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One of my favorite tools for drilling with my finger cymbals is definitely the metronome.

I used to have this black box that I’d plug into the wall every time I practice, but I have since upgraded to a fancy digital version that lives on my phone. Either way, a metronome is the best way to not only measure your progress with finger cymbal patterns and speed, but a great way to keep you honest with your tempo and help you internalize the beat – which is hugely beneficial for both your zilling and your dance!

In today’s video, I want to share with you a simple, yet foundational finger cymbal pattern that I use all the time – the 16th note run. You are going to learn to count it like the musician you are and then play it with a metronome to help you keep steady time as you practice. I will show you how to use that cute little dude in the pointy hat and fit this 16th note patten into his incessant clicking. 😂

Then we move! You are invited to mark time with your body, move your arms, or bust a move… whatever you are inspired to do!

Are you ready?

Let’s dive in.

Now that you’ve mastered use of the metronome, I invite you to use it to clock your max speed with the 16th note run while playing cleanly and evenly. Once you’ve done that, track your result in your belly dance notebook and post below to tell me how you did! I can’t wait to hear from you.

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Are you ready to take your zill skills to the next level? Join me for my FREE ZIllStar Finger Cymbal Jumpstart to learn what you need to get started on your path to zillstardom today. SahiraBellyDances.com/ZillStar

Have you ever tried to create your own dance choreography?

How did it go?

If you are like many dancers, the choreography creation process can quickly and easily become an effort in frustration. I’ve been there and I get it.

Many years ago I attempted to create my first dance choreography and I’ve gotta tell you that after three months of trying and about 20 seconds of actual choreography created, I gave up.

Fast forward about 20 years and I have since refined the creation process and have made over 100 different dynamic choreographies for myself and my students. I would love to share that process with you!

➡️ Join me for my FREE masterclass ⬅️

5 Choreography Creation Secrets… that will demystify the process and allow you to confidently create choreography.

Three dates to choose from:

April 5th @ 7pm CST

April 6th @ 12pm CST

April 11th @ 8pm CST

Snag your spot today at SahiraBellyDances.com/masterclass

Hey there fabulous dancer! Would you like to learn how to create your own unique and dynamic dance choreography?

There are many aspects of the music that you can use when creating choreography. Tempo and melody are two of the most popular.

In this video I am going to walk you though how to utilize both the tempo and the melody when creating choreography.

⓵ Dancing to the Tempo

When you choreograph and dance to the tempo you are simply making sure that your movements are happening as fast or as slow as the music is going. It’s the simplest way to choreograph and one of the most common ways we dance to music. Choreographing to the tempo runs the risk of looking detached from the music if you are not mindful, though – so always listen to the music!

⓶ Dancing to the Melody

When you choreograph to the melody you are using the primary instrument or voice and allowing that to move your body. This method tends to create slower and smoother movements, but not always! Dancing to the melody is a great way to draw out this line to your audience.

The best choreography utilizes a combination of these approaches, as well as movement to the rhythm and countermelody too!

Want a side by side comparison of how tempo and melody can be used in your dance? Check out this video I made on social media doing just that!

Facebook

Instagram

While you are there be sure to like the video and follow me!

But what I want to know from YOU is – what do you tend to dance to the most? Tempo? Melody? Something else? Post below and let your voice be heard!

Have you ever tried to create your own choreography?

If you are like most dancers, at some point in your studies you’ve gotten the idea that creating a choreography for yourself would be so very awesome. I mean, while learning someone else’s dance is fun and educational, there is nothing quite like making YOUR OWN dance that reflects your style and personality, right?

If only it were so easy.

I tried creating my first choeography around one year into my belly dance journey. I had learned two chroeographies from my teachers and had so much fun dancing them with the other people in my class, but I was itching to put something together to music I loved with my favorite movements. (If you’re curious, it was a Madonna song! 😆)

So I put on the song and tried to dance to it. I tried over and over and over.

