Costume Tips for Mature Belly Dancers

Belly dancing is a wonderful exercise for mature women. It's gentle on the body and doesn't require the flexibility of youth! Belly dance class is a non-judgmental, supportive environment where dancing ability is more important than size, shape or age. Amongst other belly dancers, you have as much right to wear hip-hugging, belly-baring costumes as your younger, skinnier classmates.

However, not so long ago I had a reality check.

I was watching a student group performing at a belly dance festival. I commented to the 30-something sitting next to me that I'd love to join the group, if only their school wasn't so far away.

"You don't want to be in that troupe," she said, wrinkling her nose. "It's just a bunch of old women."

Now, I've met those "old women" - most of them are younger than me! While I was flattered to think I looked too young to be one of them, it made me see them with non-bellydancing eyes.

Suddenly their bright eye make-up and fake hair looked more drag queen than dancing queen. By dressing in a style made for young dancers, they were actually highlighting their age.

Within the belly dancing community, none of us gives a little extra weight or a few wrinkles a second thought - but when we're performing in public, it's wise to think about how others see us.

The reality is that as we get older, bits of us get flabby and unattractive. Look critically at yourself and identify your best (or least worst) points, and choose your outfit accordingly.

For instance, no one minds if your stomach hangs over your hip belt in class - but your audience really doesn't want to see it. If the tummy flab isn't too bad, you may find a good body stocking is enough to hold everything in. Lace will disguise scars better than a plain sheer.

If your mid-section has definitely seen better days, then the current fashion for beledi or saiidi style dresses is a Godsend.

In fact, these long, figure-hugging dresses are good for most figure flaws, especially if they've got plenty of Lycra content. You can even wear shapewear underneath for a smooth silhouette (make sure you can dance in it, though!).

These dresses usually have cut-outs at strategic places, which can either show bare skin, or be filled in with sheer fabric (either flesh-coloured or toning with the main colour). The ideal is to get the costume custom-made for you, so you can choose to have the cut-outs in places that highlight your best features. If that's outside your budget and you can sew, you might consider buying an ordinary evening dress and making the cut-outs yourself.

For more tips on costume, hair and makeup for mature belly dancers, visit BellydanceBazaar.org.

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All text copyright Marisa Wright. Costume photos thanks to Toast to Life.