Customer Reviews

Bellydance for Beginners: Basic Moves [VHS]

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The "beginners" part of the title is in reference to the DVD in question offering instructions on how to bellydance for someone who may never have done it before. It teaches basic moves and exercises the various areas of the body that are used during bellydance. DO be able to get through the first workout if you aren't in shape -- but do NOT expect the same with the second workout (hence my reason for refering to the title as deceptive).

The basic moves section of this DVD is good for someone who is out of shape (like me) and looking for something that stretches and challenges at the same time. It doesn't really burn fat or get your heart rate going like, say, a Tae-Bo workout would, but it does get your body moving and teaches you some unusual dance moves at the same time.

The fat burning section is something else entirely. Intermediate users who have some tone and strength to their muscles might be able to deal with the constant up-down-up-down movement, but even after a month of fairly steady exercise with other titles, I still can't get through the first part of this workout. The constant bouncing in particular seems to agitate my knees and ankles.

So, in short -- the first workout is good for stretching, coordination, grace, and learning a little bit about bellydance. The second is good if your knees and ankles can take it and you have the endurance to tough it out. That person isn't me, but it might be you :)

DVD options include sound type (Dolby 5.1 or Dolby 2), editing out the commentators's voices, and information about the benefits of bellydance. The dance footage that was originally part of the credits on the VHS versions of these workouts is also included, and I would almost say that they're worth the price of admission. As difficult as I found the second workout to be, I find watching Veena and Neena dance to be awe-inspiring. They are very good at what they do, and their costumes are incredible!

This is an excellent workout for someone who hates to work out. I have been doing it twice a week for three weeks and its been fun. My belly is noticable more defined, so are my legs and arms, and I've lost about 8 pounds. My boyfriend has especially noticed the change in my body and says he loves it that I look like a belly dancer. Its a very sexy workout.

I have more energy and i acctually look forward to working out now, instead of dreading it. It is not strenuous, instead it is more relaxing. I feel good when I am done instead of worn out.

Neena and Veena have a lot of enthusiasm and thier attitude makes you feel good about working out. They are so graceful and fun to watch. I find myself doing the moves to music as I clean the house because they are enjoyable.

If you are not in shape when you get it, take your time learning the basic moves section before you try to move onto the fat burning. If you stick with it, which i'm sure you will want to after you try it, it really works. My body is so thankful for Neena and Veena. :)

I disagree with the people who say this workout doesn't teach you to dance -- a lot of what I've learned from just this video I've used while dancing. The two times I've gone dancing, in fact, people have turned and cheered me on when they saw I was shaking my hips like there was no tomorrow.

But it probably is a poor video if you're looking to create dances out of what you learn here. It's an EXCELLENT video, though, if you want something unusual and fun to add to your workout routine, which is why it's called the Bellydance Fitness WORKOUT.

If you don't have a lot of money, go with this video first. If you're out of shape (like me), it WILL get your heartrate up and stretch your limbs. Then when you get to a point where you're able, go for one of the other three.

I recommend it for a workout. There are moves in here that make a woman feel sensuous and sexy, even if she doesn't have Neena or Veena's body :)

I love the beginning workout on this CD. It reminds me a lot of Tai Chi--but with music and some prettier moves. I bought this DVD to have a short and easy workout to alternate with an easy Tai Chi workout. I can almost do this workout and will be able to do it soon. It covers all sections of my body, but is not so strenuous that I will damage myself. Veena and Neena are experienced instructors and they make the workout fun, relaxing and thorough. I have not done the fat burning portion yet--I will save it for when I can do the basic moves easily and want to step up the action. It looks like there is a more advanced set of DVDs that is available if I ever get really smooth and want to move it up more.
This is a very professionally done DVD with attention to scene and background selection, good sound, selection of music and costuming as well as sound method.
Many films of this nature often leave a lot to be desired--but this one is professionally laid out and I will enjoy it for years.
I will probably buy the more advanced three set if I put in enough time to get smooth on this beginning tape.:)
I am too old to want to bellydance in a public class, but this is really fun and inspiring to try this in my own home. :)
Mary Z. Cox
www.nettally.com/infocon

I ordered this video at the same time as "The Goddess Workout". I suspected "Goddess" might be beyond my ability to grasp right away and I was right. Don't get me wrong - it's a very nice video, but I am an EXTREME beginner to bellydance. I am also a KLUTZ. I don't dance. At all. However, bellydance looked intriguing (and way more fun than aerobics, which I have always detested). I received "Goddess" first and put it into the machine. I saw right away it involved more skill than I had or could pick up the first 20 times I did the workout (and I'm not talking about being able to dance like Dolphina - I'm talking about getting the basic moves down). I knew I would end up frustrated and stop trying unless I learned the basic moves. Then this video arrived. Watching Neena and Veena, I understood better what Dolphina was trying to show me. I fell in love with this video. It's an exercise tape. You won't be learning the dances on this tape. But, if you're anything like me and take forever to get "Grapevine" right at your aerobics class, this tape will really help you learn and master the basic moves. Then you can move on from there. When I was a little girl, I saw "The Nutcracker". I wanted to be the Sugar Plum Fairy. I took a ballet class and discovered that I'm not a natural. I'll never dance professionally (in any genre). I gave up ballet. But I have come to learn that no one becomes the Sugar Plum Fairy overnight. Or in a week, month, or year. This time, I'm in it for the long haul. No, I'll never dance as well as Neena or Veena (or Dolphina). But I will develop strength and grace. And I'll get better at bellydance.

