Hairs to you

by Michelle and Carolyn

You've spent up to six hundred dollars on your costume. Another fifty on the silk veil, perhaps another hundred on accessories, make up, film for the camera, gas to the gig...So why do you have fifty-cent hair? In our opinion, the greatest overlooked part of a dancer's ensemble is her hair. How many times have you seen great dancing enhanced by a spectacular costume, all underwhelmed by flat, straight hair? We've stopped counting. Now there is nothing wrong with straight hair if you've got that great long style that swings with your movements and flips seductively over your shoulder. But how many people truly have that? Even if you are hair-challenged in everyday life, there are many secrets to be shared for having dynamite performance hair. (Note, this is geared more to Raks Sharqi costumes as we like tribal/ethnic garb to be accompanied by scarves, headdresses, etc.)

1. First, consider your music and your dance. Are you doing a slow, sensual piece? You probably don't want a bouncy, perky ponytail. Approach your hair like you do your costume and choreography-its all part of the look.

2. Buy a fall. If your professional life does not allow long tresses, the quickest way to acquire luscious performance hair is with a hairpiece. These generally come in two styles: a clip-in ponytail and full or half wigs. The ponytails are soooo easy and very secure. Simply pull your own hair into a ponytail (doesn't matter how short) and clip in the fall. We've never had ours fall out on stage. They can be found for well under $100.00 and are ideal for unifying a troupe. For our individual performances, we all bought ponytail clips. When our new costume called for a smaller headdress, we used a simple coin wrap and the ponytails for a neat, unified look. The wigs can be a little trickier to keep on, but allow you many more options than the I-dream-of-Jeannie-look. More recently, the small clip-in hair accents have been great fun to use. Carolyn has a piece that has long thin braids to match her pony tail. One of Michelle's favorite hair accessories is a spiky piece that's wrapped on a pony tail holder which gives great height and a punky, fun look.

3. Curl your hair! Maybe Shirley Temple is not your look, but curls and waves (hot rollers are best) match the glamour and elegance of a cabaret costume. Once you take the rollers out, you can either finger-comb your hair to keep it curly, or brush it into waves. Either way, your hair will look fuller and more pulled together. If you're going for an exotic look, try one of the crimping irons. It's a time investment to be sure, but the look is lush and you can get major volume.

4. Straight and sleek. If you want the smooth look of straight hair, don't just assume you can hop out of the shower and go! Blow dry it thoroughly and consider using a flattening iron to smooth and de-frizz it. There are many excellent products to help get a sleek look (Michelle's favorite is Clinique Healthy Hair--a tiny drop covers her long hair and smooths it beautifully). There are also spray on products to pump shine (Michelle uses Bio Silk Silk Therapy Shine On).

5. Rat it out. Maybe big hair did go out in the 80s, but on stage, volume is a good thing.

6. Use barretts. Not every face is flattered by hair hanging on either side of it. Also, despite your most intricate choreography, the place people look most is your face. Don't hide it behind your hair. You can coordinate hair clips to your costume or simply match your hair color to blend in. An alternative to barretts is a headband coordinated to match your costume.

7. Spray! Perhaps you are only dancing for five minutes, but don't you want the after pictures to look as good as the before?

8. Remember, everyone had a bad hair day. Even though your curls fell out or your big hair drooped, what counts most is your dancing. Just push your bangs out of your eyes and shimmy on

Farfesha Belly Dance © 2004