Frame Drum for Bellydance
I just completed my first year postpartum. It’s been a rocky and glorious ascent from the underworld.
As I am emerging I am asking myself: what am I most excited to share with the world now?
In my mind’s eye I see the practice that brings me the most nervous system regulation and unlocks the most creativity within me, the action that most reliably delivers a sense of calm, stability, connectedness, and hope: playing frame drum while bellydancing.
When I play the frame drum and feel its deep vibration, my body connects to a pulsing rhythm that reminds my nervous system of my original state of oneness with my mother when I was in her womb hearing the blood rush through her veins.
My body remembers that I am held by the cosmic mother as I play the different drum tones that honor each of Mother Earth’s elements.
And when I add dance!?...
Playing the frame drum on its own is healing…
Bellydancing WHILE playing frame drum is ecstatic!
A full-bodied, joyful expression of creativity through dance and rhythm!
When you drum and dance simultaneously you quickly access the flow state. A state of existing in and expanding the present moment. You are spending time in deep connection with your body.
In our increasingly digital and solitary world, we need more ways of deeply connecting with our bodies. Not more ways of numbing out, but more ways of feeling in.
The way you feel is your gift to others. When you are tapped in to a present state of safety and calm, not only does it unlock creativity within you, it radiates outward and helps others as well.
I want everyone to experience this calming creative joyful medicine, so I’m FINALLY making my best workshops on frame drum for bellydance available to everyone who needs it!
I am releasing my Frame Drum for Bellydance workshop bundle so that you can play frame drum while bellydancing, too!
This workshop bundle will teach you how to:
Play bellydance rhythms on frame drum in upright style
Add bellydance to your frame drum playing
Even if you have never bellydanced or played frame drum before, Frame Drum for Bellydance is going to make it so much simpler and faster for you to start drumming while dancing!
The Frame Drum for Bellydance workshop bundle will teach you to:
Play maqsum rhythm on frame drum in upright style
Add bellydance hip movement to your frame drum playing
Count and understand rhythm
Read rhythm notation
Shimmy reliably at different speeds
Travel while drumming and shimmying
I am so passionate about combining bellydance with frame drum, I wanted to create something easy to follow, simple to implement, that will have you shimmying while playing maqsum rhythm in no time!
This is the perfect place to start if you’re interested in frame drum with bellydance.
Maybe you are…
A dancer who feels the call of the drum, but you don’t know where to begin.
A frame drummer who wants to be able to dance while you drum, but you need a method for adding movement.
A curious person who has never tried bellydance or frame drum before, and you want to do both!
That’s why I created this Frame Drum for Bellydance workshop bundle!
I’ll be showing you how to bellydance while playing the frame drum through the three workshops and supporting notation that are included in the bundle...
Here’s what you’ll do in the bundle’s frame drum workshop:
Learn the significance of the frame drum
How to hold the frame drum
How to play the main tones (Dum Tek, Ka, Pa, & Brush)
Dexterity exercises for all bellydance rhythms
How to count a rhythm
How to read rhythm notation
How to play maqsum rhythm on frame drum in upright style
A dance + drum drill to mark time
Hand, arm, and neck exercises to soothe and strengthen some of the most used parts of the body
Here is what you’ll learn in the bundle’s bellydance workshop:
How to do hip tilts up
How to do hip tilts up while traveling
How to do a timed hip shimmy up
How to do a timed hip shimmy up while traveling
8 arm positions to bellydance with
Technique drills for hip tilts and shimmies, with various arm positions, travel steps, and speeds
Here’s everything you’ll learn in the bundle’s frame drum + bellydance workshop where we put it all together:
Frame drum + stepping dexterity exercises
How to play maqsum rhythm while traveling
How to play maqsum while doing a double-time hip shimmy up
Practice drills for playing maqsum rhythm while shimmying
Practice drills for playing maqsum rhythm while shimmying and traveling
The Frame Drum for Bellydance workshop bundle includes the exact exercises I use to keep my own frame drum and bellydance skills sharp!
When you grab the Frame Drum for Bellydance Workshop Bundle today, you'll get 12 months access to:
3 Workshops with April Rose:
“Frame Drum Playing in Upright Style”
“Hip Tilts & Shimmies”
“Frame Drum + Hip Shimmies”
PDF Printable
Access to the private Cohesion Community online forum
Bonus: 10% Discount on the Cohesion Frame Drum by Cooperman
Instant access for one year so you can start playing frame drum with bellydance movement ASAP!
I can’t wait to see what you create as a dancing drummer!
One of the reasons I’m so excited to be making my Frame Drum for Bellydance workshop bundle available to everyone is because when you are a bellydancer who actually plays the frame drum AND dances simultaneously, you can play your own performance music!
Imagine how you’ll feel when you can perform bellydance movement to your own frame-drum playing and be your own band!
You don’t have to stress over what music to dance to
You don’t have to bring a speaker to your gig
You don’t have to worry about the music being pulled from your online dance videos for copyright infringement
Imagine what you will feel like when you can play any bellydance rhythm on the frame drum at the next drum circle or dance party you attend.
