Bedlah
Encyclopedia
The bedlah is an Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...

ian costume normally worn by women. The word bedlah is Arabic for "suit
Suit (clothing)
In clothing, a suit is a set of garments made from the same cloth, consisting of at least a jacket and trousers. Lounge suits are the most common style of Western suit, originating in the United Kingdom as country wear...

".

In the world of belly dance
Belly dance
Belly dance or Bellydance is a "Western"-coined name for a traditional "Middle Eastern" dance, especially raqs sharqi . It is sometimes also called Middle Eastern dance or Arabic dance in the West, or by the Greco-Turkish term çiftetelli...

the term bedlah refers simply to the costume that a dancer wears. Most commonly it is used to refer to the matched set of bra and belt that cabaret dancers use, but technically it encompasses all parts of the dancer's costume as well, such as the jewelry, headband, skirt, pants and veil. This is often referred to as a Complete Bedlah. Occasionally it also refers to just one piece of the costume such as the highly ornate belt that tribal dancers wear which may or may not have a matching bra. The term Bedlah hardwear refers to the more sturdy portions of the dancer's costume, the bra, belt and jewelry and the term Bedlah softwear includes the flowing fabric portions of the costume, the skirt, pants, vest, choli and/or veil. Bedlah originated in the Western imagination of Victorian painters and was adopted by dancers who catered to foreign audiences who expected the look. Many dancers also adopted the look simply because they liked it, and it has survived to become the most popular costume for oriental dancers across the globe.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK