43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally!, November 18, 2003
I was really pleased with this workout tape, and I'll tell you why.
First thing--real-looking women! Two smaller sized women and one plus
size woman, none of whom have impeccable makeup and sprayed hair (ala
Rania). You can follow the plus sized dancer for low impact or less
strenuous workout. Second--Nice to look at and listen to! This tape
is shot in an oriental carpet store, and the lighting and quality are
very nice. There are some sound problems over the credits, but
that's okay. The music is good enough that I'm probably going to go
and buy the companion CD. Third and most important--this is a full
workout, and it isn't at a snail's pace like a lot of videos. It is
intermediate to advanced, depending on which dancer you follow, and
it is all bellydance moves, no modern aerobic moves thrown in. The
instructor is a bit New Agey, but not terribly so (ala Dolphinia, who
makes me want to punch her. Goldean gives good instruction with lots
of reminders where we all need it, (keep knees and belly loose, that
sort of thing).
It covers a full warm up, cardio moves and a really good cool down,
the whole thing is about an hour long. It is a lot like what we do at
class, but more advanced and intense. It is more than I would usually spend on a video, but I think
this is going to be my daily routine tape, so it is more than worth
it.
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great intro to belly dance, December 21, 2001
I've been dancing for two years and have seen many instructional belly dance tapes. This is one of the best I've seen for beginners to intermediate levels and especially for those more interested in the fitness benefits than the technicalities of the ancient dance. Goldeen offers ample directions and a pace that's easy to follow. The first ten minutes are a warm up--stretches interspersed between the most basic chest and hip movements. Next is a fun and challenging aerobic segment with constant hip and arm movement combos, varied footwork, and ample shimmies. The tape ends with a nice stretch and cool-down segment. A low-impact, modified version of everything is demonstrated by Mila in the background for people with lower levels of fitness or restricted joint movement.
The sequence is shot in a middle-eastern rug gallery--nice idea. The middle-eastern music is nice but fairly unobtrusive--I wished it were a more integral part of the program. A fun hour that will make you sweat and loosen you up at the same time.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good for one and all, February 3, 2002
This is a great tape. I bought it because I was looking for a longer workout and more ideas. I would not say it encourages dancing so much as incorporating dance into a workout, but I like the setup. Goldea talks and walks you through everything, accompanied by two dancers of differing body types. Goldea tells you to modify and follow one of her dancer's moves if you are in a lower fitness level, which I thought was a great idea that no one else seems to have incorporated into their videos. All the moves seem very managable, and by the time my hour was up, I felt like my legs in particular had gotten a good workout, though as I was doing the workout, I didn't feel tired out or like I couldn't keep up the pace. She does encourage you to give your own touches to the workout as you become more familiar with it, and I enjoyed the warm-up and the yoga-laced cool down. I only wish the music played a little more of a role in the tape, and as the credits rolled they broke into shots of Goldea dancing outside somewhere with a couple others (not in cheesecake costumes either), and I would have liked to have seen more of that sort of dancing, as it was different from what I've seen in my other tapes. A gentle, yet solid workout involving the fun and wonder of the dance.
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