Caroline Labrie!

Caroline uses this folkloric costume to perform Saidi style. Sometimes she performs raqs al assaya (stick dance) with this costume, and other times she dances Saidi-style folkloric dance without the stick.

Caroline purchased this costume in 2007 from Bellydance Store, who had imported it from Egypt.

Before purchasing this specific costume, Caroline already had a version of it in forest green velvet. At the time she bought this one, she was looking for something in a brighter color and a lighter weight of fabric.

Caroline likes this costume because many people say the color looks very attractive on her, and it is a color that not many people can wear effectively. This choice of a less common costume color allows her to make her own unique statement when she performs.

Click on either photo to see this costume in more detail. Both of these photos were taken by Isabelle Jetté.

Caroline purchased this dress by the designer Hanan from Dahlal, and teamed it with a head scarf and hip scarf that she already owned. She uses this dress for dancing the styles known as baladi, shaabi, and Saidi. For example, she has worn this dress when dancing to the songs "Tahtill Shibbak", "El Binti Beida" and "Eshta Yaba".

One of the reasons Caroline finds this dress flattering is that it fits!!! She looks for costumes that will fit her well without too much alteration.

Even the best costume can have the occasional blooper. Caroline wore this one for a small hafla. After the show, a woman from the audience sought her out to tell her that the hook at the top of the keyhole neckline had opened while she dancing and exposed her cleavage!

Click on any of these three photos to see this costume in greater detail. These three photos were taken by Vincenzo Olmi, the son of the sponsor of the hafla, Élise Olmi.

This is a very common style of dress for performing the folkloric character dance known as melaya leff. This dance is called that because the performer holds a melaya leff (rectangular garment) while dancing, as shown in this photo.

Caroline bought the dress from Belle Orientale, a vendor based near Montreal, Quebec. Caroline had seen a similar dress on the Belle Orientale web site and had ordered one to be custom made for her in the color of her choice. Caroline further customized the order by asking to have fringe added to make more movement.

Because the dress's distinctive style is closely associated with using a melaya leff, Caroline uses the dress solely for that purpose.

Caroline feels the dress is flattering for her because the color and the diagonal cut on the leg create the illusion of being taller.

Click on either photo to see this dress in more detail. Both photos were taken by Sabrina Paquet.

Caroline bought this Saidi-style dress from Belle Orientale, a costume supplier near Montreal. The dress was made in Egypt. She uses this costume when performing the folkloric dance style from Upper Egypt, either with or without using a stick.

The dress has a heavy look, which Caroline feels is well suited to the Saidi music and dance style. She doesn't think this costume is particularly flattering for her, but it makes the hip movements look big and sharp, and suits the style of dance that she uses it for.

Click on any of these three photos to see this costume in more detail. All three photos were taken by Sabrina Paquet.

The designer of this Egyptian dress was Noussa.

Caroline purchased it in August 2007 from a friend who has a boutique in Sherbrooke, Quebec. She had returned from a trip to Egypt and was visiting Caroline to tell her about her trip. The friend told Caroline that she had some very new stuff that Caroline hadn't seen before, so she asked her to bring some styles just to show the new trends. In the lot, there was this dress. The friend suggested it could fit Caroline because it’s very stretchy, so she tried it on and it fit well.

Caroline uses this costume to perform melaya leff, and sometimes also baladi or shaabi style.

Caroline purchased this dress from Scheherazad of Bellydance Store. She believes the designer is Hanan Mahmoud. The hip scarf and head scarf were ones she already had.

Caroline uses both this and the beige dress shown above to dance baladi, shaabi or Saidi style. She has worn both of these dresses to perform to "Tahtill Shibbak", "El Binti Beida" and "Eshta Yaba" combined with a baladi progression.

Caroline was drawn to both dresses because they fit well! When costume shopping, she tries to find ones that fit her without requiring too many modifications. Another appealing aspect of this costume is that it's available in a large variety of colors. It fits Caroline's dance style because she tends to be a more folkloric dancer than a classical one. The dress is easy to slip on and it's a bit more fitted than most baggy folkloric costumes, which defines the waist a bit and looks more flattering to the figure.

Click on either photo to see this costume in more detail. Both photos were taken during a performance by Caroline's husband, Steve Désilets.

Caroline purchased this dress used from another dancer. She literally jumps on everything she sees advertised that might fit her because her proportions are different from the average-sized dancers. Considering that Caroline specializes in Egyptian folkloric dance, she felt compelled to buy it. Caroline also was attracted to the design and the color. She feels red looks really great on her even though she also tends to think that it could make her look bigger.

Caroline enjoys dancing in this dress because the fabric is so light and soft. But there is a problem with this dress Caroline sweats a lot, and stains develop on the dress. She gets very hot under her hair when she dances. After her first performance in this dress, when Caroline took it off, sheI noticed a large stain where her hair was lying!  It's apparently not a fabric that "breathes".

All five of these photos were taken on November 28, 2008, by Caroline's husband, Steve Désilets.