And after three months (and about 20 seconds of choreography finished), I gave up!

There are many different ways to approach creating choreography, and a sucessful choreographer has more than one approach in their pocket. Part of the problem I experienced in my first choreographic adventure was that I approached the whole thing only ONE way – a method I now affectionately call “The Spaghetti Method”.

In today’s video I am going to give you a breakdown of this method and actually walk with you through the process step by step. You’ll experience how to use this fun and creative method in the most enjoyable and effective way to help you get moving to create your own unique and dynamic choreography. I’ll also share with you a couple of reasons why this approach needs to be supported by other choreographic methods in order to create fabulous choreographies in the long run.

I never did finish that Madonna choreography, but the Spaghetti Method would become the foundation for the over one hundred choreographies I have created since then. It’s a wonderful and playful way to get your next choreography started. So dive in and learn it with me here.

There are so many beautiful movements in the belly dance repertoire, but there are a few that are so iconic to the form that they are considered “must-haves” in every belly dancer’s vocabulary.

The Hip Circle definitely makes that list!

Join me for today’s tutorial and learn to create this fundamental belly dance move in your body safely and beautifully. And you’ll not only learn it one way, but THREE DIFFERENT ways! 🤩

You’ll be given the technique from the ground up and finish the class with a fabulous little combination utilizing all three variations of the movement.

Are you ready for this? Let’s Belly Dance!

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Are you ready to jumpstart your practice and discover movement, creativity and joy through the ancient art of belly dance?

Join me for the FREE Belly Dance Jumpstart program at SahiraBellyDances.com/Jumpstart

I can’t wait to share the dance floor with you there!

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A huge THANK YOU to the amazing Miss Thea for the use of her music in this video. You can find this song – “4D Recollection” on her Bandcamp store at missthea.bandcamp.com

There are so many beautiful movements in the belly dance repertoire, but there are a few that are so iconic to the form that they are considered “must-haves” in every belly dancer’s vocabulary.

The Hip Lift is totally one of those movements.

Join me for today’s tutorial and learn to create this fundamental belly dance move in your body safely and beautifully. You’ll be given the technique from the ground up and finish the class dancing with the hip lift while layering on strong, beautiful arms, as well as your own energy and pizazz!

Heads up! This movement is an incredible workout for your quads and obliques!

Are you ready for this? Let’s Belly Dance!

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Are you ready to jumpstart your practice and discover movement, creativity and joy through the ancient art of belly dance?

Join me for the FREE Belly Dance Jumpstart program at SahiraBellyDances.com/Jumpstart

I can’t wait to share the dance floor with you there!

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A huge THANK YOU to the amazing Miss Thea for the use of her music in this video. You can find this song – “Arabic 1234” on her album “Siren Dream” on her Bandcamp shop at missthea.bandcamp.com

Are you ready to learn how to create beautiful and expressive zilling and dance to it too?

Whether you are…

→ An experienced dancer who has had a less-than-stellar experience with your finger cymbals in the past

→ A curious dance student who hasn’t been given much zill instruction in the past or

→ An adventurous zill-beginner who is ready to dive in and learn how to do it right the first time

This course is for you!

With this online course you will go from feeling MEH to feeling MARVELOUS about zills and your ability to work with them creatively with or without music.

By the end of this course you will :

🎵 Count music like a true zillstar, allowing you to better notate and play rhythms, patterns and syncopation in your zilling

🎵 Play more than half a dozen cool and creative sounds on your cymbals, opening up a brand new world of expression in your dance

🎵 Recognize, interpret and recreate finger cymbal patterns more quickly

🎵 Own a fantastic set of drills designed to help you level up your zill skills one fabulous step at a time

🎵 Feel more confident moving and playing your cymbals at the same time

🎵 Play a fun and funky new riff on your finger cymbals and dance with your groove too!

