What instructional DVDs/Videos you have? - Page 22

alosha · 01-05-2009, 05:07 PM

yeah, i have to warm up before it too. guess i shoulda posted that, huh? thanks so much for the input on the video! this forum is great! i feel kinda like i can 'try before i buy'

dilber · 04-06-2009, 05:28 PM

Hi¡¡ i am a passionate of bellydance too even i live in Spain for that i will improve my english here,i have alot dvds of bellydance more than 100 hundred,if somebody want change with me writte me or if somebody want some advice about some dvds i will answer if i can do it,there are many i cant find in amazon and would like me to see,i think are very interesting for learn if dont have enought time for do many lessons...
hugssssssssssss

Oresai · 04-08-2009, 06:33 AM

Yesterday my daughter downloaded one of Ansuya`s instructional dvd`s for me.

I loved it, have to say....the start had a very `girly` section on the home, and on bathing (though I`ll pass on wearing my dance jewellery whilst I bathe, not sure if it`d rust or not! Eek!

) and on how to put a costume together, before giving the full performance, with her troupe, that is taught throughout the dvd.
She teaches, with two of her friends, in front of full length mirrors which I also liked, because you can see how the movements look both from back and front, which is useful.
There is a section on veils, how to wear them with your costume and how to incorporate them into the dance taught, and on zills, which I own and have never used...*blushing*
And at the end is a section which highlights Ansuya and how she came into bellydance, and some of her friends, of their past and what brought them into it and their expectations of the dance and how it has surpassed those.
Lovely dvd, would recommend it for beginners like me.

alosha · 04-08-2009, 04:04 PM

do you know which one it was?

Oresai · 04-08-2009, 05:33 PM

Hi Alosha, yup, it was The Magical Art of Bellydance.

Kharmine · 04-08-2009, 07:49 PM

I just got this and have only looked at the first of the two discs, so far.

That said, can cheerfully say this is one of the best instructional dvds on belly dance I've ever seen!

Dahlena teaches very simply -- no fancy set, elaborate outfit, etc. -- in front of a big mirror so you can see her from more than one angle which I, personally, find very helpful.

The mirror is in a clean, bare studio which looks professional -- something that bothered me in another otherwise OK teaching video was that it all took place in what looked like a rather junky basement!

Dahlena takes the time to show how to do a correct warm-up and cool-down, then breaks down some basic dance movements. She not only shows the right way but how these movements can be done incorrectly -- which is helpful when you're wondering why what you do doesn't quite look right.

The demonstrations include combinations of these movements, and then drill exercises to do them to music.

I'm looking forward to seeing the second disc which will end with a short drum choreography and some performances in short video clips.

My only caveat is that sound quality might be a little better. Dahlena has a rather high voice, the only microphone is, apparently, in the video camera, and that bare room is not great for acoustics. She's clear enough, it's just not the best as an audio presentation, IMHO -- especially when the recorded music kicks in.

Dahlena is an old hand at teaching, having been one of the earliest Western belly dancers in the States, and pioneered teaching OD in the early 1960s in Chicago (my teacher, Natasha, was one of her students and a member of her troupe). She was a ballet dancer previous to that, which may have helped her in knowing how to break down movement for teaching Westerners.

BTW, she looks VERY good, even when not made up and costumed to the nines!

While her dvd, so far, doesn't touch on it, Dahlena has gotten enthusiastic chops from Middle Eastern folks for a long time because of her dedication to the cultural context.

All in all, so far, it's been a great experience for me, worth the money (bought for $30 at dahlena.com) and worth recommending to others. Her site also sells more advanced instruction, choreographies and stage performances from a great career.

I've been out of practice for longer than I liked and I wanted something that would smooth my return back to the classroom, besides being a good home practice aid.

This seems just the ticket!

Oresai · 04-09-2009, 06:33 AM

I got the Fantasy/Mystery Bellydance dvd yesterday, with Neon as the Serpent, plus two other dancers (sorry, I have still to check it out fully!) as Shadow and Pheonix. Neon, I always admire, she looks boneless the way she moves, and fast forwarding through the dvd, she breaks down the dance of the Serpent move by move, allows time for repetitions then shows each segment complete in costume.

