My birthday present will be a rectangle veil. I am not a veil specialist so I wonder will silk be too much of a challenge? I know there is the "onlysilkveils"-type of dancers but those usually are big into veil dance anyway. I do get annoyed if I can't grab the right place and have to fuss around with that slippery thing. What I know: I don't want anything on the borders, no golden band or so because it doesn't look nice I find. The veil has to float and be a little mysterious and a side adornation takes that away for me. So if possible it should look and almost float like silk but be easier to handle.
But if chiffon has no border decoration, maybe it will be just as fussy as silk, so I could go for silk as well?
Ah, and your take on the colour? I love the ethereal thing about veils, so to me they have to be in a very light colour. Light blue or white maybe best, regardless of the costume colour. Black to me is worst because most bellydance I've seen is in places that aren't lit brightly and the effect from black is rather reduced I find.
Or, another thing is that Akai veil with turquoise, pink and orange, which is an orgy of colour, likea paradise bird. I only think I would mind throwing that beauty on the ground or tying it around my hips so it would get all crinkled...
Advise me please!
But if chiffon has no border decoration, maybe it will be just as fussy as silk, so I could go for silk as well?
Ah, and your take on the colour? I love the ethereal thing about veils, so to me they have to be in a very light colour. Light blue or white maybe best, regardless of the costume colour. Black to me is worst because most bellydance I've seen is in places that aren't lit brightly and the effect from black is rather reduced I find.
Or, another thing is that Akai veil with turquoise, pink and orange, which is an orgy of colour, likea paradise bird. I only think I would mind throwing that beauty on the ground or tying it around my hips so it would get all crinkled...
Advise me please!
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Germany
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Fri, March 28, 2008 - 5:51 AMFo me it has to be silk. I just love the way they catch the air. I think silk dances on its own. I use Akai silk veils. I love the circle ones. My friend gave me a little geisha wax for my hair during the last show we did. It had the added bous of making my fingertips slightly tacky and avoided any slip when dancing with my veil. I had very cold hands in rehearsal and had dropped the veil. I was dreading the performance but it passed off without a hitch. I don't know if ordinary candle wax would work as well.
Ther's a little videoclip on this page. www.pedralta.com/performance/tarab.htm
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Fri, March 28, 2008 - 9:33 AMHi Nuria,
I think silk is much better than chiffon, I actually think it's easier to handle because it flows better. I've never found silk difficult to dance with because it was slippery. Again, I've had problems with chiffon veils because they just don't move as well.
In terms of color, I think it's all personal preference. I tend to like brighter veils that contrast a costume. I'm not into super matchy-matchy veils, I think they can blend a little too much with a costume. But again, I don't think there's a right or wrong way to go in terms of color. Choose what you think will work best for you style.
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Fri, March 28, 2008 - 10:04 AMI have some chiffon material that I was playing around with till I bought a silk veil and I have to say, I LOVE the way the silk moves. I didn't feel like I was straining as much to get the material to move/float. I definetely noticed a difference and so did my arms. LOL!
I got my white veil from www.dharmatrading.com. It was inexpensive and if I decide to dye it later I can. I also have a couple of different sized silk scarves from them. I highly recommend them.
I love A'kai silks but so does everyone else and they soar out of my price range. :) Someday, I'll get one. I love the color combinations.
Melissa
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Fri, March 28, 2008 - 10:05 AMVeil choice if really a personal one. I know dancers who would only dance with chiffon and others who would only dance with silk. I am definatly a silk girl. I fell in love and became slightly obsesses with silk and now dye my own. Same thing with edging. The idea with veil work is for it to catch the air. Edges tend to hinder the natural flow of the fabric in the air...however, I have seen some beautiful dancing with veils with edging.
Colors....I'm an artist, I LOVE color....but again, it's a personal preferance. The one thing I worry about with black is that a lot of the venues where you are dancing on stage they use black curtains for a backdrop. You get lost. I LOVE black, so when I dance with a veil that has black in it I make sure there is another color or two on the veil as well as the black. -
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Fri, March 28, 2008 - 11:07 AMI'm a silk girl as well. I started dying my own years ago. I do like to put a sequined edge on mine though because I like the way it looks when I perform.
I tend to like the 5mm silk the best, it being the "floatiest." :) I use 8mm or 12mm when I make silk costuming, like skirts or tops, but keep the 5mm for the veil. -
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Fri, March 28, 2008 - 11:51 AMI like 5mm too...my teacher likes 8mm -
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Fri, March 28, 2008 - 8:59 PMSilk here too! I also love A'kai Silks veils! They have gorgeous colors and are super floaty! I personally find chiffon too heavy for me to get the veil properly airborne. Silks... well... they're so light and floaty. They swirl, swoosh, ripple and do dance on their own. Consider me one of those "silks only" girls!
