For many years I believed that the belly dance community was a shining example of openness and inclusion.
In the wake of the racist tensions rocking the US and beyond many dancers have spoken out to the contrary and I’ve found myself having to question those previously held beliefs.
So I’m reaching out – to organizations at the forefront of this struggle to offer support, to people of color to hear their voices and their experiences, and to friends and fellow dancers to be able to openly and thoughtfully communicate in a non-judgemental manner in order to find the next steps in the anti-racism journey we need to make together.
This is a recording of one of those conversations. It’s two long-time friends and belly dancers openly and honestly discussing a black experience in the belly dance world – what is working, what is not, and how we can move forward together towards a more just, equal and racially-diverse future.
I hope you will listen to this with an open heart and mind and use it to inspire conversations and action in your community and to help right the many years of wrong that have been happening on our watch.
A gigantic thank you to my friend Sharron Melton for being a woman I can always have any conversation with – for her acceptance of me, my questions and my flaws and her willingness to share her story here with us.
Let’s keep the conversation going and include every voice.
Add your thoughts below. (Racist or inflammatory remarks will be deleted. Please respect one another in civil discourse.)
Perhaps you’ve been teaching movement classes for a while now, or maybe you are new and just getting accustomed to the feeling of having all student’s eyes on you. Either way, putting yourself out there as an expert in your field in front of dozens of students every week can be a daunting experience.
* Why would anyone want to study with YOU when there are so many other people out there just as qualified to be teaching (or more!)?
* Who are YOU to claim to know enough to be able to lead a classroom of people?
* What if you’re not good enough/strong enough/graceful enough/organized enough to keep your classes going week after week?
Does any of this sound familiar?
I have news for you…
It’s TOTALLY NORMAL and WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE!
Even the biggest names in your field were unsure to begin with and almost everyone has experienced imposter syndrome at some point in time. It’s ok and totally natural to feel unsure and worried that you don’t have what it takes.
Please don’t let that hold you back from offering your talents to the world!
I’m here to tell you that what you have to offer is unique and wonderful and important for your students and they are depending on YOU to get out there and share your talents with them and with the world!
Not sure you have what it takes? Then this is the course for you. I invite you to join me as we explore ways to “Get Into the Groove”.
http://SahiraBellyDances.Teachable.com/p/Groove
We will discuss how to tackle imposter syndrome and build confidence for your classes (and your daily life!) We will work through a series of concrete exercises, both physical and written to help you tease out exactly what you are worried about, why you are worried about it, and what it means for you and your classes. We will explore class organization and 5 habits of highly successful instructors that you can easily incorporate into how you create and organize your classes today.
In the end, the goal is to get you pumped up and excited about this amazing gift you have to offer the world and help you find a place of flow and groove that you can come back to week after week in order to create incredible movement classes that will keep your students engaged and joyful and you feeling positive and confident about your work.
I look forward to helping you overcome insecurity, find flow and get into your groove in the movement teaching world!
Are you a movement instructor struggling to get setup to teach online classes?
Do you find the technology confusing and the thought of dealing with audio and camera settings overwhelming?
Do you wish there was a quick and easy way to bring your class offerings to your audience without needing to invest a lot of money to get setup and spend a bunch of time researching the best camera, microphone and mixer options?
Welcome to “Doom Tech” – your step-by-step guide to the quickest and easiest way to get your technology setup to teach online TODAY.
http://SahiraBellyDances.Teachable.com/p/Tech
The good news it that you probably already have much of what you need to start teaching online! A computer with a webcam and a built in microphone and a good internet connection is all you need to take your offerings to your students. A few simple items like a bluetooth headset and a ring light can make fast, impactful improvements to your studio setup.
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good! If you wait until you have it just right before you begin, you may never get started!
Join me for this informational course and get setup to teach your online movement classes today!
How do YOU decide which costume to wear for your zill performance?
Have you even thought about pairing a costume to your zills?
Today we’re in for a treat. ?
We have a special guest, Sahira, at Sparkly Belly today! ?
If you’ve seen her performance, I think you’ll know what I mean. I consider her the queen of zills.
She transforms zills from a cute prop to a serious musical instrument and dance partner. (She even dances with zills only…. NO MUSIC!!!)
So how does someone who loves performing with zill choose costumes?
Below Sahira will reveal her secrets. Enjoy!
First of all, let me just get this out in the open: I love zills!
No really… I border on obsessed with finger cymbals!
I have an ever-growing collection that currently stands at about 15 pairs (it would be more but my entire previous collection was stolen out of my car about six years ago!)
And I don’t just like to collect them… I like to play them too!
Correction: I LOVE to play them.
In fact, I don’t believe I ever go out on stage without them! (OK… I can think of a couple of times this is happened – but it is definitely the exception and not the rule.)
I use zills for cabaret style and for tribal, with live music, recorded music and no music at all. In fact, making my own music with my zills is probably my most favorite thing of all!