Acapella Finger Cymbal Foundations will teach you step by step the theory and technique you need to create the foundation for astounding acapella zill work.

✓ Dive in deep and learn what makes acapella zilling different from the traditional dance style zill work and give you the building blocks and drills you need to build your confidence with this marvelous instrument.

✓ Banish boring and repetitive zills and learn to embrace the multitude of sounds, textures and funky syncopated rhythms that your finger cymbals can create.

✓ Discover the building blocks you need to understand and play more complex patterns, combinations and riffs.

✓ Play focused drills that will create a deeper understanding of timing and musicality.

✓ Learn an acapella finger cymbal riff that is varied and dynamic

I would love to personally invite you to check out more details here.

http://SahiraBellyDances.com/Acapella

Contrary to what some people think, confident and creative zilling doesn’t require you to know a bunch of fancy rhythms or have some magical musical gene. Fabulous zill work can be created by anyone willing to put the time and effort into learning the foundations of how rhythms are created, sounds are made and patterns are counted and practice putting these skills together in a methodical way.

I couldn’t be more excited to invite you to join me for this step-by-step course that will have you looking at those little discs on the ends of your fingers in a whole new light.

But registration is only open through February 22nd, so be sure to check out “Acapella Finger Cymbal Foundations” today! I hope to make music with you soon!

http://SahiraBellyDances.com/Acapella

Just a girl and her zills…

The finger cymbals are an amazing instrument capable of so much more than we usually give them credit for. And when a dancer chooses to use them as her only source of music… well then magic can happen!

Imagine being in control of the musical and dance experience and using one to inspire the other exactly the way you want it to be. You can play with tempo, texture, rhythm and emotion… all with those little discs on the ends of your fingers.

Here’s me goofing off with my favorite Saroyan finger cymbals at TribalRev 2018 in Chicago, IL. I tried my hand at a little comedy at the opening…not sure if I’m funny(what do you think?) – but I sure had a fun time on that stage!

Listen for my 4 year old daughter totally cracking up at 2:15…it’s my favorite part of the entire performance!

Are you a belly dancer looking to play the finger cymbals more confidently and creatively?

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Great finger cymbal playing doesn’t require you to know a bunch of different rhythms or have some magical music gene. But if you are ready to rock your zills you do need to STOP making these three common mistakes.

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I invite you to join me for my FREE masterclass : Three Finger Cymbal Mistakes Many Belly Dancers Make and What You Can Do Instead to Play Your Zills More Confidently Today.

SahiraBellyDances.com/Masterclass

I LOVE a good Baladi.

There is something about the earthy playfulness and the opportunity to sink deep into the dance that calls to me. Not to mention all those fun accents! When I found this unique Baladi by Armen Kusikian I knew I just had to dance to it!

This performance is from an online showcase I hosted for members of my Belly Dance Journey program in December 2021.

Would you like to learn this choreography sometime? If so, post below and let me know! Maybe I’ll put together an online workshop for you. 😉

Music : “Baladi in Crecendo” by Armen Kusikian

The finger cymbals are an ancient instrument with strong ties to belly dance. They are an important part of every belly dancer’s training and I am here to help you make the leap into playing the zills easily and with joy!

Once you’ve gotten a pair of zills you love : https://youtu.be/SV5D53O-1vw

and sewn in your zill elastic to fit your fingers: https://youtu.be/oRplfntmckg

the next thing to do is learn the foundational finger cymbal sound that is most often used in belly dance.

In this video I will teach you the Basic Stroke – this is the most popular sound in belly dance finger cymbal playing. You will get a lot of mileage out of it if you learn to do it correctly.

Are you ready?

The journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step… and your zill journey is no different.

Here is your first step – the basic stroke. Let’s go!

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Ready to take your finger cymbal playing to the next level? Join my FREE finger cymbal jumpstart class at http://SahiraBellyDances.com/ZillStar and become the ZIllStar you are meant to be!