07/03/2026
I am having a short 30-minute veil workshop at the Live Body Brave Studio open house today, so I will be posting some veil information here.
First up is tips for buying a veil:
Silk is best for catching the air, creating a floaty, elegant appearance. Silk thickness/weight is measured in momme (mm), so when you see that a veil is 5 mm, that does not have anything to do with millimeters! Momme is pronounced like mom-ay or mom-ee and comes from the Japanese word monme, which was originally a unit of currency and later a unit of weight for materials like silver, silk, and other precious materials.
Thinner silk will float more easily in the air, but can be damaged more easily. Use a slower song to allow a thinner (lower momme) silk veil to hang in the air, rather than yanking the veil around quickly. If your song is faster and you need to do movements quickly, consider using a thicker (higher momme) veil. Thicker fabric is also more durable. Most silk used for dance veils is between 5 and 8 mommes ( 5 - 6 mm is most common and is very lightweight).
The most common dimensions for a dance veil is 250 centimeters by 114 centimeters, or 98 inches by 45 inches. When you hold the veil on the longest side, the veil should be fairly taut when your arms are held out to your sides and there should be a few more inches of veil past each of your hands. The standard size of veil works for most people. If you are very short or very tall (because of arm length), you might want a non-standard size of veil. You may also want a bigger veil to create more drama, but remember that a bigger veil will also be more difficult to control and will require you to apply more force in order to get it where it needs to go.
Silk veils are not very expensive anymore. You can buy a silk dance veil for as low as $22 on Amazon or Ebay. Veils made of other fabrics (organza, charmeuse, chiffon, etc) are a bit cheaper, but will not move the same as silk. I don't think the few dollars you could save is worth it, except in certain situations, i.e to use for practice (if you want to prevent damage to your performance veil) or to give to a child who cannot be gentle with delicate items.
Thoroughly read the listing for any dance veil you are considering buying; I have found that items are often listed as "silk bellydance veil," but when you read the description, you find it is chiffon, polyester, or "silk-like" material.
The edge should be a rolled hem (it might not say this in the description, but you might want to look closely at the pictures). A rolled hem is when the very edge of the fabric is curled inwards before sewing, protecting the edge of the fabric from fraying without creating bulkiness.
I do not recommend embellished veils (i.e. veils with sequins, embroidery, etc) for dancing; even small embellishments will weigh the veil down and prevent it from floating elegantly in the air.