Shadow is a Goth/Tribal dance, I watched the breakdown of that one, and though it`s taught every bit as well as Neon`s section, saw the girl do the splits, went "OUCH!" and fast forwarded to Pheonix

(though, for younger or fitter dancers than me, it`s a lovely piece, has a kind of techno feel to it at times if that makes sense?
Pheonix dances with flame coloured Isis wings, the woman doing so also teaches just as well as the other two, though I have no wings I`ll try to substitute with veils and give it a go.

Out of them all I preferred Neon as Serpent and that`s the one I`ll learn best I believe, though I haven`t an ounce of her talent and none of her abs! (Is there a secret workout I don`t know about to get abs of steel btw? )
but some of the moves, I can already do! I lack the ability to move fluidly from one move into the other, however, so using that choreography I should be able to learn a great deal more.

Oresai · 04-11-2009, 04:59 PM

I got Hot Combination with Ansuya

I love this woman! She makes it so easy to learn, breaks down every move and gives plenty of time for repetition, there`s no rush that I`ve seen with some other teachers.
What she does is easily seen, both from behind and in the mirror, so I know what it should look like from all angles

The footwork is also often close up so I can see that too.
Have to say a huge thumbs up to Ansuya and her instructional dvds.

alosha · 04-13-2009, 01:20 AM

i love ansuya.

Oresai · 04-13-2009, 06:04 AM

I got Egyptian Bellydance for Intermediates with Hillary Thacker yesterday. Have to admit, I`m a bit disappointed....it`s too short (30 minutes) and I think simply, more time should have been spent on breaking down combinations and moves as the whole thing felt a bit rushed. She did give a good performance with a cane at the end though.

Does anyone have any recommendations for good Egyptian dance instructional dvd`s please?

04-08-2009, 07:49 PM	#216 (permalink)
Kharmine V.I.P. Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Foot of the Rocky Mountains Posts: 1,973	Dahlena's Technique Basic & Intermediate I just got this and have only looked at the first of the two discs, so far. That said, can cheerfully say this is one of the best instructional dvds on belly dance I've ever seen! Dahlena teaches very simply -- no fancy set, elaborate outfit, etc. -- in front of a big mirror so you can see her from more than one angle which I, personally, find very helpful. The mirror is in a clean, bare studio which looks professional -- something that bothered me in another otherwise OK teaching video was that it all took place in what looked like a rather junky basement! Dahlena takes the time to show how to do a correct warm-up and cool-down, then breaks down some basic dance movements. She not only shows the right way but how these movements can be done incorrectly -- which is helpful when you're wondering why what you do doesn't quite look right. The demonstrations include combinations of these movements, and then drill exercises to do them to music. I'm looking forward to seeing the second disc which will end with a short drum choreography and some performances in short video clips. My only caveat is that sound quality might be a little better. Dahlena has a rather high voice, the only microphone is, apparently, in the video camera, and that bare room is not great for acoustics. She's clear enough, it's just not the best as an audio presentation, IMHO -- especially when the recorded music kicks in. Dahlena is an old hand at teaching, having been one of the earliest Western belly dancers in the States, and pioneered teaching OD in the early 1960s in Chicago (my teacher, Natasha, was one of her students and a member of her troupe). She was a ballet dancer previous to that, which may have helped her in knowing how to break down movement for teaching Westerners. BTW, she looks VERY good, even when not made up and costumed to the nines! While her dvd, so far, doesn't touch on it, Dahlena has gotten enthusiastic chops from Middle Eastern folks for a long time because of her dedication to the cultural context. All in all, so far, it's been a great experience for me, worth the money (bought for $30 at dahlena.com) and worth recommending to others. Her site also sells more advanced instruction, choreographies and stage performances from a great career. I've been out of practice for longer than I liked and I wanted something that would smooth my return back to the classroom, besides being a good home practice aid. This seems just the ticket! __________________ What if the hokey pokey is really what it's all about? Last edited by Kharmine; 04-08-2009 at 08:02 PM..

