As a belly dancer, most of your gigs are planned days, weeks, months, even up to a year or more in advance. Generally speaking, the more time you have to prepare, the better the gig. You can introduce new music or material into your show, make sure a favorite costume is in good repair (or have a new one made), look up directions to the venue and calculate how long it’ll take to get there, do elaborate make-up, fluff out your hair (or secure your wig), get to the gig early, and warm up in the back before showtime.
Sometimes, though, you don’t have the luxury of time. You might be wrapping up dinner with a few friends on a Monday at a little cafe on Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul when your friend Ebru calls you to say there is a last minute show for a group of VIPs in Beyoğlu and can you please be there in 15 minutes?
It’s times like this when the ability to do 5 minute stage makeup comes in handy. Below is a tutorial on how to do exactly that.
