Skirt Tucking

If you dance ATS, or you are familiar with the style, you’ll know we can use really, REALLY big skirts that are often tucked or hitched in different ways. Which one you choose to use will depend on how big your skirt is, and your body shape.

There are a few resources for skirt tucking, a lot of it will also depend on your size and the size of the skirt you’re wearing, but the end result also will have a lot to with how the skirts are constructed (the ratio between layers, shape and fullness around the top, material). Now keep in mind that tucking usually looks better when there are layers of skirts, so if you want to do the more showy ones, be ready to use at least two!

So, which one to use? Personally, I’ve found that the bustle style is what tends to work better for my figure (pear shaped), followed by the single cross and the double cross. And what tucks I use also depend on the skirt material. If you are a pear figure like me, I’d suggest you stay away from single or double eared styles, as they will add a lot of volume to your hips, and if you go for a double cross, be careful of where the tucking falls to avoid this and try to move the tuck to the front and back of your hipbones instead of the sides to add some asymmetry, but if you’re an apple, it might be something you want, to create a visually smaller waist. An asymmetrical tuck (like a single cross or a slanted double cross) should add some length to your body if you need it, while the Saloon might do the opposite. Again, pick your skirts and experiment!

So, how do you do it? A good basic explanation can be found in Tribe Nawaar’s website, here http://www.tribenawaar.com/marketplace/SkirtsTucking.html. Another place showing similar styles, although with slightly different explanations, is Birgiss Bellywear.

And now, Kae Montgomery of Fat Chance Belly Dance has created a video. The explanations are a bit different, the right hip tuck for instance is done with a double starting point, which I find gives a nicer fluff; the panier style is slightly different from the double eared, but the principles are the same, and there’s a tuck for class that I haven’t seen before. So go take a look!