04-13-2009, 01:20 AM	#219 (permalink)
alosha V.I.P. Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: The Dalles, Oregon Posts: 2,196	i love ansuya. __________________ Nothing moves like silk ~ gentle and rippling ~ leaving the ethereal image of the dancer in its wake Work Of Art Creations

01-05-2009, 05:07 PM	#211 (permalink)
alosha V.I.P. Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: The Dalles, Oregon Posts: 2,196	yeah, i have to warm up before it too. guess i shoulda posted that, huh? thanks so much for the input on the video! this forum is great! i feel kinda like i can 'try before i buy'

04-06-2009, 05:28 PM	#212 (permalink)
dilber Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 1	Hi¡¡ i am a passionate of bellydance too even i live in Spain for that i will improve my english here,i have alot dvds of bellydance more than 100 hundred,if somebody want change with me writte me or if somebody want some advice about some dvds i will answer if i can do it,there are many i cant find in amazon and would like me to see,i think are very interesting for learn if dont have enought time for do many lessons... hugssssssssssss

04-08-2009, 06:33 AM	#213 (permalink)
Oresai Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 116	Yesterday my daughter downloaded one of Ansuya`s instructional dvd`s for me. I loved it, have to say....the start had a very `girly` section on the home, and on bathing (though I`ll pass on wearing my dance jewellery whilst I bathe, not sure if it`d rust or not! Eek! ) and on how to put a costume together, before giving the full performance, with her troupe, that is taught throughout the dvd. She teaches, with two of her friends, in front of full length mirrors which I also liked, because you can see how the movements look both from back and front, which is useful. There is a section on veils, how to wear them with your costume and how to incorporate them into the dance taught, and on zills, which I own and have never used...blushing And at the end is a section which highlights Ansuya and how she came into bellydance, and some of her friends, of their past and what brought them into it and their expectations of the dance and how it has surpassed those. Lovely dvd, would recommend it for beginners like me.

04-08-2009, 04:04 PM	#214 (permalink)
alosha V.I.P. Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: The Dalles, Oregon Posts: 2,196	do you know which one it was?

04-08-2009, 05:33 PM	#215 (permalink)
Oresai Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 116	Hi Alosha, yup, it was The Magical Art of Bellydance.

04-09-2009, 06:33 AM	#217 (permalink)
Oresai Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 116	I got the Fantasy/Mystery Bellydance dvd yesterday, with Neon as the Serpent, plus two other dancers (sorry, I have still to check it out fully!) as Shadow and Pheonix. Neon, I always admire, she looks boneless the way she moves, and fast forwarding through the dvd, she breaks down the dance of the Serpent move by move, allows time for repetitions then shows each segment complete in costume. Shadow is a Goth/Tribal dance, I watched the breakdown of that one, and though it`s taught every bit as well as Neon`s section, saw the girl do the splits, went "OUCH!" and fast forwarded to Pheonix (though, for younger or fitter dancers than me, it`s a lovely piece, has a kind of techno feel to it at times if that makes sense? Pheonix dances with flame coloured Isis wings, the woman doing so also teaches just as well as the other two, though I have no wings I`ll try to substitute with veils and give it a go. Out of them all I preferred Neon as Serpent and that`s the one I`ll learn best I believe, though I haven`t an ounce of her talent and none of her abs! (Is there a secret workout I don`t know about to get abs of steel btw? ) but some of the moves, I can already do! I lack the ability to move fluidly from one move into the other, however, so using that choreography I should be able to learn a great deal more.

04-11-2009, 04:59 PM	#218 (permalink)
Oresai Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 116	I got Hot Combination with Ansuya I love this woman! She makes it so easy to learn, breaks down every move and gives plenty of time for repetition, there`s no rush that I`ve seen with some other teachers. What she does is easily seen, both from behind and in the mirror, so I know what it should look like from all angles The footwork is also often close up so I can see that too. Have to say a huge thumbs up to Ansuya and her instructional dvds.

04-13-2009, 06:04 AM	#220 (permalink)
Oresai Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 116	I got Egyptian Bellydance for Intermediates with Hillary Thacker yesterday. Have to admit, I`m a bit disappointed....it`s too short (30 minutes) and I think simply, more time should have been spent on breaking down combinations and moves as the whole thing felt a bit rushed. She did give a good performance with a cane at the end though. Does anyone have any recommendations for good Egyptian dance instructional dvd`s please?