How many of us want a new, beautiful costume to wear for the next show…but when the next show comes, end up pulling out the same old costume that looks and feels just okay?
…or worse, it feels awful but that’s all you have to wear?
Well, the other day, I received an email from a belly dancer in UK.
She said, “When I dance with my current group and we are doing the boring black pants and coloured tops, I feel awful, dull and not noticeable and I cannot recall the choreography.”
Her comment immediately took me back to 8 years ago when I was about to perform at a student recital.
All the dancers in my group were wearing boring black pants, tops in different colours, and the same coin hip scarves that we used in class.
I felt awful, and I didn’t even “look” like a belly dancer.
I enviously watched other dancers changing into beautiful, sparkly costumes backstage.
I thought to myself, “Okay, I’ll find a better costume for next time.”
But…. I ended up wearing the same outfit 2 more times at different shows!
I procrastinated for that long, creating excuses like costumes are too expensive to buy, and my size wasn’t available. Oh, and I couldn’t sew one myself.
What you wear = who others see you are
But some people take action to change this situation right away.
For example, the UK dancer I mentioned earlier joined my Belly Dance Costume Workshop, and now she’s on her way to creating perfectly-fitting costumes. She’s got so many exciting design ideas!
I certainly took my time at the beginning, but I took my first step towards costume making, thanks to a group of dancers I was dancing with.
In this group, there were a couple of dancers who always had new, well-fitting costumes for our performances!
Their secret was this – they made the costumes themselves.
The funny thing was, even though our dance skills were more or less at the same level when we practiced, they always appeared more professional, more polished, and more well put-together on stage than I did!
That’s when I realized the power of costumes.
A well-fitting, beautiful costume can turn a dancer into a more confident and professional one…. even if she is a hobby dancer.
And like the UK dancer experienced, a poor-fitting, boring costume can make a dancer less capable!
Over time, I became a completely different dancer! I made my own bedlahs, skirts and matching accessories, and I even helped other dancers make their costumes and made some for them too!
And I felt great doing that. I felt FREE because I no longer worried about where/how I was going to find an affordable, beautiful, well-fitting costume!
While you may think, “Well, it’s easy for you, Mao!” 🙂 , these results aren’t mysterious or uncommon.
The techniques I use can be used by anyone who wants to create a perfectly-fitting costume that fits them perfectly. In fact, I’ve taught hundreds of dancers of all ages and body shapes, and seen gorgeous costumes made by them… like these:
“I have never been able to get costume bras to fit me, so I have been very happy with the results I have been able to get from your workshops.”
-Kashi, Belly Dance Costume Workshop participant
“I followed Mao’s instructions and look! No muffin top and no gap at the back on the belt. Everything fits smooth and perfect.“
-Royah, Belly Dance Costume Workshop participant
Notice they both comment on how well their costumes fit? 🙂
Because fit matters.
And there are techniques that you can use to ensure your costume will fit you really well.
The best part is, those techniques don’t require you to be an experienced seamstress!
In the next few days, I’m going to share with you all the mistakes I made (and I see many people make!) when trying to make a costume to fit me, so you can avoid them. And you’ll see exactly how to make a perfectly-fitting costume no matter what size you are.
Soon, you can start creating a new, perfectly-fitting costume for your next performance, and I’ll show you how!
So if you’re interested in learning how to make a perfectly-fitting costume, be sure to sign up for my newsletter from below so you won’t miss the next posts!
Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling! 🙂
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