Belly Dance Costumes for Beginners- the Hip Scarf

If you are a beginner belly dance student, one of the first things you will want to purchase is a hip scarf. These are the pieces of fabric you see in belly dance classes, tied around everyone's hips. They are sometimes made from chiffon or velveteen, and often have several rows of jingly coins in silver or gold. Sometimes they even incorporate beads and other dangling bits. Some are just fringe. The point of a hip scarf is so that you, as a beginning belly dance student, can see the movement of your hips in the mirror, and feel the movements better. The scarf draws focus to the hips, where a lot of the movements occur.

There are so many varieties of hip scarves available, that you may want to purchase a few. I have many. This enables me to match my hip scarf to the outfit I am wearing to class that night. Also, different styles of belly dance hip scarves serve different functions.