Customer Reviews

Ballet For Belly Dancers

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Length:: 5:10 Mins

Another great Cheeky Girls video!! This instructional contains floor exercises that increase hip flexibility and tones key leg muscles, posture modification tips, ballet arm patterns that can be modified for belly dancers, a section on basic turns and one on arabesques, and loads of interesting floor patterns.

The DVD cover itself contains a glossary of ballet terms with proper spelling and pronunciation for French dance terms like pas de bourre, soutenu, and tendu as well as proper terminology for facings and staging. The various floor patterns offered in the video are great for drills and for adding dynamic transitions into your dance, and include level changes, spins and lovely arm movements. This DVD would be great for all levels, and especially beneficial for the intermediate dancer who knows basic belly dance moves and wants to add an element of polish and refinement to his or her presentation. Brianna is very articulate and easy to follow, and the floor patterns work perfectly with the music selection. Well produced, much-needed video for dancers. Three thumbs up!

This video fills a long-open gap in many dancer's education. For those dancers who did not study ballet as a child, many dance workshops can be baffling, when ballet terms are used in the choreography and one has no idea what they mean. Eventually, one figures them out but perhaps not as cleanly and clearly as one would if instructed.

A beginner could use this DVD, especially the first third for strengthening and arm gracefulness. S/he would then grow with this DVD because the combinations are at an intermediate or advanced level.

This DVD contains three sections.

The first section is a strengthening and training section, like barre exercises. While practicing plies and arm positions, a dancer gains grace in her arms while building strength in her feet and legs, important for dancing on releve (half-point).

The next section goes over common ballet terms, such as pas de buerre, arabesque. These terms are often used in choreographies, even by native Egyptian dancers, because Raks Sharki was so influenced by the Russian Ballet. Often they are not broken down in workshops because people are assumed to know them. Brianna breaks them down into their component parts - I felt like lightbulbs were going off above my head. Brianna gives many opportunities to practice these movements, in combination with other movements.

The final third of the DVD is a series of combinations set to music. I have to confess that I watched some of these rather than do them. The combinations grow in difficulty. Even if everything else on the DVD seemed like a cakewalk, this section can grow quite difficult, combining the new ballet terms with bellydance movements is not something I was used to and so it will take practice. This a good thing - it's never good when you get a DVD and can do everything on it right away.

My only complaint about the DVD was that sometimes the music didn't seem to fit - aesthetically more than beatwise, but the company is probably limited to using the music to which they can acquire a license.

You'll get almost 2 hours of detailed ballet instruction and practice with this dvd. Clever chapter menu's and your tab button will allow you to skip past the breakdown of any section right to the practice parts once you've mastered the instruction. I'm really enjoying this dvd. Thanks Michelle!

I was really looking forward to trying out this dvd because it sounded like there would be some really tough ballet inspired drills that could be used to improve bellydance technique. the best parts of the dvd are that this instructor seems very nice and well versed in both ballet and bellydance technique and I like the two or three combinations at the very end of the dvd before the cool down. those last combinations are the most enjoyable and interesting I think. other than that, the dvd never takes off, there is no workout component to it, and even its possible value as an index of ballet exercises and choreography reinvented for the bellydance is pretty much nonexistant. the drills are oddly both too simple and complex at the same time. simple from a technique standpoint unless you are extremely out of shape, and complex choreography that has you stepping spinning and stepping but without any real joy in the movement.

if Brianna would create a dvd that upped the challenge of the moves and presented more interesting choreography I would give that a try.

Ballet for Belly Dancers provides an excellent addition to a dancer's toolkit for improvement. As illustrated in the DVD, several movements from ballet have been incorporated into belly dance, and drilling those movements individually and in combination is helpful. More importantly, this cross-training in ballet will help a dancer really think about foot patterns and weight changes in the transitions from one step to another. Things I particularly liked about the exercises were the emphasis on graceful arms and the fast yet relaxed-looking footwork. I can see this DVD having a strong positive impact on my dancing.