While many dancers may be content with just one pair of finger cymbals I think that owning just one pair is like owning just one belly dance costume! How could you possibly express yourself and everything you want to say through your art with just one costume? Do you get where I’m coming from?
So when I am getting ready for an upcoming performance I think carefully about my costume and my zills!
In general, when I am performing with recorded music just about any set of cymbals that I own will work. Although I will admit I almost never play my smaller zills anymore… They just don’t have the power and hutzpah that I am looking for!
I will often match my finger cymbals to my costume – choosing silver zills to wear with a costume with silver accents or brass zills to wear with gold for example.
Then I think about the tone of the performance.
If it is live music or a particularly loud venue I love to use my Saroyan Afghanis in brass or silver or my Saroyan Pros in silver… those things are really loud!
If I am dancing to recorded music in a restaurant setting I will choose slightly less boisterous cymbals. At the moment I am really loving my Grecians in silver and my Ghawazees in bronze.
When I am dancing a folkloric or tribal improv style performance I almost always use my Afghanis or Ghawazees. These have a deeper, earthier tone that seems to blend perfectly with the dance style and music I use in these settings. And big cymbals really fit the look of the tribal costumes more as they match with all that delicious chunky jewelry.
The most exciting of all choices comes when I decide to perform acappella using only my zills for music.
Here the sky is the limit and the possibilities are endless! I have performed acapella with just one set of zills. In this case I have typically used my Afghanis because I love the size, feel and the easy ability to switch between various sounds with these cymbals.
But sometimes I like to mix it up – playing more than one set of zills for mixed sounds. I even recently dove headfirst into the deep end and played five zills on stage at the same time! What was magical about this was the melodic possibilities that it unlocked for my performance.
Choosing zills and costumes for an cappella performance is really fun because you are limited by nothing. You can really listen to the notes that your cymbals play and pick notes that mix well together. (Yet another reason to own more than one pair!)
What totally suprised me when I did this last performance with five zills was that the tonality of the cymbals completely dictated the feel and style of the performance that I was going to give. I had already planned in my head to wear my super sparkly turquoise and burgundy Aida Style costume for this performance as it is one of my favorites!
But when I began working with the tones of the zills I realized the melody they created sounded like a soothing wind chime and made me visualize spritely nymphs in a forest! (I kid you not!)
So the costume needed to change. I ended up choosing a super soft and feminine bra and belt sets with a diaphanous circle skirt in muted earth tones… green, brown and dusty pink. It was just the feel I needed for the piece!
So as you can see, choosing to dance with zills opens up a world of opportunity in your performance! If I could give you some advice and choosing zills and costumes that will enhance your performance and make you shine on stage it would be the following.
DO consider your venue first. Smaller venues and softer music call for a lighter sound with your finger cymbals.
DON’T use really loud zills in a small restaurant setting unless the music is really loud. Sometimes they make babies cry!
DO use larger, louder zills when performing with live music or on a big stage.
DO have fun matching your cymbals to your costume. If you are playing just one set of cymbals choose the costume that works best for your dance and then pick zills to match the color or style of your costume.
DO consider using tan colored elastic in your zills to make them less noticeable on your fingers so they blend more seamlessly with your costume.
When performing an acappella zill piece DO experiment with using two different sets of zills and allow the tone that they produce to drive your dance and the costume you choose.
When performing with finger cymbals there are very little rules that dictate which you should do! The most important thing is just that you choose to use them! Happy dancing!
Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) @SahiraBellyDances
DID YOU KNOW that both Sahira and I are part of this year’s Bellydance Bundle?
That means, you can get both Sahira’s and my courses plus 20 more programs at a fraction of the price!
If you fell in love with Sahira in this post (or if you’ve always loved her!), try her course inside this year’s Bellydance Bundle!
In fact, this year’s Bellydance Bundle instructors are quite AMAZING –> Have a look here!
Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Sahira, share love and share this post with your dancer friends! ?
And if you’re interested in getting more belly dance costuming tips and DIY ideas / how-to tutorials, sign up for my newsletter & get access to my free email course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101 below:
In this time of required social distancing, we need our online communities more than ever!
That’s why I’m joining you live weekly to connect, share stories of inspiration and explore concrete ways to find grounding, meaning and even joy in these strange times.
Science and positive psychology has shown that when we feel awe and wonder about the world we experience a boost of happiness and positivity that can help bring us to a brighter mental and emotional state.
Today we explore: The Power of Awe and Wonder
What has inspired awe and wonder in your life this week? Post below and share – you may inspire someone else to feel a similar powerful surge of wonder too!
And then, because moving our bodies every day is so very important, we will end with a dance lesson to help you move our way into a place of joy!
Join me weekly for a dose of inspiration and dance.
Tuesday @ 2pm CST on Instagram Saturday @ 7pm CST on Facebook @SahiraBellyDances
Schedule subject to change. Follow me on these platforms for the most up to date information.
The online teaching revolution, which has been steadily growing over the last decade, has experienced a gigantic boost in the last three months due to the global pandemic.
