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It’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but I’m being honest here because maybe you can relate.

I used to have a terrible shimmy.

I mean – my shimmy seriously sucked, and I struggled with it for years, even after I was working full-time as a professional belly dancer. My shimmy was small, unreliable, lop-sided and would start and stop at the most inconvenient moments. I was nervous on stage when it was time to shimmy and I felt like a total imposter in my dance!

After almost twelve years of struggle I finally made a breakthrough! (Several, actually…) I am thrilled to report that my shimmies today are strong, reliable and so much fun to perform… and I feel much more confident on stage.

It’s a whole new world for me and my dance.

http://SahiraBellyDances.com/ShimmyTips

I see fabulous dancers struggle with their shimmies all the time, and since sharing these breakthroughs with my students I can see the improvements in their shimmies too. And not just that – they also feel better and more confident about themselves and their dance.

I’ve taken these breakthroughs and created a special FREE TUTORIAL to help you unlock your most confident shimmy too – just head over to Sahira Belly Dances – Shimmy Tips to get it.

I can’t wait to see what you do next!

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The music played in this video is by the amazing Miss Thea. Support her and get her music at Miss Thea on Band Camp.

I own a lot of finger cymbals.

I mean a LOT.

I have collected over 20 sets of zills over the last two decades and consider myself a bit of a zill aficionado.

While I have played all of the cymbals in my collection, I do not regularly play them all. (In fact, there are a few sets I keep around just as loaners for my students.)

Want to know which of the cymbals in my vast collection are the best of the best? Maybe get an idea of which cymbals you’d like to for yourself?

In this video I’m giving you the nitty gritty on my top 5 favorite cymbals – what they sound like, what I like (and sometimes what I don’t like) as well as a bit of compare-and-contrast between them.

So whether you are a total zill geek (like me!) and love to learn about and listen to finger cymbals, a new dancer looking to make an educated choice for your first set of zills, or a seasoned pro ready to add to your collection, dive in with me here as I take you into my studio and share with you the five best cymbals in my collection.

See something here that you like? Get a set of your very own at http://SahiraBellyDances.com/SaroyanCymbals

Watch Sahira plays all the Saroyan Zills!

We don’t just dance… we also make the music that inspires the movement. And that, my friend, is pretty freakin’ incredible!

There is nothing quite as powerful as having total control over what is played as you dance. No questioning what that crazy drummer might dream up next…. just you and your finger cymbals creating the party.

So are you ready to make some magic? Today I’m sharing with you the companion dance combination for the ​”Totally Triplets” zill riff​ you can also find here on my channel. (Learn it here: Advanced Finger Cymbals (Zills) Combination | Totally Triplets)

We’ll be using three different zill sounds – The Basic, the Clack and the Tick. Utilizing more than one sound with your finger cymbals is key in making dynamic and engaging rhythmic patterns! If you’d like more instruction on how to beautifully create these sounds, check out my tutorial here: Finger Cymbal Basics – The Four Basic Sounds

Now just because I said this is so much fun does not mean that it is easy! In fact, the best things in life are those that create enough challenge for you to grow. So I invite you to take up that challenge now and give it a try.

Practice nice and slow, and take a quick video of your practice today so you can compare it to your practice of this same combination a couple of weeks from now. If you’re not setting yourself up to see progress, your practice can become quite frustrating. So set yourself up to grow and win now!

Are you ready to find incredible confidence and creativity in those cymbals and take your zilling to the next level? Let’s do it!

Join the Finger Cymbal Revolution: SahiraBellyDances.com/Revolution

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Get your very own pair of the best zills on the planet here: http://SahiraBellyDances.com/SaroyanCymbals

I don’t talk about this often.

Partially because I never thought anyone would want to listen 😝…but also because I didn’t think it was all that unique until recently.

A member of The Belly Dance Journey asked me how I started dancing. It’s a bit of a story to be sure, but she really wanted to know – so I shared – not only about my first-ever belly dance class experience, but how I made it my full-time work without ever really planning to.

This strange journey involved me sleeping in my tent, selling jewelry at a Renaissance Festival, living part-time in a friend’s garage, putting everything I owned into storage, dancing at The Dancing Pig Pub, dancing in the dirt, sleeping in a small wooden box, and not having enough money to pay rent for over two years.

It’s been quite a journey y’all. And I’m finally ready to share the story with you.

It’s been a crazy ride for sure. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Thank you for letting me share my story, and thank you for being a part of this journey. I love sharing the dance floor with you!

Have you ever been in one of those situations where the music fails you?