I'm babbling. Bottom line: I enjoyed this video very much and have ordered the others in the set. And Dolphina will be revisited in a couple of weeks, to see what I've learned that can be applied.

The emphasis of the title for this DVD would be "workout," because while you are moving fluidly through dance moves, Neena and Veena are focusing on the basics rather than a choreographed routine. This works well for anyone at the end of the beginner scale or middle of intermediate bellydancing. The exercises are fast enough to give you a cardiovascular workout, but not so strenuous as to leave you catching your breath. Well, a few times during the Egyptian folk dancing segments it was a little more challenging.

There are two main sections with a second workout focusing on fat burning. The first workout can be used to stretch and warm the body. Both workouts are narrated and the music is inspirational.

During the truly enjoyable "Basic Moves" section the shoulder isolations are especially good as they allow you to work slowly into the shoulder shimmies with added confidence. In the Fat Burning workout you increase the strength of your feet and lower body by jumping around a bit more as you might in folk dancing. I found the exercises to be fun, challenging and emotionally freeing. In both sections you practice beautiful hand movements and get an excellent arm workout.

Overall I found this to be challenging for your feet, knees and shoulders. You will feel a burn in your calves as you try to remain up on your toes. The Fat Burning section is especially effective to help you increase the flexibility in your back and enhance your feminine grace. Drinking lots of water during the second section is recommended. I'd say that you will enjoy this most if you are intermediate because of the fast pace of the Fat Burning exercises.

Even if you are intermediate to advanced, there seems to be an interesting array of new exercises because this focuses more on the folk and Egyptian style of dance. If you are interested in increasing your awareness and talents in those two areas, I can highly recommend this to you.

~The Rebecca Review

These excellent videos are a must have for anyone interested in learning to bellydance. Although you will not become a bellydancer overnight, the videos teach you the basic components of bellydance. The workout is fun and engaging, and you won't mind practicing it over and over. Once the material here is mastered, Neena and Veena's more advanced videos teach choreography and putting everything together into a routine.

There are essentially two parts to this DVD: the basic moves, and the fat-burning workout.

The basic moves are a good teaching tool, and a decent low- to intermediate-level cardio workout.

The fat-burning section is INTENSE. I could barely get through it. There is a lot of hopping and jumping around, as explained by previous reviewers. My biggest gripe with this workout is that it's very repetetive and boring. There's only a few moves that are repeated for a very long time, and I found myself looking at the clock far more often than I'd like. Also, this section doesn't really focus on classic "bellydance" moves-- at least, not that I recognize. So it's not even helpful for teaching in that respect.

Overall, I'd say it's worth it just to see the twins dance, and for the light workout provided by the Basic Moves. For intense cardio, however, I'll go somewhere else.

This is a pretty fun way to get a beginning taste of bellydance. The 30-minute routine doesn't feel strenuous, but the next day I could really "feel the burn" in my shoulders and hips. The soundtrack is Middle Eastern-type music and keeps up with the tempo of the workout. The instructors are also pretty easy to follow, although it's easier just to watch them rather than to strictly listen to the narration, which can be kind of vague. All in all, though, it's a fun tape, and I would buy others from the same series.

this is a wonderful tape. neena and veena are lovely and sassy, their dancing is great and they make the moves very accessible. i have done dolphina's goddess workout a number of times, and now that i've done this one i like it 10x more. neena and veena actually show you how to coordinate the movements and you can actually learn to dance, whereas doing dolphina's tape, she looks and dances great and i'm flailing around like a nut. (although dolphina does say, "ok and this time, do it with attitude! like, 'aren't i fabulous? but you can't have me!'" which quote, in itself, is worth the price of the video.) neena and veena are very accessible, they show you how to feel the flow of it.

after doing this tape once, three times i have found myself spontaneously doing the moves just for fun. that has never happened to me with the goddess workout. this workout just connects. i also like the way the video was shot -- it's a very nice voice over, so you can hear the instructions very clearly and neena and veena aren't shouting. also the camera stays on the right parts them and gives you different angles to see the moves from. i haven't tried their other tape that i ordered yet, but i love this one.