<![CDATA[Elgin Algonquin Fox River Valley Area Bellydance Performer and Instructor - Mahira\'s Musings (Blog)]]>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:19:05 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[Happy Spring!!!!]]>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:47:47 GMThttps://www.mahirabellydance.com/mahiras-musings-blog/happy-springAlthough it may not feel like it, it is spring here in Chicago. It's a good time to start anew. If you are not doing so already, how about taking bellydance classes? Or private lessons/coaching in bellydance to work on something specific in your dance, take a workshop, try a different style of dance, try to learn a new prop or instrument, etc.. All sorts of fun things we can do to make things feel fresh in our dance lives.

You can contact Mahira about any of these things or if you have questions or even if you just wanna say Salam wa aleikum. ]]><![CDATA[Ask The Bellydancer]]>Wed, 26 Jan 2011 23:08:47 GMThttps://www.mahirabellydance.com/mahiras-musings-blog/ask-the-bellydancerHello everyone! I know it's been awhile since my last blog post and for that I apologize. I hope everyone is having a wonderful 2011 so far.
I am going to try something new here. For my next blog post I will let you decide! That's right. Fill out the form on my "Contact" page and ask me a question aka Ask The Bellydancer. :-)
Please keep it clean. I will choose one question from the pool and blog it with my response. So, think of a question, fill out the form and check back soon for the question and response posted, as it might be yours! ;-)

Happy Shimmies!
]]><![CDATA[Bellydance Lingo]]>Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:55:33 GMThttps://www.mahirabellydance.com/mahiras-musings-blog/bellydance-lingoNew to bellydance? Have you gone to a bellydance performance or a hafla and just didn’t know the terminology?  While searching the web I came across this list of common words/vocabulary you will hear in bellydance. I edited it a bit and here it is for you to enjoy!

 


Al Jeel (ahl JEEL) – popular present day Egyptian music

Assuit (uh SOOT) – Mesh fabric with metal threads through it.

Awwady (uh WAHD dee) – free-form improvised instrumental solo with no underlying rhythm, 

Bedleh (BED luh) – Two piece Cabaret beaded bellydance costume 

Beledi (BELL uh dee) – popular belly dance rhythm

Canes - The cane dance is a dance for women imitating the men's victory dance while the men were away. 

Candleabra or Shamadan (Sha ma Dan) - This is a prop used by bellydancers during wedding ceremonies. The Candelabra is balanced on the head. 

Choli (CHOH lee) –  a fitted midriff top worn under saris by women in India. Tribal dancers wear these a lot.

Debke (deb kee) – folkoric dance

Def - Middle Eastern frame drum which looks like a large tambourine. 

Dumbek (Doom- beck") - A dumbek is an Arabic drum. May also be spelled Darbuka.

Ghawazee (guh Wah zee) – tribe of gypsies that settled in Egypt. 

Habibi (hah BEE bee) – means my love or my darling (of a male). The female form is Habibti.

Hafla (Haf lah) – an Arabic word that means party, social dance gathering. In the bellydance community they are often hosted by instructors as a way for their students to perform for their friends and family.  Often bellydance vendors are there to sell their merchandise and food and drink is usually provided.

Karsilama (kar si luh mah) - 9/8 rhythm used in Turkish music is the foundation of Middle Eastern music. 

Mizmar (mizz mar) – musical instrument that produces a loud, blaring sound. Often heard in classic bellydance music.

Rakkas – an Arabic word meaning "the male dancer" 

Rakkasah - an Arabic word meaning, "the female dancer". 

Raks. ("rocks".) Means dance.

Raqs Sharqi (rocks Shark-EE) – translate as Oriental Dance, Cabaret-style belly dance. 

Sagat (suh GOT) – (Arabic) meaning finger cymbals aka Zills

Saz (sahz) – a gourd-shaped Turkish stringed instrument. 

Spoons - wooden spoons, dance prop used in Turkish Dance

Shaabi (SHAH bee) – refers to a type of modern-day Egyptian music and dance; this music is from the back streets of Cairo. 

Tahtib (Tah TEEB) – aka stick dance, using long 4’ rattan stcks and dancing solo or in a mock fight. Tahtib is a martial art that originated in Egypt.

Taxim  or Taqsim (tock SEEM)  -an instrumental solo with no rhythm

Veil - used in middle eastern dance as an introductory prop and is usually dropped before the actual bulk of the dancing is performed.  American bellydancers were the first to incorporate the veil for an entire dance performance.   

Zagat (su got) – just another spelling for the Arabic name for finger cymbals. Deebah is shown here playing finger cymbals. . 

Zaghareet (Zah Guh reet) - A Zaghareet is a high-pitched ululation done with the tongue. A Zaghareet is equivalent to clapping to express approval for whatever the bellydancer is doing at the time! 

