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Costumes for SCA and Renaissance Faires

© Shira

In the early 1980's, when I had been belly dancing less than a year, I was invited to perform at a feast organized by the local chapter of Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA), a group that re-enacts the Medieval era of history. The person who invited me to do the performance knew that I was a beginner, but thought it would be fun to have me dance anyway, so I agreed to it.

For my show, I did what I had been taught in my classes how to do: I showed up wearing an emerald green bra/belt set with green chiffon skirts and veils. The audience was very warm and responsive, and generally seemed to enjoy the show.

Afterward, as I was changing my clothes in the bathroom, one of the women from the audience came in to use the facilities. When she saw me, she asked why I had chosen the nightclub look instead of an ethnic look. I knew there was no point in lying about it, so I came out and said it was because I was a beginner and this was all I knew. That answer seemed to soften what had started as a hostile attitude. Looking back, I know that my costuming was very inappropriate to that setting, but I did the best I could with the knowledge I had at the time.

Now, 20+ years later, I would like to think I'm a little older and wiser. Over the past two decades, I've learned much about the historical and ethnic traditions of Middle Eastern dance, and the dance community's overall knowledge and sophistication has grown. In this article, I'd like to share with you what I wish I had known back then about performing for historical re-enactment events!

What Not to Wear!

When performing at an event that seeks to re-create either the Renaissance or the Medieval era, the following things would be extremely bad choices:

• Chainmail Bikini. The look popularized by Red Sonja in the 1980's might set young men's blood racing, but it's not a valid re-enactment of what Middle Eastern women once wore! Save it for the science fiction conventions!
• Fur Bikini. I'm sure the men would like to touch your furry places, but it's all wrong for historical depiction! This is another choice better suited for science fiction conventions.
• Xena, Warrior Princess Costume. As a novelty costume for a comedy act at a belly dancing festival or hafla, it might be fun. But the Xena look just doesn't match the historical garb of real women from the Middle East and therefore is not the right choice for historical re-enactment. But it would be a big hit at a science fiction or comic book convention.

The copyright of the article Costumes for SCA and Renaissance Faires in Middle Eastern Dance is owned by Julie Elliot. Permission to republish Costumes for SCA and Renaissance Faires in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.