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I am thrilled to bring to you today and interview with Alyssum Pohl. She is an authenticy coach and the founder of “Awaken Authenticity”, a business she created to help others show up in the world “unfettered and fulfilled.” She also happens to be a belly dance performer, instructor and… a clown!

In this interview she explains how the art of clowning works (spoiler – there are A LOT of similarities to belly dance!) as well as how you can begin to uncover your authentic self in your life and in your dance. We touch on some heavier topics including perfectionism and stage fright, and Alyssum has some fantastic advice and tips for dancers of all levels who are looking to freely express who they are on stage.

What is the message you wish to spread with your dance?

When do you feel most alive and free?

The idea of authenticity and an exploration of what that means to you is a valuable pursuit no matter where you are in your dance journey, and I think you will discover some intriguing and actionable ideas that can help you find a new way to approach your dance.

So please join me for this special interview! Be sure to stick around until the end to see exactly how Alyssum combines her dance with her clowning experience in a way that is truly authentic for her.

Learn more about Alyssum:

Alyssum’s Eclectic Asylum: https://awakenauthenticity.newzenler.com/courses/alyssum-s-eclectic-asylum

Instagram: @awakenauthenticity

Study with Alyssum: https://awakenauthenticity.newzenler.com/

Set your goals for the New Year NOW and hit the ground running in 2021.

Join me for this goal setting workshop where I will walk you through step by step exactly how to turn your dreams into SMART goals and how to take those goals from paper to reality with a series of actionable steps and important habit systems.

Get your workbook and set your goals alongside me here http://SahiraBellyDances.com/Goals

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Music used: https://davidmacejka.bandcamp.com/album/eclipse

Book recommended: “Atomic Habits” by James Clear: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits

Are you ready to rev up your dance practice for 2021?

Whether you are a new dancer looking to learn some of the basics, a student needing to get inspired to practice with more regularity or a long-time dancer wanting to get back to the basics, this 7-day Belly Dance Jumpstart is for you!

Seven days of free short, basic practices delivered to your inbox to help you get the “easy win” you need to create momentum in your dance for the new year.

Join me and jumpstart your dance in 2021!

The dancing begins on January 2nd.

http://SahiraBellyDances.com/JumpStart

“Dance when you’re broken open. Dance if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.”

– Rumi

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2020 has been a tumultuous year to say the least. I would like to thank you for your support and for allowing me to be a part of your dance journey.

I wish you a safe, healthy and joyous holiday and a very hopeful new year. Yours in dance, Sahira

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Music : Lamma Bada Yatathana Artist: Mahmoud Chouki

If you play the finger cymbals there is a good chance you have heard of Karim Nagi.

Karim is a native Egyptian drummer, DJ, composer and folk dancer. He promotes and fosters the study of Arab dance in the USA as the director of the Arab Dance Seminar. His performances boast a dynamic concoction of live drumming and dance, done in unison. Because of his proficiency in both music and dance, his workshops deliver students to a new physical understanding of the connection between these two disciplines.

I had the pleasure of taking a workshop with him many years ago at Tribal Elevation in Bolder, Colorado and between that class and the late-night after show musical jam session, my eyes were opened to an entirely new way to play the finger cymbals. And I have never looked back.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Karim and chat with him about how he got started with finger cymbals and his original inspiration behind the style of playing he has developed through the years. We discuss how teachers can make the cymbals more accessible and approachable and the three simple things every dancer can do to learn how to play with confidence and joy within the form.

Be sure to watch to the end of the video for an incredible performance clip of Karim that showcases exactly what grabbed my attention when I met him years ago.

How do you feel when you approach the finger cymbals in your practice? (Do you approach them? Or run in the other direction?)

If you haven’t yet found a place of comfort from which you can play within the form I invite you to try to approach Karim discussed in the interview. An understanding of the music and rhythms in the dance combined with solid basic skills will set you on the path to joyful and creative finger cymbal play.

I would love to see you there!

Find Karim online at http://www.KarimNagi.com

Facebook @TurboTabla

Instagram @MrKarimNagi

Twitter @KarimNagi

YouTube @TurboTabla ​

As dancers, we spend so much of our time focusing on the technique of the dance that we often miss out on one of the most powerful tool in our dance belts – EMOTION.

Maybe you’ve witnessed this before. You see a performance and the dancer has technique coming out of their pores, but there is something missing from their dance and it fails to connect with you on a deeper level.

Or how about this? You watch a dancer who keeps the movement simple but is just so full of joy or passion that you could watch them forever!

Sound familiar?

Emotion is a universal way to connect within the dance, be it to the music or to our audience and there are so many ways we can infuse our dancing with emotion and theatricality.

