Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61509 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-03-08
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Compilation, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 71 minutes

Customer Reviews

Another great beginner bellydance workout/learning
I agree with all of the previous reviews except not as harshly.
There could be more menu options, the extra stuff is great. The camerawork was nice & still for the most part, only a few unneeded camera angles & focused shots on her stomach, which is better then most other DVDs with crazy camerawork.

The workout itself is 70 min long which is almsot twice as long as other ones. The drummer teaches for 10 seconds saying the beat then bplaying, then she teaches the technique slowly with great detail to posture & positioning w/o him playing, then normal speed 1-2x with him playing.
I loved her persona, she seemed like a normal instructor, no fake smiling, she just concentrates on teaching & demonstrating.

After she shows each move slowly for 40 min, she then repeats them again in combinations w/o music slowly, then again with music to put them all together in routine, repeating several moves together. There are so many different combinations & moves put together I was impressed.
She didn't always start at the very beginning all over again every single time which was great, she would repeat 2 combinations at a time, then 4-5 combinations every so often so you wouldn't get bored repeating over & over. If wanted to always start at the beginning, you can always follow along with her performance option.

I got quite a workout & could not finish the entire DVD all at once. My obliques & abs were burning after.

Basic instruction for beginners
I really liked how this tape broke down some of the rhythms in middle eastern music. As a belly dance student, I had always been afraid of the drum solo, but this tape makes it seem really easy and fun. I also agree with the reviewer who stated that the movements are not specifically suited to the rhythms. However, Sonia does do a good job of breaking down the movements for the solo performance. To me, her voice is confident, yet gentle and she does not have that intimidating, irritating "diva" presence. I think beginning students will appreciate her persona.

The bonus CD is good for practicing the movements. It does not include the music to the choreography presented on the tape, but it presents good music. Overall, I enjoyed this tape and would highly recommend it for beginning students. I hope the producers will make a tape for intermediate and advanced dancers soon, and I'd like to see more of the teachers who were working with Sonia on the footage in Cairo. They were excellent and sexy!

Okay - not great
I bought this DVD looking for some fresh choreography / combinations to use with drum solos; both for routines and improvising in restaurant performances. I have to agree with one of the other reviewers - Sonia's on-camera personality is lifeless and not at all motivating. Most of the technique is beginner-level; they could have added some layering or ideas to spice it up for the intermediate / advanced dancer.

While I liked the idea of the bonus CD, I'm not able to find the choreographed routine music on it...??? Perhaps it's spliced from several of the cuts on the CD, I'm not completely sure yet. I also liked how the drummer explained the rhythms and gave the dumbek pronunciation for each. Producers - take note - it's extremely annoying to put in all the work in learning a routine, and then not be able to find the music to which it should be performed!!! Please please give us title and artist, and if you're going to edit the piece, include it with the video.