Journal

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

What if I told you there is a super easy way to create between 5 and 60 minutes a day (or more!) to dedicate to your dance practice?

Would you believe me?

Here’s another question:

Do you feel like you have enough time to dedicate to your dance practice?

When I ask this question to dancers, pretty much everyone says no.

While we are all gifted 24 hours each day to create a life that we love, managing that time while negotiating all the other demands and activities in your schedule can be incredibly challenging.

And often times the activities in our day that are for US – dancing, singing, reading, walking in nature – get pushed to the bottom of our calendar and therefor never happen.

Sound familiar? You are not alone.

I’ve struggled with the same thing too… so much so that I used to joke with my family about planting more ‘thyme’ in our garden so I could get everything done.  (PS. It didn’t work. 😝)

All jokes aside, I’m happy to report that since then I’ve spent some serious time studying productivity, essentialism and the science of happiness and I’ve learned many ways to take back my day and make more room for what I love most… like dance!

While there are big ways and changes you can make to your life to create massive amounts of time (imagine getting rid of your TV or finding a job that allows you to work from home) there are also hundreds of small and simple things you can do TODAY that will free up precious minutes for your dance practice.

I’ve compiled a list of my favorite easy time-creation methods into this free downloadable:

Making Time For Your Dance Practice: 12 Easy Ways to Create Time To Do What You Love Most.

Here’s one example from the guide. Multitask in your practice. Every single day I listen to educational audiobooks while doing stretching and strengthening exercises and you’ll often find me doing squats while I brush my teeth. I’ve also been known to watch online dance class videos while cooking (though don’t ask me about the mess I make when stirring the pot turns into traveling shimmies across the kitchen!)

I am so excited to share these ideas with you.  These simple actions will help you free up anywhere from 5 to over 60 minutes in your day for whatever it is that fuels you most.  You can download it for free now at:

SahiraBellyDances.com/Time

So take two minutes to download it now and choose one thing you are going to try this week. And then drop me a line and let me know how it goes. I cannot wait to see what you accomplish with your newfound time!

This is one of my absolute favorite belly dance moves – The Single Hip Ommi. This intermediate-level belly dance moves is so snaky and sultry… and you can really play with this and spice it up to make it your own. In this tutorial I am going to teach you the single hip ommi – a variation of the upward ommi that takes this foundational move and bumps it up a notch in complexity and pizzaz. In order to correctly perform this movement, you’ll want to be familiar with unweighted hip lift and drops as well as the basic upward ommi. You can learn both of those here:

The Unweighted Hip Lift and Drop 

The Upward and Downward Ommis 

Once you finish the tutorial be sure to post below and let me know what YOU would like to learn next! Your suggestions could be my next YouTube video!

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Ready to learn more of the “must have” belly dance movements?

Dive deep into the beautiful art of belly dance with this FREE 7-day programs designed to get you moving with confidence and grace today! FREE 7-DAY JUMPSTART

The art of belly dance is full of unique and challenging muscle isolations, and the belly roll is one of the most sought-after of them all!

While the belly roll is a movement that perplexes many dancers, I have a way of teaching it that gives you more than one way to approach the challenge, greatly increasing your chance of success.

In just four steps (two of which you probably already have mastered) I will show you how to create a graceful and muscular belly roll that you can showcase in your dance and layer with other belly dance movements.

Watch to the end of the video for two little tricks that will make the more challenging parts of this movement more accessible… these are total game-changers, so be sure to check them out!

While you work through this movement, I’d like to invite you to release any judgment you have about how it looks or feels as you play with it. For many of us, the abdominal area can be a source of shyness, embarrassment and even negativity (Yes, even those of us who belly dance!) When I show this movement to little kids, they take to it like ducks to water, as they haven’t yet developed any insecurities around this part of their bodies and are much more willing to goof around and see what happens.

Today (and every day), I invite you to goof around too. You need a belly to belly dance, and this is a great way to give your fabulous belly the spotlight it deserves! 💖

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Ready to learn more of the “must have” belly dance movements? Dive deep into the beautiful art of belly dance with this FREE 7-day programs designed to get you moving with confidence and grace today!

http://SahiraBellyDances.com/jumpstart

Of all the folklore we encounter in belly dance, Saidi is one of the most common (and one of my favorites)!

In this tutorial I am going to walk you through a bit of what makes this style so much fun, including its earthy energy and opportunity for sass and attitude.

Spend a little time with me today and you’ll walk away with a better understanding of this style and a fab new combination you can use in your practice or performance!

Yallah! Let’s go!

Music used in this tutorial is Luxor Baladna by Upper Egypt Ensemble

Do you feel a a bit nervous when you pick up your finger cymbals because you’re not sure WHAT you should be playing? You are not alone!

I am approached by dancers all the time who feel a bit lost when they find themselves with zills on their hands, music in the air and the expectation that they are supposed to just starting playing something. It can be a little scary, especially if you are under the impression that you could possibly make the “wrong” choice.

I’m here to tell you that you have a lot more options than you might think, and that short of playing something that is not in tempo with the music or doing something non-committal and sloppy, there aren’t too many choices that I would characterize as “incorrect.”

In this video we are going to explore 3 basic ways you can choose to play your zills. There are definitely more ways to be explored, but these three will get you started confidently playing your finger cymbals the next time the music begins to play.

Are you ready to dive in deeper so you can put together fabulous zill patterns of your own? Check out my signature course – Acapella Finger Cymbal Foundations – an online course that will have you composing and playing your own fabulous zill riffs like a pro in no time!

Join me here now: http://SahiraBellyDances.com/Acapella

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A huge thank you to the amazing Miss Thea for the music in this video. You can pick up her album at her BandCamp here: https://missthea.bandcamp.com