Sahira

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 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oFdAMsp9cs

The Upward and Downward Ommis - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTnf0eGOKKQ

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!

Watch this tutorial in full at http://sahirabellydances.com/24-30/

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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 - https://dance.sahirabellydances.com/jumpstart

Don’t tell me that finger cymbals are too much of a challenge to add to a beginner class.

Last night’s Zill session was a big hit! Some of these dancers have played cymbals a few of times before this class and some of them are brand new to the art form.

If you a belly dance instructor, please add finger cymbals to your classes early on… It makes for a much natural progression in learning the instrument and is much easier to pair with the dance when it’s done from the beginning!

If you already to develop a solid foundation for your Zill skills, I have just the thing for you! Join me for my free online Zillstar online course and unleash the badass musician inside you.

Sahirabellydances.com/Zillstar

Can you NAME THAT TUNE?

I’m playing a famous song on my zills. Can you correctly guess what it is??

(Use my ridiculous facial expressions for a hint. 😜)

Post your guess below! 👇🏽

I am always trying to find creative ways to help my students master new movements.

Some are more creative than others.

Apparently doing the Hagallah like a dinosaur was a big hit.

Or just maaaaaybe my students were seeing just how ridiculous I’m willing to be in order to help them learn. 🫣

One thing is for certain - studies have shown that the wilder and more outlandish your method for remembering something is, the better the chances of it sticking.

So get ridiculous, my friends!

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.

You can watch this tutorial in full at: http://sahirabellydances.com/24-29/

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

Are you part of the finger cymbal party yet?

Did you know that I host a free community on Facebook where thousands of zillstars congregate to share resources, gain support and share their finger cymbal wins?

Inside this group I go live for fun, free mini-tutorials to get you excited and motivated for your finger cymbal practice.

Join us for free and let's make music together!

SahiraBellyDances.com/Zillicious

I love when my husband helps me make my social media content. 😜

Having trouble finding music for your belly dance practice?

Try dancing to your favorite tunes - anything with a beat that gets you moving will work!

While I am a fan of Arabic music and use it a lot in my classes, I recognize that not everyone finds inspiration in the same way.

So I also mix it up and often include other genres of music and even radio hits into my class and practice playlists.

Often when students are just starting out, they find it easier to connect and dance to music their ear is already familiar with - and that’s totally ok!

What music gets your movin’ and groovin’?

Next time you’re feeling stuck in your practice, put on some of your favorite jams and see what happens.

And then spend some time listening to Arabic music to familiarize your ear. With time you’ll feel super inspired by it too!

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.

Watch this tutorial in full at 👀 http://sahirabellydances.com/24-27/

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

I had so much fun zillin like a villain with Melissa Gamal! 🤩 Thrilled we finally got to dance together in person after geeking out online for so many years. Love her unique approach to finger cymbals!

Getting on this stage in Houston with the National Arab Orchestra was such a HUGE honor and definitely I highlight of my 24 year dance career.

Performing to live music is the absoute best - the thrill of not really knowing what might happen next and making magic in the moment with an incredible musical ensemble is exhiliration and slightly terrifying.

I get asked all the time if I no longer get nervous when I perform. I will admit that after over two decades of dancing on stage (and four decades of performing in general) there are moments where the performance jitters are almost undetectable.

But this was NOT one of those moments.

As a Western dancer, being chosen to represent an Arab art form in front of a nearly all Arab audience is the thing that makes me the MOST nervous, as I strive to do my absolute best to honor the culture and traditions of this dance I love so much and have dedicated my life to.

So no... I absoutely DO still get nervous before I get on stage. And honestly I think that's totally natural and actually a good thing in some ways. It puts my senses on high alert and allows me to be hyper in-the-moment and bring my best to a performance.

And as I always tell my students (and my daughter) - nervous and excited are on the same emotional spectrum. What I feel right before a step onto a stage like this is definitely an interesting mix of the two!

So if you are someone who experiences pre-performance jitters no matter how many times you get on that satge, know that you are not alone! I don't think many artists live in a nerve-free world... that is not the goal.

In the end I aim to be present, engaged and enjoy my time on the stage. When I can do this it is a success for me!

The drum solo is one of belly dance's most exciting and sought after moments!

The energy of the rhythm and the dancer's ability to make it look as though the drum accents are literally coming out of her body are part of what make this element of belly dance so very magical.

You don't need a bunch of new movements to be able to begin to execute a finely tuned drum solo, but you do need to know how to do them in a way that will best accentuate your music!

In this video I will take you through some essential ideas to help you create the crisp, sharp and powerful movements most often seen in the belly dance drum solo. We'll work though a few specific movements and then you can use this new knowledge and apply it to other moves in your vocabulary to make them drum solo accent ready!

Get the full tutorial FREE here: http://sahirabellydances.com/22-27/

Last week I did something I’ve never done before.

I attended my first Barbershop Harmony competition.

And not just any competition… this was the Barbershop Harmony Society International Competition, where the best of the world’s barbershop quartets and choruses compete in a week-long immersive singing event.

I have never seen so many barbershoppers in one place, nor experienced the thrill of so many insanely incredible vocal performances. I laughed a lot, cried more than I expected to, and got goosebumps on a regular basis.

On Saturday my amazing chorus Space City Sound took the stage (in our new performance outfits… what do you think? 🤩) and sung our collective hearts out in front of thousands of avid barbershop fans (and my mom and her husband, who drove 10 hours from Kentucky to be there in person. 💖)

Getting onto the stage with these amazing humans and looking out at the crowd as the lights came up was a thrilling moment I will never forget.

I’ve spent the majority of my life on stage between acting as a child, singing and theater all throughout my school days and dancing over the last 20 years.

THIS WAS TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

I LOVED being there with 44 of my newest friends by my side, making exceptional music that moves people. The last six months of hard work leading up to this moment… the power of it all just blew me away.

Huge thank you to for taking me into their beautiful community and providing an amazing outlet for connection, expression and learning.

And congratulations to this year’s chorus winner - Westminster Chorus. Listening to your set on Friday was mind-blowing and so very inspiring.

I’m currently having withdrawal symptoms I think 🤪…. Can’t wait to get back to rehearsals in a couple weeks!

Space City Sound

Surveying the damage…

Thanks to everyone who reached out to check on me and my family. We are safe and well in the wake of Hurricane Beryl.

A fallen fence, lots of downed tree limbs and shingles all over the yard… we’re without power as are over 2 million other people.

Thankful to be safe and here with my family. Thinking of everyone else in the storm’s wake.

Finger cymbals do not need to be complicated to be interesting!

One of the best ways to create more intriguing zill patterns as you dance is to incorporate silence and leave out some repetitions of the pattern.

And my absolute favorite way to mix things up is to change the sounds.

Try it with me!

Let’s take a simple gallop as well as a 16th note run and create an interesting riff using these ideas.

Grab your zills and let’s go!

Post a video of your practice and tag me so I can cheer you on!

Just a little clip from my performance at my summer student showcase… I spent the last two months working on (read obsessing over) the choreography for this year‘s Zill Challenge… So I knew I just had to perform it!