DIY Dina Bra Base

by Navid Goldrick on July 16, 2014, no comments

Have you always wanted a Dina-style belly dance costume? I love the cute, playful look of the Dina bra. This style of belly dance bra is often called the Dina bra, because a legendary belly dancer named Dina would sport it and has become an iconic look. Nowadays many designer costumes use this style.

I’ve always wanted to make a belly dance costume that looks like it. So I was searching through the internet to find a base for this style of bra, but I quickly learned that many dancers are having a hard time fitting it properly, mostly because the bra base is made out of a very hard material.

So I decided to do an experiment to make a Dina bra out of an ordinary bra, one that I would use for any type of belly dance costumes. You will see how I made my Dina bra base, and lessons I learned from my own mistakes. more →

To be an Imperfectionist.

by Navid Goldrick on April 19, 2014, 2 comments

Imperfectionist Manifesto

The Imperfectionist Manifesto by Melissa Dinwiddie

Whenever I create a new choreography, I really struggle to “finalize” it. I feel it still doesn’t look right, whether it is because the movements don’t seem to go with the music anymore, or I lack the skills, or my movements are not refined or whatever. It just does not look as it should be.

That is a perfectionist in me talking, isn’t it? I have always been a straight A student since elementary school, and I have developed a habit of noticing small flaws and mistakes. Diligently correcting those mistakes earned me 100% on exams, though the process was not fun all the time. So every time I watch a recording of my choreography in progress, I notice my flaws and mistakes, and often flinch. If it is a few days before performance, then I start to stress out.

Today I was listening to a podcast called Creative Insurgents, and it is directed towards artists. In the podcast, I encountered this concept of being an “imperfectionist.” A co-host of the show, Melissa Dinwiddie, who is an artist and musician and does a lot of creative works, was talking about how she was working on becoming an imperfectionist.

It was an epiphany for me. more →

DIY Belly Dance Armbands with Drapes

by Navid Goldrick on April 10, 2014, no comments

Armbands look pretty easy to make, right?

Right. And they can be, if you are just making armbands with nothing attached to them. I have been working on a choreography that made me want a piece of costume that is flowy but not as big as a veil. So I decided to make arm bands with drapes that match my costume, and I had to experiment and plan a bit before I was able to create nice, full drapes that are short on one end and long on the other. In this video, you will see how I did it. By the end of the video, you will know how to make arm bands with short & long drapes. more →

Backstage with Majnuun: An Homage to Gigi Dilsah! Live at Kozmik Zoo

by Navid Goldrick on April 9, 2014, no comments

Do you get nervous before performance?

Who doesn’t! Right? But before this show, we were really nervous, like, “oh every inch of my body feels tense, and tips of my toes are so cold, and I just can’t wait for this performance to be over, so I don’t have to think about it any more and just sit back and enjoy other dancers perform up there….” type of nervous. And we were feeling like that for probably a good few days. So here is how we did (Thank you, Laura, for the video!):

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DIY White Floral & Gem Belly Dance Belt

by Navid Goldrick on March 28, 2014, no comments

A couple of weeks ago, I did a post and video on how to make this white floral & gem design for a belly dance costume bra. This week, I want to share with you how I made a matching belly dance belt from scratch. By the end of this video, you will know how to make a belt pattern that fits you perfectly and a belt decorated with flowers and rhinestones. So let’s get started!

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Dastgah Segah – Persian Music Continued

by Navid Goldrick on March 21, 2014, no comments

 

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Dastgah Segah is very interesting… It is very exotic to the Western ear particularly because it begins on a note that is never often heard as a tonic. It begins on E quarter flat. This creates an interesting sound because it is out of phase with the pitches that are used as the open strings on the Oud. These would be more →

DIY White Floral & Gem Belly Dance Bra

by Navid Goldrick on March 15, 2014, 4 comments

Flowers and gems… these are girls’ best friends, aren’t they?

The other day, I was browsing through DIY arts & crafts videos on YouTube, and encountered a video titled “DIY EDC bra.” I didn’t know what EDC meant (EDC = Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas), but the thumbnail showed this pretty bra with shiny rhinestones, so I had to watch it…

After watching, I had to re-create it into a belly dance bra!

This would be a great weekend project, especially when it’s rainy outside. It would be fun to buy the supplies in bulk and share with your troupe, so they can make their own, but your costumes will still look great together because they are all in the same colours.  I think this design is perfect for wearing at summer events and fun performances.

Check out this video where I show you how I made the bra.

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Bayat-e Kord – Persian Music Continued

by Navid Goldrick on March 7, 2014, no comments

isfahan music hallWelcome to the first podcast of Majnuun Music and Dance. This is a new avenue that I wanted to try. I think it will be easier for people to grasp what I’m talking about when they listen and hear the melodies right away.

 

This podcast is all about another sub-dastgah of Shur called Bayat-e Kord. This is not to be confused with Maqam Kurd, which is very different from the Persian Bayat-e Kord.

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