A dancer enters the stage, her eyes sparkling, her movements are graceful,
smooth and flowing. She captures the audience with her flirty smile,
fluid arms and stacatto hip work. Crisp zills accompany her motions as
she prepares to sink to her knees to thrill the viewers with her exciting
floor work. She finishes her performance with a saucy bow to appreciative
applause. This is one of the shining stars of belly dance in the Oregon area.
The dancer, Gaylene, is a seasoned professional and at 60 has the dynamic
power to mesmerize the audience! For more than 30 years, she's been a
leading force in dance throughout the Pacific Northwest and across the US.
She is an accomplished dancer, a busy vendor, an innovative costume
designer, but most importantly, a supportive member of the dance
community.Gaylene dances in a style that she has dubbed "Classic American Cabaret Belly Dance." She began dancing in 1974 in Salem, Oregon at her local community college. In an effort to find a fun and effective method for staying trim, she took her first class and immediately fell in love with our dance form. She studied with Crystal who was her main teacher during her early dance career. Gaylene still lives near Salem, though she's home less than 10 weekends a year. Her business, Gaylene's Boutique travels nationally, vending at dance events across the US. When she is at home, she continues to perform for fellow dancers at shows and festivals and for the general public at city-sponsored events. Retired from the Oregon Department of Corrections, Gaylene is an active member of her community, serving as a city council member.
Three years into her dance career, Gaylene noticed a lack of costuming options and began to design and make costumes for other dancers. Frustrated with the lack of availability of fancy fabrics at local stores, she began to offer a selection of exotic and difficult to find yardage for discriminating dance costumers. Gaylenes Boutique still carries a wide array of fabric and costume pieces, but over the years she's expanded her line to include trims and sequins, patterns, books and other accessories. What she takes to shows is just a small sampling of the fabric she has to offer. Every summer she hosts an open house, inviting dancers to come to her home and to shop from her entire selection.
In 1988 Gaylene developed her signature costume piece - the vertical ruffle harem pant. This style debuted at Rakkasah to much acclaim and has become a wardrobe staple for top dancers world-wide. Her costume line includes a variety of basic harem pant styles made from opulent fabrics, several variations of skirts, Turkish vests and hip wraps. Her eye for fabrics and use of trims make these garments beautiful and versatile. Gaylene's costume pieces are designed to be mix and matched within a dancer's costume wardrobe.
When she's not busy making costumes or vending, she's teaching one of her workshops. She's a versatile workshop leader, offering both dance and costume workshops. In dance, she enjoys teaching her hallmark floor work and stomach techniques. Her costume workshops are fun and inspirational, and are as informative for the seasoned costumer as they are to the novice sewer.
But Gaylene's biggest contribution to the world of dance has been her unending support of our community. Over the years, she's had the opportunity to have experiences from a wide variety of perspectives from performer to vendor to promoter. She's quick to point out that her success has only been possible through the support of an extended network friends, teachers, students and clients. From Faye of Originals by Faye to L. Rose Designs, there have been many costume designers who have been inspirational to Gaylene's development as a designer. She's unpretentious and caring, devoted to sharing her wealth of knowledge, her humor and her sense of style through her costume design. She continues to be a true star.