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Join Us For The 2025 Orlando Bellydance Intensive!

bellydance by jennifer inc logo
(407) 900-8839
Greater Orlando & Daytona, FL

Bellydance Blog>Blog Posts (2012)

Inappropriate Cyber Etiquette with Belly Dancers

Inappropriate Cyber Etiquette with Belly Dancers

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belly dancer cyber stalkingI don’t know about you, but Bellydance By Jennifer Inc. has had ENOUGH with inappropriate comments via cyber space. The internet is a wonderful thing; one can market and promote their abilities via forums, social networking sites, blogs, and video to name a few.

There is a very dark side though, the side that does not appear publicly for others to see by way of inappropriate pm’s (Bhuz), DM’s (Twitter), inbox (Facebook), email, text, and Youtube Messages.

While the vast majority of private messages I have received have been overwhelmingly positive (and at times made me tear up with happiness), there is a small percentage that have been made by men and cyber stalkers who send sexualized, offensive and inappropriate comments. Just one of these is enough to throw one over the edge, and as a belly dancer it seems that my profession attracts these perverts.

No matter how classy and sweet one portrays themselves online, being a woman and a belly dancer seems to call the attention of some men who feel that it is ok to tell us how sexy they think we are, or that we should show more skin, or come away and dance for them…ugh!

If you cannot say it in real life to my face or publicly on the internet then do not say it! It is disgusting etiquette to throw these comments out to someone. Your sexualized, inappropriate comments strike me and many others who deal with these people offensive.

This is an art form. If you cannot say it to another serious profession then what makes you think you can say it to us? Personally I do not like any man other than my boyfriend telling me that I am sexy or anything else above that. Have respect!

That is enough for toniight. Have you ever been cyber stalked? Gotten a text from someone you did not know wanting you to dance or meet them somewhere? Unwanted private messages to where you had to block the person because it made you uncomfortable? Many of us have. So what should we as a community do to prevent this and educate?

Please leave your comments below and let Bellydance By Jennifer Inc. know your story.

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Belly Dance Roll Down- Jennifer Style!

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After numerous messages and discussions here is a nice blog post with video to go over this challenging approach to a belly roll down… Bellydance By Jennifer Inc. style! It is not something that once can learn in a day it takes a lot of time and patience and no matter what size you are, with determination, the muscle control necessary can be developed.

The first section of the video goes over drill #1 which covers isolating the top half from the lower half of the abdomen.
Drill #2 follows showing a 6 step approach to the roll down with the tightening of the ab muscles one section at a time from upper abs to lower abs, and finally a pelvic squeeze.
Drill #3 goes over my stylistic choice of pushing out the ab muscles from top to bottom
and finally the ab muscle are reeled in from top to bottom in a much more gooey and relaxed fashion.

This roll down is about dynamic muscle movements, discipline, and concave and round shapes that are made utilizing nothing more than the abdomen. Enjoy and send me all your questions in comments in the comment box below. Muah!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2UyUlKKyoY

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Is the Rhinestone on Your Bellydance Costume the Real Deal?

Is the Rhinestone on Your Bellydance Costume the Real Deal?

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I wrote this blog because I firmly have an issue when a) I or my friends buy high priced designer costumes $550+ and the sew on stones and chain used are the most low grade rhinestones.
 
Note: I am a designer. I understand that companies need to churn profits but if you are going to sell costumes in the above price range there is wiggle room to pay a little extra and get your clients Swarovski or other high quality lead crystal alternatives, especially if your overseas and materials and the cost of labor and supplies is much less than the U.S.
 
That being said I will refer to case A) said friend paid $750 for a custom designer costume. Wore it a few times, i bought it after and when it arrived after three or four uses crystals looked like the photo provided! Now then….being a designer I did the math without any supplier discounts and the costume still churned a nice profit to said designer. 
 
The issue is, if the designer is charging that rate, and doing a lovely  job and marketing as a high end atelier, then shouldn’t the materials used be of high quality? Or if designer does not want to, should they then stop promoting the use of using high quality everything so they do not trick buyers who are not  designers?
 
So here it is…let’s talk about all things rhinestone and share the knowledge.
Ok here it goes (inhale).
 
Why is it called rhinestone? Because it used to be gathered from the rhine river hence its name 🙂
 
What makes a rhinestone sparkle? A few things, the foil backing, the facets, and the amount of lead in the crystal. The lead really make it sparkle and shine like crazy!
 
Swarovski- they are the best in quality and the measure against which all other rhinestones are compared. They use a secret machine with a very refined laser and process that creates the gorgeous color and faceting that makes them unique. Have 14 facets.
 
Czech machine cut rhinestone such as Preciosa and etc…- I use Preciosa as an example as I have used them and they rock! Almost identical to Swarovski in shine and actually are a little punchier in color compared to Swarovski colors which are known for being more delicate. Come in 8-14 facet styles.
 
You can read Rhinestone Guys article about the Preciosa vs Swarovski differences at  http://www.rhinestoneguy.com/allaboutrhinestones.html   on the subject (he is awesome to work with and super knowledgeable). Anywho, they are a little less pricey and a great alternative.
 
Machine pressed this type of crystal is not as brilliant as the above two options and costs considerably less. Still very sparkly in my opinion but just not the same brilliance and luster. 
 
Cut glass: never worked with this type but I mention it because I know it is an option that is out there and used. No lead here. If you know about this please comment below.
 
The worse quality of the bunch are acrylic rhinestones which are really nothing more than molded plastic. These do not really produce much of a shine and Although many of my budget conscious friends use them, please don’t lol! They will cheapen the look of your costume and they just bubble up anyways. 
 
So these are the types. How can you tell what kind of crystal you have? I recommend having at least one Swarovski in your house at all times as a gauge. You can just place a stone besides it and see if there is a noticeable sparkle, facet, and color difference.
 
Another way is to check your stone after a few sweaty days of dancing and see how it reacts to the moisture. Swarovski will never bubble. Yep that’s right, they don’t bubble. Imitators will 🙂
 
Lastly ask a friend who works with rhinestone often.  🙂
 
Dancers do not be afraid to ask the designer what stones they use, you might be surprised!  Unless if you specify Swarovski, or the designer specifies it, then chances are it is another type of stone as these are very highly priced. The designer is not a bad person if they dont use the top two options, sometimes budget constraints are the reason. The issue is when a designer clearly lies about the stone they are using…yuck!
 
As for my rhinestone sets, I will answer the question now, because I know someone will ask lol. My sew ons are Swarovski…yes less profits but darn it I am a dancer and we deserve it! My chain is czech cut rhinestone so its blingy 🙂 wish I could do Swarovski chain but my goodness have you seen those prices aaaah!
 
Please post your questions and comments in the blog and as always would love to hear from you!
 
 
 
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