What to Wear for Belly Dancing Classes

DANCE ATTIRE: For your first few classes your major concern should be your dance attire. You need to wear form-fitting clothes, like a comfortable, knit top and slacks/shorts or workout clothes or leotard and tights. WHY? You need to see your muscles work and so does your teacher. If you are doing something incorrectly, you want your teacher to see it right away and help you. You also have to see your body so you can master the dance isolations. Therefore, baggy clothes won't work. Skirts are not recommended either since your teacher needs to see how your legs, knees and feet are placed.

HIP SASH*: The next most important item you will need is a hip sash or scarf. This helps you isolate your hips from your waist and torso. It also makes noise and motion to help you and your teacher see and hear the direction and accents your hips or dance movements are making.

FOOT WEAR*: While you can dance barefooted, at EDE School of Belly Dancing, we recommend that our students bring a pair of socks for their feet to help them execute turns and pivots. Bare feet perspire and tend to stick to the floor. Later, after you decide you are serious about dancing, you will want to purchase dance sandals to make dancing easier and to protect your feet during performances on concrete, asphalt and rough wooden stages.

OTHER SUPPLIES* you will eventually need for belly dancing include:

Finger Cymbals or Zills.
Music for class and practice.
Veils (Rectangular and/or Half Circle).
Dance Bag to carry all this lovely dance paraphernalia to class and to shows.
Videos to practice technique and choreographies.
Costume for performing (We offer costume workshops, patterns, and workbooks).
Speciality Items like a cane, a sword, a candelabra, fire pots, or even a snake.