Customer Reviews

Belly Dance - Instructional Fitness Workout Within Traditional Movement

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I haven't belly danced for a number of years - I don't need instruction, just someone to walk me through warm-ups, cool-downs & and some dancing. She even inculdes a number of ethnic moves, which I really like. This is not for the beginning dancer; in fact she tells you to find a beginner class if the moves are not familiar to you. If you are at least an intermediate dancer and are just looking for a tape to walk you through a work-out, this tape is for you.

...and perhaps more. I was about to write enthusiastic comment, when I saw the comment below. Really surprising to me what some people expect, specially with detailed write-up and numerous comments from other buyers.
This video offers what it says, and all in good quality. Full hour of a nice and fun workout, designed for a normal girl, perhaps not for a professional dancer or an athlete. It is just enough to really sweat and feel it in your body. Instructions are clear, filming is really good, with good close-ups of things you want to see better, etc.
It looks like a really a professional production to me, and I find it just great. Pleasant setting, normal looking girls(one of them is on a larger side, which also may help feel more comfortable if you just begin practicing). Good timing, nice sound and music. It ends with relaxing cool down, really helping to get back to normal pulse, and start other activities soon after. I will use it many times, and sincerely recommend it to all who are looking for a good workout at home, and to have fun with basics of belly dance.

A wonderful, relaxing yet invigorating, safe and effective workout for people who already know at least the basics of belly dance and just want to move for an hour. Structured so you can really sweat if you want to put more work into it, or just settle into a nice groove and work out the kinks.

The dancers look like normal women, even a bit on heavy side, which is refreshing! I wish this instructor had more videos to offer.

I received the Belly Dance Instructional Fitness Workout DVD and I am delighted with it! It has the perfect mix of drills and dancing, continuing certain combinations of moves for long enough so that my heart rate stays up and my muscles keep moving steadily, but switching moves just often enough so that my mind remains engaged and interested in the choreography. I also enjoyed the venue and Goldean's teaching style, as well as the contributions of the other two dancers. I loved it, and this video will definitely become a regular part of my morning routine. As someone who owns literally dozens of instructional belly dance videos, I don't say this lightly. I appreciate your hard work (and that of everyone else who contributed) on this production.

Additionally - one of the main things that drew me to buy this video in particular (over others I was also watching at the time) is the fact that this video did all those things I mentioned in the context of using *traditional* belly dance moves (like the Saidi back-hop, among others), rather than hybridized new age or interpretive dance movements. I was looking for a video that would not only help me to get some exercise, and that would keep my mind engaged, but I also wanted to learn more of the traditional movements of bellydance (and the names for them -- thank you, Goldean!). In a dance form that is so open to interpretation and changes so much as it is integrated into our own culture, I was looking for a foundation in the "original" movements -- and I feel that this video has provided that!

I was looking for a good workout with some nice traditional belly dance moves. This video seems to be directed more for the beginner, and the routine is not very demanding or invigorating at all. The whole tape was just a warm up, stretching and cool down event. I didn't find anything demanding or anything that could be described as a "workout." But good if you just want very slow stretching and some meditative cool down with some basic belly dance moves in between, then this may be for you. But there are much better tapes out there, i.e. Dolphina and Neena and Veena for fitness and fun or Fat Chance Belly dance for true tribal dance.

This is one of the first DVD's that I bought when I started dancing. Goldeen is a great instructor who explains the moves very well and then she links some of them together to do some combinations that help with transitions. It`s a great workout that will get you sweating and learning how to belly dance and having fun all at once. Her video is very fun and my favorite to get a good workout if I can't get to class.

This is what I had been looking for, a belly dance routine that would be a cardio workout. Lots of opportunities for shimmies on this workout!
Love the modification that this allows. You will need to know some basic belly dance moves before using this...but I am talking just basic moves.I did order mine through Ebay direct from the manufacturer of this DVD. MUCH cheaper and same quality. Order it, you will be glad you did.