It has been three years since I last danced because of Covid and work. Finally, I am back to belly dancing… something that I truly love and enjoy.

I found a studio offering a 3-4 month belly dance course in Melbourne, with two-hour sessions every fortnight, with the goal of performing at a festival. I like its intensity; not having to attend every week gives me a brief break as the location is quite far from my home, while also giving me a goal and some time to perfect a full choreography.

Most importantly, I discovered that I not only dance for one performance but twice. Therefore, this post revolves around my third and fourth belly dance performances in my life.

One of the unique aspects of this experience is my costume, a memorable purchase at AU$460 — the most expensive clothing I have ever bought! Despite having the option for a cheaper costume, it was love at first sight. Besides, how often do I get this kind of opportunity?

This is my first and only professional belly dancing costume, but I hope it is not the last 🙂 It is made to measure and of high quality. The only drawback was that I received it less than a week before the performance, despite placing the order over two months in advance. I was really happy when the costume finally arrived.

The costume is not the only pricey item as I have also splurged on other things. I have spent over a thousand dollars for all of this. It has been over four years since my last performance, and all my makeup products expired long ago, given that I do not usually wear makeup in my daily life. This is a great chance to dress myself up!

Professional Costume: $460
Belly dancing course: $270
Tickets to attend two events (for Ben): $167
Accessories: about $200+
Makeup products: $200+

It is worthwhile because not only does it makes me more dedicated to the performance but also gives me something to look forward to. I practice very hard this time as I really needed something to push me to work out and also to distract myself outside of work.

 

One Night in Cairo

The first performance was at Duke of Edinburgh Hotel, Brunswick. There were about 70 audiences.

Our performance song is titled “Entaha” – this is about a woman breaking up with her lover but discovering happiness on her own. The choreography is supposed to be strong and dramatic – I love the story although Ben not being enthusiastic about the idea. 😂

At times, it’s not that we’ve stopped caring; circumstances may simply be beyond our control. Why confine ourselves to that and overlook other kinds of happiness in life? I want to prioritise myself and someone who truly loves me.

Initially, I felt a bit disappointed being positioned at the back of this choreography. However, Ben said it is the team work over individual roles, and I believe he is right. Therefore, I put my heart and soul into the performance!

Unfortunately, Ben did not like the venue because the seating was uncomfortable as it’s a pub with high chairs. In addition, driving into the city was stressful.

 

Club Rakasah

I think the second performance was a better experience as the seatings were more comfortable. It was at Shoppingtown Hotel, Doncaster with about 200 audiences. We were performing the same song, but added another song titled ‘It’s play time’. These two songs were shortened to fit within the 5 minute limit.

Ben was excited because he really wanted snacks and has been looking forward to the food, which turned out to be delicious. 😋

There were many belly dancing stalls at the event selling a variety of costumes and accessories which I liked, but unfortunately I did not have enough time to shop.

Despite being the first in our group to arrive, our snack time extended almost to the start of the first set of performance. I bought a lovely pink hip scarf but I wished I had more time to shop as it is rare to find a place specialised in selling belly dancing stuff.

We were scheduled for the second performance set, and when I asked my classmate about preparation timing, she questioned whether I needed to apply makeup. I responded that I had already done my makeup, and then the conversation felt a bit awkward… 😂 I am hopeless in makeup though I hope I can master it one day!

Sitting at the centre of the venue, I felt very sorry for Ben. He kept getting picked to go on stage, luckily he was good at saying no. He just simply wanted to enjoy the show without any interruptions.

Ben had a visitor at work today but he declined to join them to see my performance. It was a long wait for Ben to sit there alone until my performance began. He recorded a video for me, and I think I must have replayed it hundreds of time. 😂 I could not be more grateful about it.

It was more than just the performance; it made me happy to have someone who prioritises me. 🥰