I was honored to be invited to perform for an 80's cartoon convention, JemCon, in 2021, twice. I was thrilled to collaborate on the performance, by working with a music mixer to remix some songs from the cartoon into bellydance beats so that I could incorporate Raks Sharki performance into the video I was going to create. As a dance artist, and an actress, I have always been interested in costuming as well, and I have cosplayed characters I enjoy since I was a kid. This gave me an opportunity to play not only the main character from the cartoon, but represent the various bands in the show and characters I have not been able to cosplay previously.
To start, I wanted to make a bellydance version of the main character's pink stage dress and silver belt. I had an existing pink choli style top (3/4 length sleeve crop top) made by L. Rose from a prior costume, so all I needed was a skirt to match and the silver belt. I made a mermaid skirt with slits, from my trusty Sparkly Belly Mermaid Skirt pattern, and then I had to draw the belt.
I took an existing bellydance belt pattern and drew the asymmetrical point on paper. I cut out my lining fabric and my shiny silver fabric. I originally intended to have the belt be reversible but due to the fringe being shorter than I wanted I had to abandon this idea. I sewed the belt together with interfacing and then I created the bright blue "wedges" which are the design on the belt out of cut sequins and felt. I glued them on the silver side of the belt, sewed it together and then added the white fringe to the point.
The second costume I wanted to create was Jem as Cleopatra, as seen in the "Perfect Match" video with the Stingers. Jem only appears as Cleopatra quickly in a couple of shots but her costume was so pretty and the closest thing to an Egyptian costume that she wears in the series, so I knew I had to make it. I found a blue bikini top at Target and some Egyptian accessories online, which I needed to alter to fit properly, and sewed them together. Jem's skirt is white but I had some silver stretch material available so I made a swap to also make it more shiny. I cut out a mermaid skirt in silver and this costume was complete.
The other characters I found things in my closets I already had, for Jerrica, Minx, Rapture, and Pizzazz. I also had previously made a bellydance costume I lovingly nicknamed Pizzazz for it's animal print and bright colors which reminded me of the Misfits.
I had a great time cosplaying all the characters and using some green screen technology to appear together as different characters at the same time. I filmed outside to add interest to the video.
The second Jem-themed video I created had less costuming but more set design and I shot half the video on the green screen. This was challenging due to the size of my screen, which was about 5 feet big. I turned it vertical and shot in this aspect ratio so that my whole body would fit on screen, but I had to be careful to dance inside the frame and not exceed the frame for a bad illusion of being "cut off." I also did an alternate take in my dance studio to cut in with a pretty curtain background. The green screen shots are my favorite though, because I was able to add special effects, including a dark stormy sky, and a cauldron for Halloween.