When you get started with frame drum now, you’ll be ready in no time to share something new and exciting at your next performance, whether it’s at a renaissance festival, street faire, or community hafla!
I don’t want you to wait and miss out on your chance to unlock more creativity in your bellydance performances by incorporating the frame drum.
It’s like they say… The best time to start was 10 years ago, the next best time is today!
Learning to play and dance with the frame drum completely reinvented and reinvigorated my relationship to bellydance.
The deep low vibration of the frame drum healed my burned-out nervous system. Remembering the ancient frame drummers as I played made me feel connected to their power. Feeling the elements in each of the tones wrapped me in Mother Earth’s embrace.
I’ve found many other bellydancers who feel the call of the drum, too, and we’ve created a like-hearted community of dancer percussionists. It feels sacred.
If you are a bellydancer who feels the call of the frame drum (or are a frame drummer who feels the desire to dance), you are going to love the Frame Drum for Bellydance workshop bundle!
When I first started frame drumming…
I made the mistake of:
Learning frame drum as a stationary practice from a musician who does not dance or move while they play the drum. As a dancer, I needed a different approach than what you mostly find out there.
Because I wanted to add dance, I was learning in the wrong way from the beginning.
Oops! Turns out…
What I needed to do instead was:
Step on the beat while playing the rhythm
Vocalize the rhythm
Use consistent reliable notation
I see so many dancers making these same mistakes as they start trying to learn frame drum, and it’s my goal to make sure you DON’T waste time like I did!
That’s why I created the Frame Drum for Bellydance workshop bundle that includes the tools I created to help dancers learn to drum from an embodied perspective.
These are the biggest mistakes people make on their way to being able to drum while dancing:
Not practicing dexterity exercises
Going too fast
Never using a metronome
Not adding movement in a graduated way
Stepping out of time
Only dancing with the frame drum as a prop but not as an instrument
Not connecting with the significance and healing power of the frame drum
When you join us in the Frame Drum for Bellydance workshop bundle you won’t be making these mistakes because you’ll have the right guidance and systems to follow,
...The same steps and systems I follow every day to keep my frame drumming with bellydance sharp!
➡️ You can see all the details and purchase for just $34 now!
No need for you to learn the hard way or waste time on ineffective approaches- I already have done that, and I’m giving you the tools to make it so much simpler.
That’s why I created the Frame Drum for Bellydance workshop bundle, to help you play the frame drum while bellydancing NOW.
With the Frame Drum for Bellydance workshop bundle, you’ll be able to play the frame drum while bellydancing in just a few hours!
So what are you waiting for?
I wanted to address some of the most common questions we get about Frame Drum for Bellydance...
And if your question isn’t in here, just DM me and ask!
How long does it take to complete the workshop content?
The total length of all the workshops is just under 2.5 hours so you’ll be able to play the frame drum while bellydancing in just a few hours!
How do I get access?
The Frame Drum for Bellydance workshop bundle is completely digital so you can access it from anywhere through any device. When you purchase, you’ll receive an email with the link to access to the classroom and community (which are both housed on the same platform).
But I don’t have a frame drum...
You can order a 14-inch Remo Fiberskyn Frame Drum right now on Amazon for $35 which will work great and sound beautiful! Even if you decide to invest in a nicer frame drum in the future (like the Cohesion Drum made by Cooperman) you will still use your first frame drum to play, loan out, or travel with!
What size frame drum should I get?
While any size frame drum between 8” & 16” will be fine, I recommend a 14” drum. An affordable and decent quality frame drum is the $35 14-inch Remo Fiberskyn Frame Drum available in the Cohesion Shop. If you want a high quality handmade drum, I recommend the official Cohesion Drum made by Cooperman.
But I’ve never bellydanced before...
No problem! I’m going to break everything down from scratch and you’ll have a blast learning how to do hip shimmies.
I’ve never played frame drum
That’s perfectly fine! You’ll learn all the basics like how to hold and play the drum.
I’m already an advanced drummer
Wonderful! You’ll enjoy my approach to the frame drum as you learn to expand your repertoire to include bellydance movement!
I’m already an advanced dancer
Excellent! That means you’ll be in a great position to learn how to add frame drum playing to your movement! And you’ll enjoy revisiting hip tilts and hip shimmies the Dance Cohesion way!
I play a different kind of drum, like a dumbek
Love that! You already know the language of the drum (dum, tek…), perhaps some rhythms, and even how to read notation. Now you’ll learn how to play that language on the frame drum with proper technique!
Discover the full-bodied joy of being able to play frame drum and bellydance simultaneously!
The Frame Drum for Bellydance Workshop Bundle is for:
Bellydancers who want to learn to understand, count, recognize, and play popular Middle Eastern dance rhythms.
Frame Drummers who want to add bellydance to their playing.
Performance Artists who are interested in learning to play the frame drum while dancing.
Learn to play frame drum with an understanding of rhythm as deep as a bellydancers.’
I can’t wait to see what you create with these powerful workshops and printables.
And if you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to email me or DM me on IG - I’m happy to help you decide if this is right for you!
Warmly,
April Rose 🌹
