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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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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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The Skinny on Competitions

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A heck of a month…

 
I feel so guilty for not writing sooner but this month as many of you have seen has been quite busy. Between school, my internship, training for competitions, private parties, shows, traveling and tons more in my personal life, this has been one challenging yet rewarding month.
 
I write today to talk about this whole competition things and answer many of my friends and colleagues questions on what competitions entail, why I decided to do them and the good and bad. So here it goes…
 
Let us begin by saying that competitions are not for the weak of heart. It takes time, e
Training, heart and soul, and mucho mula$$ to succeed and do well.
 
The biggest tips for future competitors (coming from someone who learned the hard way the first couple of times):
 
1. Choose a competition in your dance style. If your American Cab, go to an Am Cab competition not to an Egyptian one for example so that the judges fit this genre.
2. Find out who your judges will be. Chances are that if you are Am Cab mix style like me, having Dina, Randa Kamel, and etc… As judges might not be the best idea so KNOW who will be your panel because they will be very subjective according to their ideal.
3. Be expressive, emotional, and comfortable
4. Wear bright colors, adornments, appropriate underwear, and wear a darn nice costume. nothing cheap.
5. Expect these competitions to last a loooong time
6. Do it for the right reasons. 
7. Acknowledge the band!
8. Make sure to read the criteria and stay in the time limit and prop requirements.
9. A little less is more. You do not have to bust out all your tricks…emotion will play a big role and executing the movements you do well is better than many that are not as strong.
10. Choose music that truly moves you (or as close to it if music requirements are more stringent).
11. Most importantly  be ready to bend a little to the style the competition asks for but always remain you!
 
Cons of Competing
– it takes lots of money (studio, costuming, jewelry, competitor fee and workshops, etc…)
-sometimes you are forced to dance to only oriental classics which has always frustrating for someone like me (there I said it) but part of the challenge is overcoming those obstacles.
-if you dont make it, it can bum you out for a few days lol
 
In general I absolutely love the experience of competing. The critiques received from renown judges has made me a better dancer year after year and has given me thicker skin.
 
Winning and placing has opened up so many doors and allowed me to meet such passionate and simply wonderful people and has put my name out there to a much wider audience which is the best advertising.
 
I highly recommend this to any serious dancer, it really will make you examine your dance deeply and become comfortable with your strengths and weaknesses which is critical to getting better.
 
Well, bye for now, and if I missed anything please write a comment below with your thoughts!
 
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