Customer Reviews

The Ancient Art of Oriental Belly Dancing 2 [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought Alexandra King's first tape in this 2-volume set, and while I allready knew most of what was presented on the first tape, I purchased this one to learn a few more moves for the chiftitelli rhythm and because of the reasonable price. Alexandra strikes me as a good teacher in that she presents herself well, speakes clearly and succintly, gives thourough-enough explanations for the techniques, and her performances seem well-articulated. I would take lessons from her if she ever came here, or would attend at least a workshop. There is minimal "fluff" and time is not wasted much in this tape. Some movements are unnecessarily repeated, like the chest/wrist circles, but then she uses those movements to show some inprovisational work one could try. The back arch is repeated again, and like in my other review, this is an advanced move that I feel really should not be in the first tape, but maybe she presented it as a challenge and for something to work towards. There is no history or Middle Eastern Dance given, but if one wants to learn basic movements than that is fine. If I had made the video myself I would have used different music for the second tape is its a bit repetitive. Alexandra gives mostly hip movements in addition to the lengthy floor-work in this one and does a good job of showing movements from a side-view as well. It would be a little more helpful is she had employed the use of another dancer to demonstrate what some moves look like on another body type. Alexandra first "walks" you through each move and then does it again to music with the zill(finger cymbals). This tape is very good if one wants to practice with their zills and improve their finger/body coordination which can be quite frustrating at first. I only wish she had demonstrated for absolute beginners the proper way to put them on. I feel one part should have been redone as the music runs out before she's through with one small segment, otherwise her timing is well-done. I have not decided yet as to whether the chiftitelli or drum solo section is stronger, but I do feel there would have to be a separate tape in itself for floor work as its advanced and requires a lot of body strength, so I had wished she had cut out most of the floor work and tailered it more to one learning some more pure choreography. The set is well-lit for the tape, but at the end where she is dancing in a restaurant, it is poorly-lit. The quality of the production in terms of the image being in focus is not that great, but then its appropriate for the retail price. Her costumes match well with her movements and the one she made herself at the end is impressive. Have fun wathching and practicing this sexy, spiritual dance form! SAfira in Mississippi

If you're a belly dancer who has taken ANY classes and you're just looking for instructional videos as a supplement - move on to another video. If you have any dance experience at all, this will be too simple for you.

Alexandra King's style is a cross between Greek and American Cabaret. She covers beginning belly dance instruction like the basic egyptian steps and simple arm movements. She doesn't go into any real explanation of Arabic rythyms. She tells the viewer for veil work, a chiffon type of fabric is best. She doesn't explain that this is merely her opinion and any lightweight fabric could be used, it's a personal preference. It looks like it was filmed in the basement of her house. I have both Volumes One and Two and I plan on donating them to my local public library.

If you don't have the opportunity to study with someone locally, and you don't know of any other belly dance resource where you can find higher quality videos, then this is okay if you are brand spanking new to the dance. Otherwise, save your money.

The production value is terrible on this tape. It appears to have been filmed in one take, and you can hear outside traffic (including a motorcycle) in the background. The music starts and stops are also very jarring.

I find the instruction is very straight-forward, although I'm not certain what level of dance it would be best for. It incorporates some very basic moves, and also shows some advanced floorwork. Perhaps this would be best for an intermediate level dancer.

I did learn a handful of new moves from this tape, so it does have some use. Just don't expect high-quality production.

Here I am again! Volume 2 is just as wonderful as volume 1! I can't get enough of this! Alexandra does an overview of volume one with a few dance moves and warm ups, but this tape focuses on complete hip movements mostly! I love it, love it, love it! At the end she does a slow dance using a lot of large movements with her arms and legs, then a second dance moving those hips! Hips, hips, hips everywhere! This tape is very inexpensive and you will learn a lot from it. BUY IT!

this video is good for the beginning-to-intermediate or intermediate dancer or someone looking to flesh out their performance routine. it doesn't go through a warmup but takes you through the moves for both a slow chiftitelli floor routine and a fast drum solo. though i knew a good amount of the moves already the floor routine was helpful and there was enough new stuff to keep me interested. visual quality isn't the greatest but it gets the job done, and the video is definitely worth the price. the performance at the end is fabulous and i love the costume! one pet peeve: the dancer teaches you to do a full hip circle by straightening you legs to push your butt up when you get to the back and some other strange stuff...the way i was taught *not* to do it! i had heard of someone teaching it this way and i guess it was this video... otherwise the rest is all good information and she is an impressive dancer. i'd like to see more by her

This tape in general is poor quality. She guides you stiffly through the movements and doesn't seem to be enjoying herself at all. I would not recommend this video.

Highly reccommended for beginner. As a slow learner,I am glad to have this tape,I use it as a warm-up every morning with my youngest daughter.Get it, you will never regret.

Alexandra King is a graceful, fluid dancer, on par with Neon. She does the best snake arms & wrist circles I have ever seen. Her performance at the end was graceful & you can really see her be in the moment & enjoy dancing.
The teaching itself was simple & straightforward, especially if you want to incorporate zills. She teaches slowly first, then normal speed, then normal speed with zills w/ & w/o music. This is not a workout, but like a class.

I took off 2 stars for VHS quality & sound quality & also that she could/should have had music playing softly at all times to kill the monotony.

Content is good. Quality of sound is so bad, it is hard to continue to listen to it all the way through.

I highly recommend this video for the beginning or intermediate belly dancer. Covers a bit of everything. I use it frequently. I am going to purchase Volume 1 since I liked this one so much.