Putting it all Together
Layering
All the Flying Skirts pieces are meant to combine and layer. This harkens back to village culture where ceremonial and celebratory garb were special pieces layered over everyday clothing. You always wore your everyday skirt, but on special days you wore your fancy red silk skirt on top of it!
Many skirts can be layered, for increased weight, flight, and color combinations, this is especially nice when you tuck the top skirt up, medieval style, to show the skirt below. My record is five skirts at a time for a Women's dance day at a Sacred Circle Dance Camp. My skirts went flying that day I can tell you!
The skirts can go over the pantaloons, the bras can go over the cholis and kurtas, the veils can go over it all.
The belts are also meant for layering. A short fringe belt or hip wrap can be layered over the long fringe belt for two rows of fringe and interesting color duos. Two long fringe belts can be worn for dense fringe. The triangle belts and hip wraps are also great topped with a tassel belt and coin belts.
Color Combining
One of the most fun, and potentially most daunting, things about putting together a dance costume is playing with all the possible color combinations. You can break all the rules your Mother taught you about what does or does not go together. You can explore the vivd color combinations of an equatorial culture, or pursue the medieval elegance of dark and jewel tone colors. Or even the stark vividness of all white or all black!
First decide what you are going for: Subtle colors that will support and steady you? Strong colors that make you feel mysterious and a bit dangerous? Or wild colors that will liberate your imagination and energy?
Whatever colors you choose , wild and varried, or subtle and deep , your colors need to be balanced and echoed. A flash of red at the hem with a red head scarf, or a carnelian necklace. White silk bloomer peaking out from underneath a skirt and cowrie shell earrings. This can tie your colors into a satisfying whole that truly becomes part of the dance
Elegance
Subtlety and elegance can be achived in a costume using one or two colors that are dark and /or in related color familys (ie wine and teal, olive and rust, purple and wine.) These combinations have the feeling of calm elegance, and are popular choice especially for those of us with an inward gaze.
Power
Black is power. It is most focused when used alone- but also stark. The most powerful and slightly dangerous look is achieved by adding lots of silver/pewter metal jewelry. Combined with gold it is undeniably Queenly. Black is also great combined with one another power color, like red or purple.
Another kind of power is summoned in all white. White illuminates the dancer and calls to the spirit. Worn with gold jewelry, the temple dancers of Greece and Babylon are evoked. A combination of pure white, ivory, and off white keeps a white ensembles from looking too sterile
Energy
Color!, bright, bold, playful, clashing, flirting. This is where energy or chaos can erupt and cause excitement. Many brilliant colors go together in ways only equatorial people feel in their bones, but it sure is liberating for a gal with western european ancestors like myself to try! Orange with fuchsia, apple green with red or tangerine! Red with turquoise! Purple and hot pink and orange and red and brilliant blue!
Not the color combos you will find in Style, Vogue, or an Opra makeover. Think instead Bollywood and all things Salsa. If your ancestors are from a hot country- this can be a wonderful reclaiming and a place, all too rare in this northern European focused culture, to let your self shine!
Whatever your approach, try to give yourself permission to play and please yourself, And to make mistakes! It is all part of the Dance.
Layering
All the Flying Skirts pieces are meant to combine and layer. This harkens back to village culture where ceremonial and celebratory garb were special pieces layered over everyday clothing. You always wore your everyday skirt, but on special days you wore your fancy red silk skirt on top of it!
Many skirts can be layered, for increased weight, flight, and color combinations, this is especially nice when you tuck the top skirt up, medieval style, to show the skirt below. My record is five skirts at a time for a Women's dance day at a Sacred Circle Dance Camp. My skirts went flying that day I can tell you!
The skirts can go over the pantaloons, the bras can go over the cholis and kurtas, the veils can go over it all.
The belts are also meant for layering. A short fringe belt or hip wrap can be layered over the long fringe belt for two rows of fringe and interesting color duos. Two long fringe belts can be worn for dense fringe. The triangle belts and hip wraps are also great topped with a tassel belt and coin belts.
Color Combining
One of the most fun, and potentially most daunting, things about putting together a dance costume is playing with all the possible color combinations. You can break all the rules your Mother taught you about what does or does not go together. You can explore the vivd color combinations of an equatorial culture, or pursue the medieval elegance of dark and jewel tone colors. Or even the stark vividness of all white or all black!
First decide what you are going for: Subtle colors that will support and steady you? Strong colors that make you feel mysterious and a bit dangerous? Or wild colors that will liberate your imagination and energy?
Whatever colors you choose , wild and varried, or subtle and deep , your colors need to be balanced and echoed. A flash of red at the hem with a red head scarf, or a carnelian necklace. White silk bloomer peaking out from underneath a skirt and cowrie shell earrings. This can tie your colors into a satisfying whole that truly becomes part of the dance
Elegance
Subtlety and elegance can be achived in a costume using one or two colors that are dark and /or in related color familys (ie wine and teal, olive and rust, purple and wine.) These combinations have the feeling of calm elegance, and are popular choice especially for those of us with an inward gaze.
Power
Black is power. It is most focused when used alone- but also stark. The most powerful and slightly dangerous look is achieved by adding lots of silver/pewter metal jewelry. Combined with gold it is undeniably Queenly. Black is also great combined with one another power color, like red or purple.
Another kind of power is summoned in all white. White illuminates the dancer and calls to the spirit. Worn with gold jewelry, the temple dancers of Greece and Babylon are evoked. A combination of pure white, ivory, and off white keeps a white ensembles from looking too sterile
Energy
Color!, bright, bold, playful, clashing, flirting. This is where energy or chaos can erupt and cause excitement. Many brilliant colors go together in ways only equatorial people feel in their bones, but it sure is liberating for a gal with western european ancestors like myself to try! Orange with fuchsia, apple green with red or tangerine! Red with turquoise! Purple and hot pink and orange and red and brilliant blue!
Not the color combos you will find in Style, Vogue, or an Opra makeover. Think instead Bollywood and all things Salsa. If your ancestors are from a hot country- this can be a wonderful reclaiming and a place, all too rare in this northern European focused culture, to let your self shine!
Whatever your approach, try to give yourself permission to play and please yourself, And to make mistakes! It is all part of the Dance.