Clockwork Alchemy 2024, April 19-21 I’m pleased to announce that I’m heading to the Bay Area’s premier steampunk event, Clockwork Alchemy on April 19-21. I’m presenting two historical slide shows and serving as MC for the Belly Dance Show. If you’re interested in learning more about this event, visit their website for schedule, location, pricing, and more. Clockwork Alchemy – Main Page Clockwork Alchemy – Schedule The post Clockwork Alchemy 2024 Schedule appeared first on Studio Davina ..read more

“By the Sea” – Theatrical Victorian Bathing Attire – Part 1 True Confession: I have a strange hobby – I cosplay as a college professor at steampunk conventions. Over the past 20 years, I’ve traveled to conventions up and down the West Coast presenting slide history talks focused on 1850 – 1920. This year, I’m doing something I haven’t done in many years. I’m going to make a costume to attend one of my talks! “By The Sea” This year, Clockwork Alchemy has a fun theme, the Aetheric Ocean.  For this event, I’ve put together two 50-minute slide-show talks.  The first, “By The Sea” is a s ..read more

Egyptian Kirdan, a dance tradition In our world of belly dance, we call necklaces like the one to the right many different things. They might be called a “Dowery Necklace” as they are associated with weddings and are worn during the zeffeh, a traditional wedding processional. Photo Courtesy of BellyDance.com You might also find them described as “Egyptian Crescent Moon Necklaces. ” The moon is symbolic of the cyclical nature of womanhood. During the 20th century, dance performers wore these to performances associated with weddings. Belly dancers have long used their terminology to describe the ..read more

Early 18th Century Turkish Dancer This is one of the best-known illustrations of a Turkish dancer, hailing from the 18th century.  But where did this illustration come from and why do we see so many versions in digital and print forms?   Early 18th Century Turkish Dancer “Tchinguis, ou Danseuse Turque” is a genre-defining illustration made for the book “Recueil de cent estampes representant differentes nations du Levant.”  The version above is from an early edition, first published in 1714.  Original copies survive as individual plates on unbound paper and in bound boo ..read more

Have you ever seen the book “Belly Dance: Celebrating the Sacred Feminine?”  Written by Los Angeles-based photographer Martha Burns, this limited-edition coffee-table book is stunning! Martha Burns’ book is featured in this month’s Studio Davina Coffee Chat. It was published in 2009. and I met Martha in 2008 at the Desert Dance Festival in San Jose California.  She told me about her upcoming project. She explained her twin passions of photography and belly dance. This book was expensive, but a real labor of love. Martha hoped it would be the start of many more books to follow. Fast ..read more

The Belly Dance Historian’s Tool Box Belly Dance Historian’s Tool Box: Three Class Series Join me this winter quarter for the first course of 2024.  “The Belly Dance Historian’s Tool Box” will focus on the process of “doing” archival belly dance research. From abstract concepts to practical methodology. The Belly Dance Historian’s Tool Box is a three-class series that takes a deep dive into three critical areas to help you take your historical research activities to the next level. Winter Quarter, 2024 Introduction – Release Date Jan. 15, 2024 Part 1 – On History – Release Date Jan ..read more

La Belle Otero This powerful sculpture of La Belle Otero by Camilo Rodríguez Vidal is located in Valga, Spain. This statue is a tribute to this legendary Belle Epoch entertainer who was born Agustina del Carmen Otero Iglesias in 1869. La Belle Otero took the Parisian nightclub scene by storm in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. She was a singer, dancer, and notorious and unabashed courtesan. Her little black book included heads of state, dukes, and even a king or two!  At the apex of notoriety, she was one of the stars of the famous Follies Bèrgere. When the Salome dance moveme ..read more

Latifa Davis in Assiut c. 1984   Story Time: A Long Time Ago… Back in 1982, I had dreams of being a Rockette dancer in New York City.  But due to a major injury, I hung up my toe shoes. Of course, it just changed my direction and so I explored other ways to express myself through dance, and make money doing it! I started my classes with a dance instructor named Brenda at a small mixed-technique dance studio whose name I cannot recall in Milwaukee, WI. However, I had big dreams of becoming a costume designer and historian and I was only there briefly before I graduated high school an ..read more

Building a Belly Dance History Talk Behind the Scenes of “The Belly Dance Historian’s Toolbox” If you’ve been following me for a while costume history is my jam!  I began presenting slide-history lectures as an art history student in college. That’s way back before the turn of the century.  By special request from one of my Patreon members, I’m sharing my current process of “Doing” belly dance history. Over the next three months, watch for my latest class series, “The Belly Dance Historian’s Toolbox.”  “But how DO you put together one of these history classes?” I’ve spent the p ..read more

Happy Halloween! As I write this, it’s the last day of October 2023 and I wish you all a happy and safe celebration of the harvest season. November Events: Fabulous Fall Festival and Bellydance Bundle The past two months have been extraordinarily busy here in Studio Davina. I’ve had to face the facts, During Oct/Nov. 2023, I’ve seriously bitten off more than I can chew. Over the past two months, I’ve temporarily sidelined a few major projects to make room in my schedule to tackle two big events, The Fabulous Fall Festival and the Bellydance bundle 2023. Left: Screen grab of the editing process ..read more