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Fri, March 28, 2008 - 11:16 AMI LOVE my silk veil! It is hand-dyed and a half-circle shape. My Teacher has a box of veils in all different fabrics and I was amazed how much nicer the silk was, so I got one for myself for Christmas. -
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Sat, March 29, 2008 - 3:06 AMOhh, well, I knew all of you Akai fans you can really dwell upon this subject...So no one voting for pearl chiffon or so? Right. But: silk does get loaded statically and sticks together, doesn't it? How do you handle this? and then: I want to learn a choreo where you ty the veil around your hips. Now a silk veil will inevitably be terribly crinkled, won't it? -
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Sat, March 29, 2008 - 9:35 AMI use both chiffon and silk veils depending on the dance, whether I am indoors or outside in windy conditions. (My silks got so wrapped around me in the wind that I had to turn the dance into a comedy routine!) I have them with and without edges in a variety of colours, patterns or plain, and shapes. My favourite veils are my 2 Akai silk half circles in vivid colours. (except if it's windy!). I would stir away from pure black or white. Black can get lost on stage and white on stage is so glaring it becomes all that the eye goes to. Even an off white, ivory or cream would be a better choice.
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Sat, March 29, 2008 - 11:09 AMChiffon veils can get statically loaded as well--that's not just a problem with silk. If there's static in veil, you can rub with dryer sheets or mix a little bit of fabric softener and water and lightly spray on the veil. And yes, silk veils do get crinkly, I think you can iron them. But I don't think the crinkles really show when you're dancing anyway.
Do you have any friends or dancers who have different types of veils that you could borrow and try out to see what you prefer before you purchase one? Because aside from material and color, there's shape and size. I prefer rectangular veils, I have friends who swear by half-circles. Some people prefer smaller veils, others larger. So much of this boils down to personal preference. I think if possible, see if you can borrow some veils and dance see what works best for you. -
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Sat, March 29, 2008 - 11:13 AMI completely agree. It's all about what YOU like, what works for YOUR dancing, for YOUR style...Emily is right. You should see if you can borrow a few veils and play with them and see what works for YOU
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Sat, March 29, 2008 - 9:36 AMYes, the silk veil will crinkle but I just hang them in the bathroom when I am taking a shower and they steam out nicely.
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Sun, March 30, 2008 - 9:27 AMi don't know much about veil dance, but i can say that if you end up wearing it as a cover up silk would be more comfortable. it's not a very breathable material, but it'd be more so than a synthetic. -
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Mon, March 31, 2008 - 6:14 AMIt's funny how we all have our different preferences.
When I talk to my students about veils, I always try to stress that it's up to the individual what they like to dance with. I try never to say "it has to be this way." After some expiramentation, we all figure out what we like best.
If you have the strength and the hutzpa, you can dance with a table cloth and could make it look pretty! LOL -
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Mon, March 31, 2008 - 6:24 AMI find silk way more beautiful than chiffon. But it also has a different character. Silk is sweeter, more ethereal by the way it flies. It is a show in itself. Oh, it has to be rectangular and unhemmed, this is what I prefer, half circle with or without hem to me is good for entrance but not for a longer use of the veil. Just if I get a new wonderful silk veil I feel pity to throw it on the ground or use it for training...my teacher performed on saturday and her stubborn veil decided to land on the dish the one sitting behind her was eating...couldn't survive it if that was my brand new silk veil. Maybe I can make myself one for training and save the Akai one I would like to own (she is redoing her catalogue, can't do any windowshopping...). If you make the borders, which technique do you use with the sewing machine? flat hem or rolled?
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Mon, March 31, 2008 - 8:57 PMI'm a silk girl- I almost exclusively use A'Kai (I consider myself to be a veil whore- I think I have more silk veils myself then the rest of my troupe combined!) Anyway, the wrinkles don't really show on stage, I find. Nothing floats like silk. I personally don't put any sort of product on my veils (Static Guard or even rubbing a dryer sheet on them). If the veil has a static problem, just run it through a wire coat hanger a few times, making sure that the silk comes into contact with the hanger. That should take care of the static. -
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Tue, April 1, 2008 - 1:34 AMWhen I got my first pair of A'Kai silks, I dampened a towel (not dripping but definitely damp) and put it in the dryer with a sheet of bounce and my A'Kai veils. I've never had a problem with static with this pair...and I've only had to do it once. -
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Re: Veils: silk or chiffon?
Tue, April 1, 2008 - 2:14 AMAnother thing: I think if you got a beautiful A'kai thing well you have to dance up to it. It is such an effect and so beautiful that the odd entrance and then dumping it will let down the audience inevitably...So I will get myself a simple one in a nice colour I can deal with how I like, and a beautiful one (need to practice spins for that...). That is the veil I would so much like to own: youtube.com/watch
But you convinced me: I'll need MANY veils!
AND all of you A'kai fans: Look up 3rifily, a dancer from Greece on tribe, she is on my friend's list, too: she has the most amazing pictures on her profile, really she gets the best out of the silk veils. A'kai chose her to model on her new webpage because of those pictures (she also uploaded the pictures from the shooting that haven't been used...it is pure beauty!
And Said el Amir from my country in a beautiful silk veil dance:
youtube.com/watch
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