Melissa Gamal

Join me this Sunday, Feb 14th as we dive into Siret el Hob for my Musicality + Expression workshop! Appropriate for Valentine’s Daydon’t ya think? This workshop can be taken even if you didn’t attend Part 1, don’t worry! I’ve got lots of fun stuff cooked up for you. Register at www.ya-amar.ca/classes ... #bellydanceclass #onlinebellydanceclass #raqssharqi #rakssharki #egyptiandance #melissagamal #bellydance #learntobellydance #shimmy #oumkalthoum #siretelhob #valentinesday #love #dance #musicality #expression #onlinebellydanceworkshop #bellydanceworkshop

Just a little dancing fun from this past summer in my Egyptian Pop class a new session of my intermediate/advanced class starts tomorrow still time to register for the 4-week session or drop-in anytime! www.ya-amar.ca/classes Song: Yetalemo by @amrdiab #onlinebellydance #raqssharqionline #bellydanceclass #melissagamal #yaamar #yaamarschoolofdance #middleeasteendance #raqssharqi #rakssharki #bellydance #shimmy #undulation #hipkick #amrdiab #yetalemo #egytiandance

The history of finger cymbals in music and dance is looooong and fascinating! Check out and follow @thebellydancehistorian to learn more! #Repost ... Don't you just want to pick these up and play them? Finger cymbals have been found in Antiquity throughout the Mediterranean region. Today we are sharing some fabulous finds from the British Museum collection pertaining to Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt: . 1) This lovely pair of ancient cymbals are made of Bronze and date to the 4th - 2nd Centuries BCE, Greece. Interestingly they are inscribed with the name of their owner "Oata" . They feature a metal ring and the remnants of the chain that joined them together. I would love to see Oata's playing them and/or dancing if that was indeed the case! 2) Even older than the previous photo (centuries older!) is this lovely bronze cymbal, Mycenean (Late Helladic), 1400-1060BCE. It measures 8cm diameter (about 3.15 in), and was found in the island of Rhodes. 3) The last and strikingly preserved pair of bronze cymbals, are perhaps older yet! They were found in Thebes (Upper Egypt). The catalogue entry from the British Museum lists them as 'Archaic' which would date them to between 3100-2649 BCE, during the earliest history of Egypt (!!!). There is a '?' on this entry so more research may be needed. In any case all of these examples are a testament of continuity of this quintessential instrument that speaks to us from these ancient cymbals to the ones in our modern bellydance drawers. ALL of these examples are in the British Museum. @britishmuseum Photo Credit: The Trustees of the British Museum . Follow @thebellydancehistorian . . . #historyofbellydance #bellydancehistory #bellydanceroots #rootsofbellydance #originsofbellydance #originsofzills #zills #sagat #fingercymbals #historiadelbellydance #raqs #historiadeladanzaoriental #middleeasternpercurssion #thebellydancehistorian #bellydancewithzills #britishmuseum #hellenistic #ancientgreece #ancientegypt #egyptiancymbals #greekcymbals #bronzeage #bronzeageinstruments #ancientinstruments #museumcollection #bronze #fingercymbalsawarenessmonth #fingercymbalsfebruary

The beautiful Etab, a Saudi singer who had a long career in Egypt. I was first introduced to this singer by Khadijah in her Khaleeji workshop last year. That workshop changed everything for me about what I knew about Khaleeji style dance and music! I had been learning a white-washed version for years, and had no idea how much African culture had directly created and shaped Khaleeji music and dance. Dancers, you MUST take a workshop with Khadijah when you get the chance! It is... a must! February is #blackheritagemonth / #blackhistorymonth - and this month and EVERY month, it’s important that dancers learn about the history of Black artists, especially as it relates to the MENAHT cultures we are so involved in. Give Black dancers the recognition they deserve. Support Black dancers by taking their classes, attending their events, and hiring them in your events and shows. Keep learning and doing better. This is what I’m working on myself...

A little snippet of what I taught in my last Sagat Sessions course. Each week we worked on playing the sagat (in musician style/technique) with different music genres. This video is from the Bellydance music week of course you’ll recognize this dance classic: Nagwa Music (Sorry, I know zoom video isn’t the greatest for sound/visual quality) You can see the dancer in me trying to jump out as I wiggle on the chair I plan to put this together with a dance routine soon... (calm down body!) I’ve been studying the musician style of playing for a little over 2 years, but ramped up my training in the last year or so. I absolutely love the new textures and ideas it brings out in my sagat work. Do you have any questions about the musician style/technique of playing the sagat? Let me know and I’ll try to answer them #fingercymbalfebruary #fingercymbalawarenessmonth #fingercymbals #sagat #zills #percussion #dancer #musician #raqssharqi #rakssharki #melissagamal #YaAmarDance #bellydance #bellydanceclass

Just a little jam from Sagat Solo practice session yesterday, taking our combos to 120bpm. This week we worked on a few techniques that I consider the fundamentals for this style of playing. Note to self: control the use of strange facial expressions to cue students This was just our first week, and all the classes are recorded, so if you still want to join, sign up at www.ya-amar.ca/classes (link in my bio) ... #melissagamal #yaAmarDance #yaAmarSchoolOfDance #sagat #tura #fingercymbals #sajat #snujs #zills #egyptianpercussion #egyptianmusic #raqssharqi #rakssharki #bellydance #egyptiandance

Final countdown is on to get your Bellydance Bundle package, don’t wait too long or it’ll be gone! Check out here: tinyurl.com/GetTheBellydanceBundleNow Ps. Payment plan options are available too - how amazing is that!? Here’s a fun little video I made for The Bellydance Bundle’s #21daysofbellydance challenge. Hope you enjoy it! ... #thebellydancebundle #thebellydancebundle2020 #bellydancebundle #raqsSharqi #MiddleEasternDance #bellydance #onlineclasses #onlinebellydanceclasses #melissagamal #goldenerabellydance #bellydancepractice

So many fun dance things going on today! Don’t miss out on The Bellydance Bundle live party happening all day long! Different contributors are talking, teaching, and performing throughout the day - so come join us! I’ll be having a Golden Era watch party and chat with Shinning and Tiffany at 1:00pm (EST). Program and how to watch here: https://tinyurl.com/BellydanceBundleParty

Something new for November- come learn a mini Sagat Solo with me! Learn the technique and textures that musicians use to play sagat. It’ll change the way you play finger cymbals forever! Class is 6pm EST on Tuesdays PLUS an extra 20min practice session at 1:15pm EST on Saturdays. 4 weeks for $50. Details at: www.ya-amar.ca/classes... I am also getting a second order of Sagat made in Egypt right now! They are larger and made for this type of playing. If you’d like a set please send me a message for order details *please note, this is not a dance class. #melissagamal #sagat #sajat #snuj #toura #tura #fingercymbals #percussion #egyptianstyle #middleeasternmusic #learntoplayfingercymbals

Rhythms and Cymbals and Dance, oh my! November News Raqs Sharqi online with Melissa Gamal - https://mailchi.mp//rhythms-and-cymbals-and-dance-oh-my-no