Dancing With Veils! Bellydance Class Info

We're two weeks into our special veil session at Strictly Ballroom and have been swishing and swirling around!  Here's some info for you regarding where to find more info about using veils with bellydance, where to purchase veils,  and links to inspiring veil performances.

History of the Veil in Bellydance:
"The Veil and Oriental Dance" by Elizabeth Artemis Mourat. As Shira explains at the top of the page, this is an excerpt from a longer manuscript. Definitely worth reading!!!!

Article by Najia El Mouzayen, scroll down to "Part 2 - The American Veil Dance". Najia briefly explains the role of the veil in a Vintage Oriental type routine and give a list of tips for handling the veil.

Purchasing Veils:
Habotai silk, poly-chiffon, organza (try to avoid the organza), and other fabrics can all be utilized in dancing with veils. When you are first learning, something medium-weight, like a poly-chiffon, is usually best. Once you have the basics down, you can branch out with other materials. 

I still have my first veil - really nice, lightweight chiffon from G-Street Fabrics. (It's in this photo.) I hemmed the cut edges and left the selvage edges alone.  Three yards of 45" fabric is all you need!  If you don't sew, you can apply Fray-Check to the cut edges to keep them from unraveling.  Most fabric stores will likely have a light chiffon for $3-$5 per yard, so a practice veil can be very affordable. 

For the gold-trimmed veils (half-circle or rectangular), try GaneshaBazaar.com. They have them in solid colors, two-tone, or multi-color with silver or gold.

So far I have purchased all of my silk veils and have not yet dyed any of my own.  If you are just starting to work with silk, go for an 8 mm weight. I have two veils from a USA vendor who sold through eBay that I really like, but I can't locate her at this time.  Another dancer recommended Nahari Silk Veils to me. (They are 4mm or 5mm, which is very light.) I have been happy with my 5mm solid color veils from Fairy Cove Silks.  You can also purchase your own un-dyed silk by the yard from a company such as Dharma Trading Co.

Inspiring Veil Performances:
Dancing with a veil can be a quick 30-second "prance around the stage and toss" to start a performance, an integral part of a Vintage Oriental routine, or a stand-alone performance piece.

One of many clips of the multi-talented Aziza, demonstrating classic Vintage Oriental veil styling to "Jemileh".

Mariyah of NYC with live music. Gorgeous use of a chiffon veil, nice contrast with slow & fast movements. She really knows how to work with that veil. Note how she's able to do SO much in such a small space!

Marya shows about two minutes of really nice veil incorporation at the beginning of an entrance song.

Azad Kaan, demonstrating a very energetic entrance piece with a little over a minute of veilwork at the beginning.

Nagwa Fouad in a movie from the late 60's/early 70's, not really dancing with the veil, more like draping the veil on the head, holding onto it, and dancing.  :)

Ooh La La bellydance troupe (bellydance showgirl style!) from San Francisco expertly use veils to frame movements and illustrate the music.