In this video we will explore one of my favorite ways to fill your dance with deeper emotional content using a part of the body too often ignored in our dance practice – THE EYES. They say the eyes are the windows to our soul. So let’s open those windows and dance through them!

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Like it, love it, want more of it? This video is part of a larger package of videos available to Rhinestone subscribers in on my online studio at http://SahiraBellyDances.Teachable.com Join me there and bring your dance to a new emotive level!

There is nothing quite like the freedom of dancing to the beat of your very own drum, especially when you provide the beat!

In this video I’m going to share with you a fabulous combination from my signature acapella zill style.

We will use several zill sounds – the Basic, the Ring and Clack to build a cool acapella zill riff.

Once you get this down you are ready to move on the the advanced lesson and DANCE with the combination!

You can get the entire combination and a more detailed breakdown of it all in my exclusive online course “Even More Zillicious Zills” on Teachable. http://SahiraBellyDances.Teachable.com/p/more-zillicious-zills

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Get started today and get your FREE ZillStar course – all the basics you need to get started on the path to become the zill rock star you are meant to be! http://SahiraBellyDances.com/ZillStar

I love love love the zills!

I have big zills and small zills, high-pitched zills and low-pitched zills, and silver, brass and bronze zills.

I like to play them in my house. I’d like to play them with a mouse.

I’ll play my zills both here and there. I’ll play these beauties everywhere!

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While I may be on the more extreme end of dancers with zill collections (at last count I was somewhere around 16 pairs) I am definitely of the opinion that more zills is better. ​

So what’s a dancer to do if you don’t have the budget to expand your collection? ​

Why, enter to win a bunch of course!

http://SahiraBellyDances.com/ZillGiveaway

The Belly Dance Bundle is giving away SIX SETS OF ZILLS to celebrate the launch of The Bellydance Bundle on October 21st! ? ​ ​

Enter the contest and you could be the lucky winner who takes home 3 sets of Turquoise Internationals most popular zills and a second copy to give a friend. And did I mention that both the lucky winner and their friend will also get access to an entire package of online zill classes with yours truly as well? So excited! ​

This year’s giveaway package is valued at over $300 USD and it will ship it anywhere in the world.

http://SahiraBellyDances.com/ZillGiveaway

(Giveaway opens on September 24th and ends on October 2nd)

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So while I am definitely no poet, I do love me some zills and am excited to share with you the Zoom recording of this performance that I did for the “Save Our Studio” fundraiser for Austin Belly Dance back in April 2020.

Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode 2 in my Zill Heroes Series!

Please meet Z-Helene of Austin, Texas.

I’ve been a huge fan of Z-Helene for over a decade and have had the pleasure of studying with her on several occasions. She’s been an inspiration and a mentor and has helped me take my zill playing to a new level every time.

In this conversation you’ll learn about how she got started with belly dance and zills back in the first heyday of the dance here in the States, how she was forced to play using her non-dominant hand (and survived!) and how she developed the style that is truly and uniquely hers.

We also explore how zilling can lead to freedom of expression and become a meditation for us in trying times.

And if you just want to get to the action, about 37 minutes into the video you can see what this woman is truly capable of. (It’s seriously one of my most favorite zill performances of all time!)

To learn more about Z-Helene and study with her please visit:

Facebook: @Z-Helene and/or @HeleneChristopher

Instagram: @zhelenechristopher

YouTube Channel: @ZHeleneChristopher

Website: www.zhelene.com (purchase dvds and music)

Email: zhelene@grandecom.net (personal contact)

Welcome to Episode 2 in my Zill Heroes Series!

Please meet Z-Helene of Austin, Texas. I’ve been a huge fan of Z-Helene for over a decade and have had the pleasure of studying with her on several occasions. She’s been an inspiration and a mentor and has helped me take my zill playing to a new level every time.

In this conversation you’ll learn about how she got started with belly dance and zills back in the first heyday of the dance here in the States, how she was forced to play using her non-dominant hand (and survived!) and how she developed the style that is truly and uniquely hers. We also explore how zilling can lead to freedom of expression and become a meditation for us in trying times.

And if you just want to get to the action, about 37 minutes into the video you can see what this woman is truly capable of. (It’s seriously one of my most favorite zill performances of all time!)

To learn more about Z-Helene and study with her please visit:

Facebook: @Z-Helene and/or @HeleneChristopher

Instagram: @zhelenechristopher

YouTube Channel: @ZHeleneChristopher

Website: www.zhelene.com (purchase dvds and music)

Email: zhelene@grandecom.net (personal contact)