Product Description

Studio: Wea-des Moines Video Release Date: 04/27/2004

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48441 in DVD
• Released on: 1998-09-16
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 75 minutes

Amazon.com
African Healing Dance, with lead dancer Wyoma and the dancers and drummers of the Damballa dance troupe, is a step-by-step dance course on healing traditions and spiritual movements that are special to the African dance heritage. An African proverb teaches, "If you can talk, you can sing, and if you can walk, you can dance." Thus African Healing Dance is suited for beginning to advanced dancers, students of dance, instructors, and choreographers studying and/or performing African dance. The instructional video and included manual provide an effective guide for a dance or exercise program at home or in a workshop setting. Director of the Damballa dance troupe as well as head dancer, Wyoma begins with a simple warm-up, including breathing techniques; body articulation movements for the hips, chest, shoulders, and feet; and stretching. She then artistically integrates the teaching of six traditional African dances with the passion and joy of connecting dance movements that have the spirit and energy of nature and the elements (water, wind, fire, and earth) and animals such as the snake, elephant, and bird. A final portion of the 70-minute video is called "The Healing Journey," in which Wyoma encourages personal exploration of inner rhythms and feelings through improvisational movement. As one watches this video, it is difficult not to feel the pulse of the drumbeat and the spiritual strength of Wyoma and her celebration of life through dance. --Christine Aiken

Customer Reviews

inspiring
This is an outstanding video. The teacher, Wyoma, has a warm and inspiring personality. The video starts with some connection exercises, designed to get your spirit into the dance forms and connecting with the elements and animals. Then, there is a warm up section with isolations which uses the movements from the connections section. What follows are instructions for five traditional dances from various Afric nations. What I liked most is how Wyoma explains what each movement means. This really gets you into the spirit of the dance. The video ends with an improvisational dance.

All is accompanied by live drumming on Djembe, Conga and other instruments. Highly recommended.

Must buy for all Afro dancers
This is a Master level workout of beginners to advanced Afro &
Afro-Caribbean steps. This is very similar to the way I was trained. I have been training in these dances for over 45 years as a performer & instructor.
The instructor has missed all the boring steps & has given you the most enjoyable movements. The instructor is one of the best at explaining this form of dancing I have seen. She is also one of the best dancers I have seen.
This is a must for all Afro, Conga, Guaguanco, Arara, Gaga, Bodu, Tajona, Yoruba dancers.
This will not be an easy video for most of you to follow but any of you who want to become Master level Salsa dancers should at least understand the beginners steps from the Afro dances. You can just use the first basic step Wyoma teaches you until you get the feeling for the other more advanced steps.

for a healthy spirit as well as a healthy body
This video is excellent for those who want to get in better shape, but hate the monotony of the average aerobics tape. If you love to dance--really set your body free, not concerning yourself with whether you're supposed to spin or dip--then this is for you. You'll be sweating after a half hour, but you'll be doing it with a smile on your face. There's plenty for beginners as well as more advanced steps. The rhythms are intoxicating and invigorating.