Zeffa (ZEFF huh) – Arabic wedding procession 

Zills – Zills is a Turkish term, it means finger cymbals. (Aka zil for singular)

]]><![CDATA[BOO-YAH! The Belly-Groove Workshops!]]>Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:54:41 GMThttps://www.mahirabellydance.com/mahiras-musings-blog/boo-yah-the-belly-groove-workshopsI am proud to announce that I am hosting my first large workshop event! I have been wanting to do this for quite some time. This is just a stepping stone of the bigger and better things to come.
Boo-Yah is an all day dance workshop event. There's something for everyone. There will be toning, strengthening, grace, style, hooping and hip hop.
There will be vendors there with their wonderful things for you to shop till your hearts content.
We will finish off the exciting day with a dance showcase featuring the workshop instructors and some of the workshop attendees.
This fabulous event will be held on Saturday November 13, 2010, at The Marriott Courtyard, 370 N. Route 83, Elmhurst, IL  60126.
Click here to visit the hotels website
*The hotel is offering discounted rooms for this event.

Click here to register online for Boo-Yah! or purchase Showcase tickets
Piper's Boot Camp 10am-11:30am
Mahira's Finishing School 11:45am-1:15pm
Lunch Break
Serafina's Eat, Sleep, Hoop 2:15pm-3:45pm
Jackie's Hip Hop with Class 4pm-5:30pm
Cocktail Hour/Shopping 6pm-7pm
Boo-Yah Dance Showcase 7pm

See you at BOO-YAH!
]]><![CDATA[A Short Story of my Trip Across Country]]>Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:47:50 GMThttps://www.mahirabellydance.com/mahiras-musings-blog/a-short-story-of-my-trip-across-countryA few weeks ago I took a trip. I flew out to Portland Oregon to visit a friend and I ended up performing. I met so many wonderful people and I had so much fun. I was honored to be closing the show. I performed to live music which is one of my favorite things and to make it even better the drummer and singer was the one and only Michael Beach. All of the musicians were great! I gave it my all and loved every second of it. 


While in Portland I got to see some amazing scenery. Waterfalls, hills, lots of pine trees, lol. I even went to wine country. Yes! Wine country in Portland. I had no idea there was one there. It was breathe taking. The wines were exquisite, the country was beautiful and relaxing and the winery dogs were super cute and friendly, well most of them were friendly. I never did get to see Mount Hood though, I think it was on vacation. ;-)  Portland was a great city and I hope to go back for another visit. Maybe I'll teach a workshop next time. 

So the plan was to fly there and drive back and as stressful as that was at times, I'm so glad I did it. We picked up the car and our first stop was Seattle. Now this is another city I want to go back to. What fun, what history. The market was great! I wish I had something like this close to home. Sadly, I could only stay a day. We were on a tight schedule in order to see as much as possible and still be home in time to teach my classes. 

On our drive we saw mountains, which I have never seen before, wildlife, Yellowstone Park, we had buffalo right next to our car, geyser's, hot springs, Crazy Horse, Mount Rushmore, The Badlands, I saw so many stars at night I could see the Milky Way, I saw prairie dogs, I've never seen them, they're so cute and they squeak like dog toys, The Green Giant and so much more. I met some very friendly and interesting people. Halfway through the trip I wished I would have done a travel video blog. Oh well, I do hope to drive to the east coast one day, maybe I'll do one then.


I know this is a short description, but if I described everything I saw you probably wouldn't want to read it all. ;-)  You are always welcome to contact me and I'll show you photos and tell you more if you like. 

All in all, this trip made me realize just how large and beautiful and amazing this country's scenery is. And yet I still haven't seen it all. 

If you ever get the chance to do a road trip, you don't have to drive across the country, but even just a couple states over, do it! You'd be amazed at the differences from one state to the next in scenery, people, cultures, just every little thing. :-)

