Student Resources
I often get asked who are my favorite dancers, where did bellydance come from and all sorts of other odds and ends. I figured I'd put together a collection of resources that I think will benefit my students.
My preferred aesthetic for bellydancers are dancers that combine grace, emotion, athelticism, technique and entertainment value into a performance you can't look away from.
Russian bellydancers incorporate the clean lines of ballet and the showmanship of ballroom into their bellydance technique and so they tend to top my list of favorite dancers.
Click here to watch.
Favorite Dancers
Class Playlist
For use to practice at home.
Click here for a list of songs used in class.
Most songs can be purchsed via itunes or Amazon.
Rhythms
Links to pages that describe the various rhythms you will hear in class. Video to the left is of Karim Nagi playing his version of Fallahi rhythm.
For students in my class I have put together a summary of basic Arabic rhythms. Download document.
There are a few CDs that are really good at teaching you the most common Middle Eastern rhythms. My two favorites are:
1. Karim Nagi - Rhythmatiq
2. Suhaila Salimpur - Belly Dance Rhythm Identification Album -
http://www.salimpourstore.com/products/belly-dance-rhythm-identification
A couple of websites the describe the rhytms a little more detail:
Zills
Summary of patterns for my students in class.
Online resources to supplement class work. Download document.
What to buy, how to size and put elastic on zills. Shira.net
Videos for reference. I picked links to videos that show hands and explain concepts simply as there is a lot of information on the web and it quickly becomes overwhelming!
Basic beladi and running zills
Tips before class -
Size the zills before coming to class (see Shira.net link above for sizing and where to wear them on fingers)
Put them on and wear them for 10 minutes at a time a few times a week.
Practice finger and wrist warm ups to increase flexibility and maintain strength.
