Posted by Ansuya on 4/28/2021 to Belly Dance Costumes


It’s important to me that I feel the same sense of freedom as I costume myself for Bellydance as I do when I choose my movements for Bellydance. As an improvisational fusion artist, I draw my inspiration for Bellydance movement from deep within an intuitive part of my being. Why not draw my costuming creativity from the same wellspring? As I breathe, as I feel connected to the Earth, as I feel open to the universe, I am free to let my imagination run wild. Creating dazzling dance lines decorated with colors, fabrics, and jewels in designs that enhance my expression of my inner visions as I move is deeply satisfying to my soul. I want my costuming to be a brave mix of textures as my dance is a brave mix of emotions. The Gypsy Sugar Collection is my chance to share this journey with clients who want to mix and match elements in order to best support them in their individuality as they walk into their closets before a class or a show to prepare for dance. Chosen with my partners at Bellydance.com, all of the Gypsy Sugar Collection items are hand picked in the spirit of eclecticism as a Gypsy would unabashedly gather whatever sparkling items fulfill her fancy, without regard to fashion laws, trends, or social limits. Becoming your own trendsetter is possible as you learn to mix and match the Gypsy Sugar Collection items from your heart. My best costuming tip: open your mind and dream your costume into creation by letting go of all of the rules and letting the items magnetize to each other in response to your magical vibration as you allow yourself to be authentically connected to the deepest desires within you. This experience is sweet like sugar and will transform your sense of self and affect all other areas of your life. After all, didn’t you get into Bellydance to break the rules, live outside the lines, and unleash the goddess within you?


When I filmed my Magic of Bellydance DVD, it was a landmark moment for me in terms of reconnecting to Bellydance as a lifestyle. I had been touring the world with the Bellydance Superstars, been on my own global teaching and performing tours, been on several TV shows as a Bellydancer and actress, and was used to calling the airport home. 


At some point I realized that the holistic benefits of Bellydance that I was talking about in my workshops was being crushed into suitcases, rushed from gig to gig, and manufactured to symbolize everything on the outside while taking a significant hit on the inside. So I stopped, slowed down and wrote the Magic of Bellydance DVD. I wrote myself a group choreography that I could perform in my backyard with Bellydance sisters that were living in my community. I wrote myself a segment of exotic make up and henna application as a therapeutic method of ritual adornment. I wrote myself as taking a bath with just my jewelry on as an erotic preparation for dance. And I wrote myself layering together costuming pieces with a sense of freedom and individuality. It was all I needed to remember my roots. I had been introduced to Bellydance by women who dared to truly support one another, who dared to question authority, and who dared to live a lifestyle steeped in the exotic divine. Once tapped in, tuned in, and turned on, my feminist spirit was reignited and I became reminded that a goddess must be respected to connect with source energy as she dances. That respect must come from within and be more powerful than all other social pressures. Then she can bravely dream, adorn, and Bellydance her way into the hearts of others to inspire them to join her on a path of sensual healing, creative inspiration, and spiritual growth through Bellydance.

With my Magic of Bellydance DVD and my Gypsy Sugar Collection, I am reaching out to my Bellydance sisters with a loving hand of support as I acknowledge that each woman is her own goddess, capable of reaching her full potential as she is given the keys to unlock her individuality as I was by my Bellydance mothers. It is an honor to continue their work with the Gypsy Sugar Collection and the Magic of Bellydance DVD. Enjoy!


Ansuya is a multi-award winning belly dance choreographer, superstar performer and master instructor of unparalleled skill. Known for her "exquisite musical interpretation" and for blending the best aspects of different belly dance styles into her own improvisation, Ansuya is considered in the "vanguard" of belly dance artists "taking us to heights yet unknown in the bellydance realm". Also an actress, Ansuya has blended her talents in the mainstream entertainment industry through music videos, commercials and television. Her goal is to continue to bring the inspiring and passionate art of Belly Dance into the view of women throughout the world as an exercise and art form that can change their lives.