]]><![CDATA[Workshop Etiquette]]>Sat, 07 Aug 2010 19:35:01 GMThttps://www.mahirabellydance.com/mahiras-musings-blog/workshop-etiquetteIn our excitement we tend to forget that when we attend a dance workshop there are certain courtesies and etiquette. Here are a few things to remember when attending a workshop so it can be enjoyable for all.
  • BE ON TIME. It’s disruptive to the rest of the class when others arrive late.  If arriving late to a workshop, please be aware that it is not polite to stand in front of other students who were there first. Late arrivals should move to the rear of the class. 
  • Please turn off your cell phone! 
  • When arriving at a workshop, it’s ok to “mark” your place on the floor with your bag, hip scarf, notebook, water bottle, etc. but if the workshop starts and you haven’t returned in time, Don't be upset if your spot has been taken and your items moved aside.
  • Please do not leave your things in the middle of the floor once the workshop begins. People may trip on them. Leave your items on the side of the room and go to that spot to write your notes. If you are the kind of person that writes a lot of notes, it may be best if you choose a spot closest to the edge, so you are not walking back and forth in front of people to get to your notebook.
  • Please do NOT wear a coin scarf or noisy bangles or jingly jewelry. This is a dance workshop, not a performance. Anything noisy can distract you and others. Everyone wants to hear what the instructor is saying.
  • Please refrain from talking over the instructor when other students are trying to hear. Even if you are in the back of the room or right outside of the room, please be aware that we may be able to hear you.
  • Please do not try to instruct other students; that is the job of the instructor.
  • Position yourself at a dance workshop relative to your dance experience. In an article in Middle Eastern Dancer, international dance star, Horacio Cifuentes, commented on differences between American and European dance classes. He said European dance students begin their training in the back of the room and earn their positions in the front. This is a good idea. if a classroom is large, students may not always be able to see the teacher and will watch students in front of them. if you feel confident that you will be able to catch on quickly and perform movements accurately, try to grab a spot up front. However, if you are a beginning student or do not grasp movements quickly, you will probably be more comfortable dancing toward the back of the room.
  • Be aware of your dance space and others dance space. Try not to bump into or enter another dancers dance space.
  • If you are lucky enough to have mirrors at the location of the workshop, please be courteous of the dancers next to you and directly behind you. They are trying to see themselves too. It's not all about you, this is a group class, not a private lesson.
  • If the teacher is trying to demonstrate for the class, watch! Don't do it with them. This is the time for you to pay attention to the instructor.
  • Please ask the workshop host and/or the workshop instructor's permission before taking photos. It's just common courtesy. And by no means should you record either in audio and/or video without permission.
  • Lastly, have fun! Smile and enjoy yourself. Let's make this an enjoyable experience for everyone. Happy shimmies. :-)
]]><![CDATA[Inspiring & Creative Weekend]]>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:30:21 GMThttps://www.mahirabellydance.com/mahiras-musings-blog/inspiring-creative-weekendI had an amazing, inspiring and creative weekend. Don't you just love it when you get inspired and all those creative juices start flowing? I attended a Bellydance workshop weekend with Bahaia of Texas and loved every minute. :-)
]]><![CDATA[Happy 4th of July!]]>Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:11:42 GMThttps://www.mahirabellydance.com/mahiras-musings-blog/happy-4th-of-julyI had a great holiday weekend. In between gigs and the craziness of life, I danced in the Elgin parade on Saturday morning and got blisters, sun burn and sore legs and feet, but it was worth of every minute. I love doing parades. So much fun! I went to see fireworks this evening and they were great! I hope you had a great weekend as well.]]><![CDATA[Inspiring weekend.]]>Mon, 14 Jun 2010 04:41:37 GMThttps://www.mahirabellydance.com/mahiras-musings-blog/inspiring-weekendFor those of you who don't know, I dabble in tribal fusion. I don't get the opportunity to perform it as much as I'd like but that doesn't stop me from still loving it and learning more.
I attended a little bit of Tribal Revolution this weekend. Tribal Revolution is a huge tribal and tribal fusion bellydance workshop weekend event. Workshops by numerous fabulous instructors throughout the weekend as well as a gala show on Saturday night.
The show was filled with so much energy you could feel it throughout the room. I was moved and inspired.
Just to mention a few:
Ariellah, a gothic tribal fusion dancer. Her passion, expression and creativity is just amazing.
Deb Rubin, a classy and beautiful tribal fusion dancer. She made me smile and gasp and sigh over her graceful, fluid movements. She looked like she had stepped out of a painting.
And last but certainly not least, Unmata. What can I say, WOW! Energy, stamina, passion, expression, creativity, and just flat out amazing dancers! There moves are so quick, sharp and precise. I also was lucky enough to take one of Amy Sigil's (Unmata) workshops. Wow! It brought me back to my old school dance days. She is a nonstop amazing ball of energy and stamina. After the fast and furious choreo we sat down for an informative and emotional discussion. She is a truly wonderful and real woman. I am honored I got to meet her and hope to do so again in the future.
In the meantime, I have lots of ideas running through my head and a big smile planted on my face. :-)
]]><![CDATA[Private Lessons with Mahira]]>Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:10:21 GMThttps://www.mahirabellydance.com/mahiras-musings-blog/private-lessons-with-mahiraPrivate lessons are a great way to work on your technique, props, or get honest critique. Private lessons are a one on one lesson with just you and Mahira working on whatever you would like. Mahira can help you reach your bellydance goals. Mahira is running special pricing on private lessons. Limited time only. Contact her for details.
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