Counting to 9 has never been this fun! Learn to play the Karsilima on your finger cymbals!

It’s time to Karsilima!

Karsilima is a couple’s folk dance from Northwest Turkey and Greece. In this video we use the word to refer to a really fun rhythm that shows up in many American Cabaret style belly dance shows as the final or next-to-last dance.

(I had the honor of dancing to what I consider to be the world’s fastest Karsilima every single Saturday night at Alexander the Great Greek restaurant here in Houston for about 18 years. That band was amazing!)

The most challenging thing about this rhythm in all honesty is counting it and getting the groove into your body. Once you’ve done that it’s all about getting your fingers to move fast enough to keep up with the band!

So dive in here with me and learn both the open and the semi-filled Karsilima rhythm on your finger cymbals. Take some time to get it under your fingers so you can add a dance combination to it next time!

Once you’ve given it a go, post below and let me know if you like this 9/8 rhythm and if your fingers kept up with the music!

Happy zilling!