Tribal Costuming

What most people think of as a belly dance costume (a beaded bra and belt with chiffon skirt, for example) is not what tribal dancers wear. We don't wear bedlehs when we dance; we like our costuming a little more down and dirty. I like to call cabaret costuming "pretty princess" and tribal costuming is more, shall we say, earthy. Tassels, turbans, tattoos, kuchi, etc. Sequins are thin on the ground in tribal. We don't lose the shiny, because all belly dancers have a bit of a magpie in them (oooh sparkly!) but we go for a different kind of shiny.

Different Costuming Styles

So what do tribal dancers wear? Well, it depends on the style of dance, the style of troupe, on a lot of things really. You'll see a ton of variety in this big melting pot called tribal. Though there are many style innovators, there are a few stylistic trends you'll see repeated.

Melodias: These are the flared-leg stretchy pants made famous by tribal fusion dancers. See "Places to Buy" to purchase some.

Decorated bra: We may not put beaded fringe and sequins on them, but we do still like our bras to be fabulous and shiny. Coins, assuit, Turkoman buttons, shells, many things are used to gussy up your tribal bra. Usually on a black base. We tribal dancers like our black.

Skirts: Recently the trend has been for the 25 yard skirt. Some dancers love them (I fall in this camp, can't live without my fluffy skirts), and some don't care for them, but they're very popular and you'll see them a lot in tribal dance, particularly American Tribal Style and other group improvisation styles. You can make some very interesting tucks to the 25-yard skirt to change up the style.

Hair gardens: We can be girly and wear flowers! The bigger, the better, and some glitter won't go amiss. Put your hair up in an artistically sloppy updo and then add enough flowers to decorate a society wedding, and voila: hair garden. Feel free to add other interesting hair accessories, like hair sticks and headbands with large kuchi beaded medallions. Sharon Kihara is popularizing flowers made from fur.

Dark cabaret: This gets lumped in tribal, but isn't quite tribal, nor tribaret, nor cabaret really. See Rachel Brice, Mardi Love, Zoe Jakes for the innovators of this style. Melodias, copious tattoos, a 1920s-feeling aesthetic. A little burlesque and a little cabaret, this style goes in for the sparkle with large glittering jewels, hair gardens, and gartered Melodias or tights, with a bustle-tucked skirt.

White tribal: Tribal tends toward dark jewel-tones and black, black, black, but in recent years a trend has emerged (started by the ultimate tribal fusion trendsetter Rachel Brice and the Indigo): white and cream in tribal. Cream looks surprisingly fabulous in a pair of Melodias and a copper-studded bra.

The fishnet choli: These are VERY popular under a coin or textile bra, and basically consist of taking a pair of fishnet tights, chopping out the crotch section and opening the toe, adding a small hole for your thumb to go through. Black, white, or colored, it's a quick and easy style of choli.

Cowry falls: Belly dancers and fake hair have a long and intimate relationship, and dreads and cowry falls are extremely popular amongst the tribal dancers, especially tribal fusion.

There are so many trends, and there's always something new, so keep an eye out. Tribe.net has some great costuming tribes, and it's a great place to get new ideas or ask for help.

 

Examples

Images coming soon.