What's a Bellydancer Without Finger Cymbals?
Well, she (or he) is still a bellydancer, but it sure is a nice skill to have! In fact, many, many times when I've performed in restaurant settings, if I haven't yet played my cymbals, one of the customers will ask, "Where are your bells?" accompanied by hand movements that loosely indicate playing cymbals.
History and Info:
A brief history of finger cymbals on the Saroyan site.
Rhythms to use when playing finger cymbals (and a copy of a nice article by Artemis Mourat).
Purchase Finger Cymbals:
Buy finger cymbals directly from Saroyan Mastercrafts (and listen to sound samples).
Buy a set of Arabesque cymbals from Bellydance.com.
Instructional DVDs and CDs:
Killer Ziller: Belly Dance Finger Cymbals
Bellydance with Zils