi-bras,
please! Be tasteful at all costs! You'll need to cut off the straps and
replace them with grosgrain ribbon, or something similar that has no
stretch, give, or bounce. This is very important! It may seem silly,
but as soon as you start dancing and your bra starts to move
independently and the straps start slipping, you'll wish you had done
it! Cover the cups with fabric of your choice. You can be as artistic
as you want. Add a jewelry stomach drape or put fringe on if you like.
Cover the straps, sides and back with matching sequined trim. Never
dance in a bra that just has the cups covered, because that's exactly
what it will look like: a bra with decorated cups. In class I'll tell
you to always finish your movement - the same applies here: always
finish your costume!
 Belt:
As you know, wearing something on the hips is essential for adding
emphasis to the hip movements. You can wear a coin belt or hip scarf,
or you can make your own girdle. You will need to make a pattern out of
newspaper. Experiment to find the shape that suits you best. You'll
need to cut the girdle fairly narrow over the top of the leg so that it
won't ride up when you dance. Remember also that your body is curved,
not straight, so your girdle must curve also to avoid gaps at the top.
When you have the paper pattern perfected, you can transfer it onto your
fabric. Use a sturdy non-stretch fabric such as heavy felt, melton
cloth, or table padding. Heavy upholstery fabrics also work well. Cut
it out, and then cover the girdle with a pretty fabric. Your girdle
should match your bra - so if you've covered your bra with silver
glitter dot fabric, for example, cover your belt with the same. You can
now leave it "as is", or you can add coin or bead drapes, fringe,
tassels, whatever you desire! Be creative! To fasten the girdle, I
recommend using 2 rows of heavy duty men's trouser hooks.
Now that we've
talked about costume ideas, we have to talk about:
Underwear
My grandma always told me to wear
my good underpants if I was going out, just in case I got in an
accident. Now, I'm not your grandma, so as long as you're modest, I
don't ordinarily care what kind of underwear you wear with your practice
outfit in class. Performing in your costume is a whole other
ball of wax, though, whether it be for family & friends, the general
public, or for your classmates at a studio party, because grandma was
right. Sometimes your skirt may get the best of you, and you'll end up
exposing more leg than you planned on. This happens to more dancers
than you know. It happened to me! I had no idea that my gloriously
spinning skirt was showing off my flowered underpants to over one
hundred audience members...until afterwards, when everyone was giggling
but me. Don't let this happen to you! It is very important (I
can't stress this enough!) that you wear appropriate underpinnings!
Nothing ruins a performance faster than catching a glimpse of a dancers
saggy old underwear. Consider what you are wearing underneath you
skirt to be just as important as the skirt itself, and choose tap pants,
a bathing suit bottom, or dye a good quality pair of full-coverage
underwear in a matching color. Never wear a thong under your
costume...yuck!
See Thru Fabrics
There are a lot of beautiful
fabrics to choose from, and some of the nicest, floaty-est ones just
happen to be sheer or semi-sheer. These are fine and beautiful, but
keep modesty in mind! Speaking as your teacher, it's my opinion that if
you make your costume skirt out of see-thru fabric, wearing harem pants
underneath is a must. If necessary, you can make your harem
pants out of the same sheer fabric as your skirt, and all the layers
combined should mask the naked look of bare legs. I have seen some
costumes that look just beautiful with several layers of sheer skirt
over bare legs, and others that look downright indecent with a single
layer and slit to the top. Just remember that in this case, more (as in
fabric, not skin!) is definitely better.
Lingerie
Lingerie fantasy costumes are
not appropriate costume wear for Oriental dance. Not only do they
look cheep and tacky, but they are cheaply made and likely to fall apart
when you least expect it.
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