{"id":364,"date":"2009-05-09T10:25:17","date_gmt":"2009-05-09T17:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/?p=364"},"modified":"2009-05-09T10:48:52","modified_gmt":"2009-05-09T17:48:52","slug":"tracey3instrdvdsbeg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2009\/05\/09\/tracey3instrdvdsbeg\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Instructional DVDs for Beginners:Wide Range in Quality<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\"3<\/p>\n

A Course in Belly Dance by Galit Mersand
\n\t\t\tAziza’s Ultimate Practice Companion
\n\t\t\t1-2-3- Belly Dance with Bahaia<\/h2>\n

Reviewed by Tracey Farmer<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tposted May, 2009\t<\/span><\/h3>\n

 I am going to review 3 videos that are mainly for beginners or practice.  They are from 3 vastly different dancers who each have unique styles. <\/p>\n

\"Bahaia's1-2-3 Belly Dance with Bahaia<\/span>
\nThis is a well-produced DVD by Cheeky Girls Productions.<\/span> (You’vegot to love the name!)  The concept is: Breaking down the steps, Drilling, and Choreographing them.<\/p>\n

Bahaia covers moves like the basic Hip Drop, Figure 8, Maya, 3-step turns and a small amount of  veil movement that included Flourishes and the\tToreador.  After each explanation and demonstration, she includes a drilling section in which she drills, using the movements with music for about 1-2 minutes.  Then, Bahaia blends all the moves together in choreography set to “Midnight Fantasy” by Harry Sayoran on his classic Cairo CD.  When Bahaia does the chapter on steps, she’s facing the audience.  However, in the choreography section, she demonstrates facing a mirror so you, the viewer, are behind her just as if you’re in class.  Her choreography is broken down\tinto sections just like the 1st section; then, she performs the complete choreography in costume.<\/p>\n

Bonuses include a live performance of Lissa Fakir by Bahaia that is dynamite, to say the least!  I’ve met Bahaia a few times, and she’s a sweet person and one “heckuva”\tEgyptian dancer—not bad for a small town Texas girl!<\/p>\n

Bonus material includes a scrolling history of all Bahaia’s accomplishments, appearances and work as a producer\/promoter.  This is all helpful,\tbut the scrolling goes a little too fast and the words are a bit too small, causing me to pause the disc to be able to read it. Next, there is an instructional section on how to make a veil.  This is a nice idea, but would have been better as a live demonstration, rather people just reading instructions.<\/p>\n

\"Aziza'sAziza’s Ultimate Practice Companion<\/span>
\tThis practice companion came out a few years ago and is now re-distributed by Hollywood Music Center (Peko)<\/em> <\/strong>with slightly different packaging, so\tif you already possess that DVD there is no reason to buy this one. This is not a “how to” instructional but rather a technique and practice DVD, showing how and what to drill and practice in the correct way. By using this DVD, your dancing will improve.  Aziza focuses on the most used areas of your body when you dance: arms, ribcage, hips and shimmy. The drilling is to teach your body to get used to the moves so that they become natural and build stamina (especially during the shimmy drill). She teaches facing the viewer in front of a live class which gives you the feeling that you’re actually in a workshop in your living room.  As an instructor, she advises to always check your stance to be sure you’re using proper posture. <\/p>\n

Next, we are treated to 2 of Aziza’s performances, including a drum solo in which you can see all of that practice drilling and layering comes in handy. (I swear that girl is on rollerblades; when you see it, you’ll know what I’m talking about!)  Aziza is fun and entertaining to watch and is more than a capable dancer, but this doesn’t need to be said, judging by her popularity over the past few years.  Whether you are an American Cabaret, Egyptian, or Tribal dancer, this DVD will be fundamentally useful for your dance. <\/p>\n\n\n