I often receive a question on why most of my videos are in regular clothes instead of proper dance outfits…⁣⁣⠀

Well, it started originally from the practical point of view: with our traveling lifestyle I simply don’t have much space for the costumes to carry around. If you are packing for 1, 2 or even 3 months of nonstop traveling (or vagabonding for the last 3 years like we do), and you don’t have any specifically planned performances, then you have other priorities than taking heavy belly dance costumes for videos. Even without them my luggage is often overweight, plus I always expect that most likely I’ll purchase something during the trip (maybe even a costume). ⁣

Pants from Farm Rio.

So originally it’s started simply with the practicality that regular clothes and a couple of training outfits is all I usually have. But very soon I discovered new meaning in it.⁣⁣⠀

Dancing is regular clothes feels like making dance “be closer to life”, if that makes sense… It’s not some strange “thing” that only selected group of people does (belly dancers). It’s something that absolutely anyone can approach, and it doesn’t need to be necessarily grandiose, with a bunch of sparkles, yards of fabric, or glamorous stages. It became kind of communication, some sort of underlying message in my videos.⁣⁣⠀

Dress from Farm Rio.

With that said, I do greatly enjoy dancing in costumes. Although right now all my outfits are in the storage in Ukraine, I started thinking about ordering one to have with me. Professional costume definitely puts you in a special mood. But dance is still dance, regardless of what you wear.

And how about you? Do you always put a dance costume to record a video for Instagram, or do you dance in regular dresses for videos too (sharing parts of your practice does not count for this question because you by definition are wearing training outfit for that).⁣⁣⠀

Dress from Los Banditos.

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Author: Iana Komarnytska
Photographer: Pedro Bonatto