I have. Too many times to count. In the two decades I spent dancing at restaurants, night clubs, private parties and even big stage events, I cannot even begin to count the number of times something went wrong with the music.

That’s how my exploration into acapella finger cymbal composition began. (Necessity is the mother of invention, isn’t it after all?)

Years later I am totally obsessed with making my own music to dance too, and I even do it when the sound system is working just fine. (Crazy, I know!) But it’s the ultimate freedom for sure…and I’m never worried about something going wrong with the music anymore.

Would you like to experience that same incredible freedom? Then put on your zills and let’s rock!

To play this riff you will need to be familiar with the following zill sounds – The basic, the tick and the clack. You can learn all of them here: Finger Cymbals (Zills, Sagat) – Four Basic Sounds

Once you nail down this fabulous riff, I invite you to play with putting some movement to it!

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Like it, love it, want more of it, zillstar? I invite you to join me online for my Acapella Finger Cymbal Foundations, a comprehensive zill course where you will take what we’ve done here to the next level and learn to create your very own acapella finger cymbal riffs and combinations.

http://SahiraBellyDances.com/Acapella

Use the code ZILLY15 for 15% off the course when you join me now.

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Get your very own Saroyan Ghawazees too! The BEST zills on the planet!

http://SahiraBellyDances.com/SaroyanCymbals

Layering of more than one movement together is a hallmark of fabulous belly dancing. But this advanced concept is often very intimidating and confusing for people who are new to the idea.

In this video I’m going to share with you a way to banish layering confusion as you learn to tackle your belly dance layers in a new, step-by-step, and incredibly practical way.

This incredibly simple yet effective building block methodology allows you to approach layers from many different angles and get to success more quickly.

So tie in your hip scarf and let’s tackle some beautiful belly dance layers together!

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Dive deeper into your belly dance layers with “Luscious Layers” – a 4-part online workshop that will expand on the concepts here, teach you several more layering tips and tricks and leave you with an awesome new combination to show off your layering skills.

http://SahiraBellyDances.com/layers

For a couple days only (until 9/20/24), I’m offering you this course at 45% off the usual price with this special code: LUSCIOUS-45

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Special thanks for the fabulous Miss Thea for the music used in this video. Support her on Bandcamp here: Missthea.bandcamp.com/track/egyptian-drum-mix

Belly dancers are total superheroes. You want to know why?

Because we are not only capable of moving beautifully to physically express music, but we are capable of doing it while actually MAKING music too.

In a previous video you learned what this crazy 9/8 Karsilima is all about and two ways you can play your finger cymbals to its infectious and unique rhythm. (Check out that tutorial right here: http://SahiraBellyDances.com/24-34)

And in true superhero style, it’s now time to put some DANCING to that beautiful music you’re making.

Now I know what you might be thinking. This crazy 9 count rhythm is boggling my brain and now you want me to MOVE while playing it?

YEP! 🤩

But don’t panic – I’m going to show you just how to do it. In fact, the Karsilima is one of those situations where the dancing actually helps the zill playing, as both the combo I’m going to show you and the rhythm have that fun “suspension” that makes it so unique (and so challenging!)

So grab your hip scarf and your zills and let’s dance some Karsilima!

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Do you love making music with your zills? Ready to take it to the next level and create your own awesome riffs and patterns to dance to? Join The Belly Dance Journey, a game-changing online dance membership that will help you find more confidence and creativity with your finger cymbals inside an accepting and encouraging community. TheBellyDanceJourney.com

The Finger Cymbal Revolution is the world’s largest online school dedicated to teaching the art of the zills and will help you uncover the rockstar ziller you are meant to be. SahiraBellyDances.com/Revolution

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!

I own a lot of zills. I mean – a LOT.

I would say I am a connoisseur of finger cymbals… but others might call me obessed. They’d be right.

But you can use my obsession to your favor! In this video I’m going to let you watch as I take my newest set of cymbals for a spin. You can hear all the sounds and tones they make and get the nit picky zill-nerd scoop on what I think about their construction, handle and playability.

These are the Saroyan Arabesque II in German Silver. I don’t want to give anything away, but I’ve been playing them a lot recently, and am kind of obsessed with the way the elastics have been setup by the dear friend of mine who gifted them to me. (I’m totally doing this with some of my other sets when it’s time to replace elastic!)

So if you’re ready to get your first (or next) set of cymbals let me be your guide as I show you all you need to know about the Saroyan Arabesque IIs.

Ready to get your very own pair? You can find them here: http://SahiraBellyDances.com/SaroyanCymbals

Want to learn more about the other cymbals in my collection? Check out the full playlist here: Sahira Bellydances | Zill Reviews