Hello my friends in belly dance and costume. Welcome to the Studio Davina November Patreon Classes, Demos and Workshops. I’m almost entirely back on my feet after struggling through an illness.  I’m a one-woman shop here at Studio Davina. I really appreciate all my friends, fans, and followers on Patreon for giving me the grace […] The post November Patreon Offerings appeared first on Studio Davina ..read more

My favorite free digital tool for belly dance costume design and historical research is Pinterest.  I think of Pinterest as the younger, cuter, but a little ditzier cousin of Google search. If you haven’t visited Pinterest recently, I recommend you consider it. It’s a great tool for planning, making, or purchasing items for your belly […] The post Pinterest for Belly Dancers – Design & Marketing Tricks appeared first on Studio Davina ..read more

Belly Dance Mermaid Costume Redux 2024 was the year I closed my sewing business.  As my hands have aged, I’ve had to acknowledge my capacity to hold and pull a needle is greatly reduced. I’ve become unreliable and as such, have stepped back from big projects. When my good friend Shalimar arrived for the Fabulous […] The post Belly Dance Costume “Blue Mermaid” appeared first on Studio Davina ..read more

Fabulous Fall Belly Dance Festival 2024 Grant Park Community Center 1575 Holt Ave. Los Altos Sat. Nov. 16, 2024 – Noon – 8:30 pm Adults $20 • Kids & Seniors $10 Buy now via PayPal: fabfallfestinfo@gmail.com Or Pay At the Door: Cash or Card A portion of proceeds goes to Next Door Solutions to Domestic […] The post appeared first on Studio Davina ..read more

  Jewelry Season 2024 October is here and it’s the start of Jewelry Season 2024!  Each fall I create a collection of jewelry pieces from stone, glass, and metal components. Over the years, I’ve worked with vintage Saroyan coins, broken and abandoned components from ethnographic jewelry, and strung-stone designs. These jewelry pieces I take to […] The post Jewelry Season 2024 – Blue and Silver Components appeared first on Studio Davina ..read more

Have you heard?  Mahin of Phoenix is hosting me in a live history slide-talk “Veils UnVeiled!”  During this talk, I’ll trace the evolution of veil dancing from its ancient roots to the modern day. Many years back, before 2007, I published a series of 48-page booklets on focused belly dance costumes and props. When we […] The post Veils UnVeiled – Live History Workshop appeared first on Studio Davina ..read more

Hello, My friends in costuming and dance, Today I’m flipping through ancient files, old photos, and out-of-print books and booklets. My mission is to find old illustrations from past projects. Through the 30 years of my writing three-pronged career of costume design, belly dance, and historical research, I’ve written countless articles, blog posts, and micro-blogs […] The post Costuming From the Hip: The Adventure Continues appeared first on Studio Davina ..read more

I wanted to take a quick moment to share the news about Heather D. Ward aka Nisaa’s new book “Raqs in the City: The Belly Dance Landscape of Cairo” is now out. If you’re interested in belly dance history, Nisaa’s books are a “Must Read.” I picked up mine on Kindle to save space, but […] The post Belly Dance History – New Book “Raqs in the City” appeared first on Studio Davina ..read more

Al-Tally: A History of Assiut in Pictures I’m excited to share my latest article about Assiut Al-Tally in Fanoos Magazine. This is one of my current favorite belly dance publications. Each quarter, subscribers receive a free “blog-o-zine” style publication directly to their inbox. The theme for the summer edition is “Folkloric & Traditional Dance.”  My focus on costume history paired beautifully with this issue’s theme.  Egyptian folkloric dancers frequently wear the iconic assiut robe when performing.  And thus, an article idea was born. I strategically selected 10 intrigui ..read more

I’m on the planning committee for the Fabulous Fall Festival 2024.  This year, we’re celebrating our 20th anniversary!  I’m gobsmacked that this event I helped found back in 2004 is still around. This belly dance world where I’ve lived for 30+ years has been through upward spirals and downs. During this time, we’ve lost legends, experienced high drama, and changed our language and word choice.  We’ve taken a step back and reappraised our place in the world of dance and at large. For more information about our Fabulous Fall Festival 2024, visit the BABDAMA website and join our ne ..read more