Fabulous Full Figures, Part 3: Asifa el-Bah'r

Articles in this Topic Discussions in this Topic

May 4, 2001

This article is Part 3 in a series of articles titled "Belly Dancing Costumes: Fabulous Full Figures." It offers inspiration to full-figured women everywhere who would like to learn to belly dance, but are reluctant because they don't know what they would wear.

I almost didn't ask Asifa el-Bah'r to contribute photos to this series of articles because at a size 16-18 (1X) I consider her to be a bit too slim to truly qualify as a full-figured dancer. However, her taste in costuming tends to run along the lines of outfits that would look fabulous on plus-sized people too, so I felt she still qualified as a good role model.

As you look at these pictures, you'll notice that every one involves wearing some sort of covering over the midriff. This isn't about shyness or body image -- Asifa el-Bah'r explains that torso covers can also be an excellent costume choice for slender dancers:

To me, torso covers are neither cop-out nor apology; the right type can be a performance advantage. Subtle, precision torso-muscle movement is more visible from a greater distance through a sheer bodystocking that contrasts with the skin, or a dress midsection with movable ornaments attached, than it is on a bare abdomen. I've seen this effect on ALL body types.

The White Moroccan Dress

Asifa el-Bah'r found this lovely dress in a South Miami Beach boutique. Necklaces and belt were assembled from components found in an accessory store for less than $40.

Who says cotton is a humble fabric? This cotton Moroccan dress flows gracefully, has a rich texture and a subtle sheen, and feels great to dance in.

Asifa el-Bah'r reports:

The saleswoman showed me so many fabulous ways to wear this two-layer dress that I worked out some graceful transitions and choreographed a dance around it.

This picture is from her first performance with this dress in a South Florida multi-troupe recital in 1996. She also wore this costume for her live-music solo in 1998 at the Rakkasah dance festival in California.

Blue and Silver Bedleh

"Bedleh" is the Arabic word for "suit", and Egyptian dancers use the term to refer to costumes in the bra/belt/skirt style. This lovely photo of Asifa el-Bah'r in her blue and silver bedleh was shot by Larry Quick in southern Florida:

As you can see from the above photo, even though its components are the basic bra/belt/skirt set that intimidates many full-figured dancers, this costume looks great on her because of how she has accessorized the total look. She commented:

Go To Page: 1 2 3 4

The copyright of the article Fabulous Full Figures, Part 3: Asifa el-Bah'r in Middle Eastern Dance is owned by Julie Elliot. Permission to republish Fabulous Full Figures, Part 3: Asifa el-Bah'r in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.