How I Ended Up with Four Sets of Finger Cymbals

 

Back in 2007, when I just started my dance journey, I made a point to seek out belly dance teachers whenever I traveled. In 2008, I found myself in Athens, Greece, learning from Maria Aya. She was, for all intents and purposes, my true first belly dance teacher. She also gave me my first set of finger cymbals. They were one of those tiny, single-holed ones, and they didn't survive my multiple moves in the US. 

I was already familiar with the Bellydance Superstars before my travel to Greece, but it was Maria Aya who told me that Rachel Brice's dance style was called "tribal fusion." Then I started learning about American Tribal Style and FatChanceBellyDance and became obsessed.  

Then in 2008, I traveled to Japan and found Joanne Pascual of Deseos Dance Company in Tokyo. She gave me a crash course in ATS. And that was also where I bought my first legit finger cymbals. They were Gawharet el fan. 

My Gawharets traveled with my to the US and back to Indonesia and back to the US. They were my trusted companions when I took lessons and performed at Cues and Tattoos and Tribal Fest. I played them at numerous gigs with FCBD's student troupe, Blue Diamonds Belly Dance. I taught classes in both the US and Indonesia with them.  

Then sometime in 2014 in Los Angeles, I did a group gig, and came back with... a set of Turquoise International finger cymbals. 

To say I was upset would be an understatement. In fact, that was probably one of the reasons why I ended up withdrawing from dance. Well, that and a disastrous sword performance. 

My Turquoise International finger cymbals, the Turkish Size B. 

  

For a while, I was fuming. I didn't care if these new finger cymbals were cheaper or more expensive. My Gawharet el Fans were more than musical instruments. They represented the first time I actually learned ATS. They represented the time I traveled to Japan with my mom and my brother. They were a jar of memories and with each performance, each class, I added more. Now they belonged to someone else. 

I didn't even know whether that someone stole mine or if it was an accident. And I discovered too late to find out if someone on Facebook had posted something about their cymbals being missing or turned into Gawharet el fans that they also didn't particularly like. Or worse: they also had sealed memories inside the Turquoise International cymbals that somehow became mine. 

I returned to dancing and the Turquoise finger cymbals were the only one I had. 

Like those without options, I learned to like my Turquoise cymbals. They're hefty and feel substantial in my hand. They have a pleasant sound with a pitch that's different from the rest of the the class, so I can actually listen to my own playing. 

All in all, they're perfectly acceptable. 

Yet, they're not ATS. 

I looked up Saroyan's website. They were out of the FCBD cymbals. For a while, I stalked Carolena Nericcio's Etsy page, trying to wait to see if there'd be an Etsy coupon I could use to save a few bucks. Then she also sold out her stock. I kicked myself in the butt, cursing myself for being both cheap and broke. 

I told myself I'd even settle for Saroyan's Afghani cymbals because they have the same shape and sound as the FCBD cymbals. But they've been out of stock and nobody at Saroyan replied my email asking if they'd go back on production. 

I told myself maybe I should try to get another Gawharet el fans. But there's no shop in the US that carries the cymbals and the online store that does doesn't reply my email. (Seriously, what's up with that?)

Night after night, day after day, I'd look up "Saroyan" on eBay, Mercari, Depop, Vinted.

Nothing except Saroyan Nefertitis. As pretty as the Nefertitis are, they wouldn't be a step up from my Turquoise Internationals. 

As I was lying in bed trying to sleep, I opened the online Goodwill shop, typed in "finger cymbals" and found a listing for two sets of finger cymbals. I'd never been happier with the ignorance of whoever made the listing because one of the sets was a Saroyan. And it wasn't the Nefertiti. It was the King Tutankhamun.

To be honest, the King Tuts weren't on my radar. But I was excited. I thought these are the step-ups. The other set looked like a Turquoise International, but the Goodwill listing didn't mention the size. Nobody was bidding on it. And I swooped in. 

Saroyan King Tutankhamun that someone donated to Goodwill.

My heart was soaring. I was overjoyed. I could work with King Tuts, I thought, even if they sounded more Oriental than Tribal. But I could learn to love them, just like I learned to like my Turquoise Internationals. 

I went to class that my friend Mark taught, beaming. It was finger cymbals day. A dancer didn't bring hers so I lent them my Turquoise cymbals, imagining that I'd soon retire them and replace them with my new Tuts. 

As I was cymbal-less, I told a fellow dancer and teacher, Cynthia Deere, that I'd miss out on acquiring the FCBD cymbals, even if I was living in the Bay Area from 2011 till 2014. I had my own cymbals I loved and didn't need to buy the Saroyan FCBD. I told her how it was sold out everywhere. 

Cynthia said, "Would you like mine? I have another set I can sell you." 

I must've smiled like a lunatic.

My Saroyan FCBD finger cymbals, second-hand from Cynthia Deere.

My Tuts and the other set (I don't think they're Turquoise Internationals, they don't have the "USA" engraving in the back) arrived. The following week, Cynthia came to class with her spare set of FCBD cymbals.

And so, that's how I ended up with four sets of finger cymbals. Let's just hope I won't turn into a cymbal hoarder.

Another set of finger cymbals that was in the same listing as the Saroyan's King Tuts. I'm not sure what these are, but they look like one of Turquoise's Oriental cymbals. They do have a "TQ" engraving on the top, but no "USA" on the underside.