As with all the Cheeky Girls Productions DVDs I have seen, the camerawork and teaching methodology are stellar, a real "best practices" example for teaching dance via DVD. Brianna is very easy to understand and she breaks down movements well. Her explanations of how to modify ballet movements for belly dance were thoughtful and illustrated her depth of knowledge of each form. The camerawork shows her body very clearly, and I really appreciate the occasional focus in on her lower legs, so that you could really understand the footwork in the combinations.

The inclusion of a performance by Brianna is a nice touch as well, because you can see several of the combinations and movements taught in the choreography in action. All in all, another fine product from Cheeky Girls!

Ballet for Belly Dancers is another high quality video production from Cheeky Girls. I was really excited to hear that this DVD was coming out because whenever I take a belly dance workshop and the instructor uses ballet terms, I feel a little lost. I had looked into ballet-specific DVDs, but didn't want to get that involved with ballet, so this was a perfect fit for me. Brianna is clear and easy to follow. The filming and sound quality are excellent. There's even a glossary of ballet terms inside the cover. I highly recommend this DVD! - Kiyaana

I've had this video for some time and I do ballet elsewhere.

From a more advanced perspective, I wouldn't invest money on this video if you are very familiar with some of the techniques of ballet. But if you have never stepped into a ballet class or if your instructor often refers to these terms--plie, pas de bourree, arabesque--but doesn't break them down, I think this DVD is worth the small investment. Brianna is thorough, informed, a pleasant speaker and organized; but please remember that there is more to ballet than one video can encompass. It's enough to break down the basics, even if it's impossible to completely cover the material from A-Z.

I think it's also fairly safe for adult dancers whose bodies will not bend and mold as much. You probably won't have a perfect turn-out if you start ballet at an older age, unless you devote a lot of time to getting that turn-out fine tuned, and Brianna seems to understand that most bellydancers are a bit older--yes, we are--and they can't force their bodies into deep backbends and plies. I like this awareness in her instruction.

One thing that I was not completely fond of: Her arms! I don't mean to be insulting, but I felt that her elbows were too close to the body, and, *sometimes,* the lack of awareness didn't look as elegant and rounded, especially during exercises (not in her performance). If you're using the video, pay close attention to what your arms are doing at all times, including during transitions.

Overall, a good, high-quality video that should be used repeatedly in order to ingrain the material into your muscle memory.

At the moment I am all about expanding my practice to encompass as many bellydance styles as possible. This would be on the "smooth and graceful" side of the spectrum I am currently exploring, a challenge for me, as I gravitate towards more hip-heavy, bouncy, folky (Saidi-type) movements.

I entered Middle Eastern Dance without any previous ballet experience, and for Oriental-Style dance, it is a real advantage to have some.
This DVD, as promised, gave me a working knowledge of how to incorporate Ballet into my movement vocabulary without it looking as though I am, in fact, doing ballet as a part of my performance.

I enjoyed Brianna's clear and concise instruction. She has a knack for getting to the root of a movement and explaining it well. I would have to say that she is a superb teacher. Her performances, however, are not spectacular (a bit disappointing!) Hey - one can't be perfect at everything!

It is apparent that a lot of time and energy went into making this DVD. In general, I found it easy to follow, but would not recommend it for those who are new to dance, as it requires some grounding in technique and basic moves in order to be of use. Brianna provides drills and combinations to accompany the movements she teaches. Her drills are well thought-out and flow nicely together. I found that there was enough material to spread over 3 practice sessions for me. I will continue to use this DVD to refine my "new moves" a few more times, so I believe it was well worth the money.

I highly recommend it to other dancers who, like me, do not have a prior grounding in ballet and wish to add that ethereal grace to their choreographies and posture.

Her movements are beautiful and graceful and I think this a good video for someone with at least a little bit of knowledge in the dance. Good way to have a good work out as well and it is all very soft and fluid movements. If you are looking for a lot of hip shaking,undulations,and shimmies this is not the video for you. Great to strengthen your core if you are wanting to be a belly dancer.