Tina Rules

I have found that coinbelts help beginners to make them more grounded because of the weight...

Kashmir

Then I'd put at the top of the list a good teacher. There is so much involved that coming in cold you are going to miss a lot of the essentials. Once you have done something wrong for a stretch of time - whether it be dance technique or belief - it is really hard to correct it. This is seems to especially be so if it is the first interaction you have.

jenc

I would definately agree. I have had teachers for 18 months, then 6 months without and am struggling. DVDs are nit a substitute for a teacher, but a practice aid

adiemus

With you both there!! DVD's are nice, but having a teacher 'live' saying 'now if you just try this', and giving you specific information about how you're going is invaluable!
If you're really keen to have a sparkly belt, can I suggest you think of a beaded hipscarf? They don't jingle as annoyingly as a coin belt or coin scarf, but they have the same effect on you 'cos they're pretty, they swing with your movements (so you get good feedback) and they're easy to find.
I've actually found that my very favourite hipscarf is one long narrow one with large paillettes (those are the large sequins, about 1.5cm in diameter) - it looks great, shimmers the way you want them to, is very light, and makes very little noise. Also the risk of things falling off is a bit less than either coins or beads. But having said that I've got a couple of beaded ones ---- they do start to breed in quiet places, a bit like veils...!

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