Instructors all over the world are scrambling to get their classes online in order to create continuity for themselves and their students, continue necessary income streams and maintain a sense of normalcy in all the mayhem.
If you’ve been thinking about taking your knowledge online, but haven’t made the leap, or if you’ve made the first few steps into the online world but are feeling confused or overwhelmed, I am here to encourage you to keep moving forward.
Not only is YOUR personal offering so very important right now (both for you and your students) but the process of getting online successfully and excelling in the online world is not nearly as complicated as you might think.
Join me for a series of conversations aimed to help you understand your super hero power and why it is so important that you share it with those who are eagerly awaiting for what you have to offer. We will also take a look at how easy it is to get online without a lot of tech expertise or fancy equipment.
There has never been a better time to bring your movement classes online for the world to experience.
Let me help you make your dream a reality!
**** Are you feeling inspired and ready to learn more?
In this time of required social distancing, we need our online communities more than ever!
That’s why I’m joining you live weekly to connect, share stories of inspiration and explore concrete ways to find grounding, meaning and even joy in these strange times.
Science and positive psychology has shown that when we help others we receive a mood boost as well. In addition, changing our focus from inward when we are suffering to outward and our ability to help others helps us put things in perspective and gives us a sense of power and agency in our lives.
Today we explore: Random Acts of Kindness
This week we are changing things a bit and I am giving you an assignment! Over the next seven days find ways to be randomly kind to others in the world. How do you feel when you are kind to someone who did not expect it? Share your experience here and inspire kindness in others.
Let’s rise up in kindness together!
And then, because moving our bodies every day is so very important, we will end with a dance lesson to help you move your way through fear and sadness into a place of joy!
Join me weekly for a dose of inspiration and dance. Tuesday @ 2pm CST on Instagram Saturday @ 7pm CST on Facebook @SahiraBellyDances
Schedule subject to change. Follow me on these platforms for the most up to date information.
In this time of required social distancing, we need our online communities more than ever!
That’s why I’m joining you live weekly to connect, share stories of inspiration and explore concrete ways to find grounding, meaning and even joy in these strange times.
Science and positive psychology has proven that what we focus on we increase in our life… so why not focus on the positive? When we change our expectations to appreciation and gratitude, everything changes. And even better, focusing on feelings of gratitude often doesn’t leave room for negativity in our lives.
Today we explore: Gratitude journaling
This week we are changing things a bit and I am giving you an assignment! Let’s take our newfound happiness knowledge and put it into practice by keeping a gratitude journal. Every day or so for the next month I invite you to write a short list of gratitudes down on paper – you can even share them here if you’d like! (I’d LOVE that!)
Watch as your focus shifts from that which is missing in your life to the abundance of blessings that you have – large and small. Let’s rise up in gratitude together!
And then, because moving our bodies every day is so very important, we will end with a dance lesson to help you move your way through fear and sadness into a place of joy!
(The dance lesson begins at 14:00) Join me weekly for a dose of inspiration and dance.
Tuesday @ 2pm CST on Instagram Saturday @ 7pm CST on Facebook @SahiraBellyDances
Schedule subject to change. Follow me on these platforms for the most up to date information.
I’d like to invite you behind the scenes of my acapella zill performance from Bahaia’s SOS Save Our Studio showcase on May 8, 2020.
It was a odd performing to just a few little screens in the Zoom webinar backstage area… so instead I imagined all 200+ people in attendance right there on the other side of the screen. (Including my family from all over the country!)
While in person will always be the gold standard of performance, it was pretty magical sharing a virtual stage with these magnificent performers and connecting with hundreds of audience members right in their homes!
So cool to see the chat light up as everyone danced as well!
It was the first show I’d done sine quarantine began 8 weeks earlier and a beautiful reminder of how much I love to perform!
In this time of required social distancing, we need our online communities more than ever! That’s why I’m joining you live weekly to connect, share stories of inspiration and explore concrete ways to find grounding, meaning and even joy in these strange times.
Science and positive psychology has proven that what we focus on we increase in our life… so why not focus on the positive? When we change our expectations to appreciation and gratitude, everything changes. And even better, focusing on feelings of gratitude often doesn’t leave room for negativity in our lives.
Today we explore: Gratitude journaling This week we are changing things a bit and I am giving you an assignment! Let’s take our newfound happiness knowledge and put it into practice by keeping a gratitude journal. Every day or so for the next month I invite you to write a short list of gratitudes down on paper – you can even share them here if you’d like! (I’d LOVE that!) Watch as your focus shifts from that which is missing in your life to the abundance of blessings that you have – large and small. Let’s rise up in gratitude together!
And then, because moving our bodies every day is so very important, we will end with a dance lesson to help you move your way through fear and sadness into a place of joy!
Join me weekly for a dose of inspiration and dance. Tuesday @ 2pm CST on Instagram Saturday @ 7pm CST on Facebook @SahiraBellyDances Schedule subject to change. Follow me on these platforms for the most up to date information.
First of all, let me just get this out in the open: I love zills!
