How To Wear a Hip Scarf in Belly Dancing

Belly dancing is a fun and sexy activity. It’s a great way to stay in shape and reveal your sexy side as well. You don’t need to have a six pack to be able to belly dance. It’s fun for all ages and you can even dress up to really get in the mood.

The most popular accessory in belly dancing is the hip scarf or coin sash. It’s usually made of a gauzy or silky material and has some sparkly and coins or beads. A hip scarf in belly dancing isn’t only ornamental. It actually helps you focus on your shimmy and hip isolation. It brings attention to where you want it.

Here’s how to wear a hip scarf in belly dancing.

• One way to wear a hip scarf is to hold it up with a decorative pin. If you don’t want to tie up your hip scarf in a knot and risk stretching or pulling the fabric, a nice pin is a great way to go. If your pin or brooch has sparkly beads on it, it may even add to your overall look. Get your fabric and wrap it around you. Make sure to allow a few feet of fabric dangle on the side. Use the pin to secure the fabric close to your hip. You can use more than one pin to secure it. Make sure the brooch or pin isn’t too heavy and there are no sharp edges that can pill on the fabric.
• Tie the hip scarf the traditional way wherein the scarf is tucked in on the pants on both sides of the hip while the rest of the fabric dangles on either side and the fabric on the back is gathered at the backside. If you have a large gauzy fabric or veil, you can use that as a hip scarf. The longer the better. Take the fabric and gather the fabric with each hand. Let about two feet of fabric hang from either size of your hand. Place the middle of the fabric around your bottom. The scarf should be placed on your hips with the back part gathered and loose on the back. It will form a U on the back, with the fabric resting at the lower part of your bottom. Tuck in the fabric on top part of your pants to secure it. The ends of the fabric will dangle and each side of the hip.
• If you have a triangle shaped hip scarf, you can tie the scarf around your waist in a simple knot. This will be easy to do since the fabric is already pre-cut.
• When you use the hip scarf, make sure the coins or beads lie on top of the hip. Some scarves have pins sewn across the fabric. Make sure the wear the scarf following the direction of the design.

Hip scarves start at about $20 and can go up as much as a few hundred dollars depending on the detail of the coins and beading, quality of the fabric and where it is made. It can be purchased online, dance studios and dance supply stores as well as craft stores.