Customer Reviews

Bellydance Body for Beginners with Suhaila

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

 

 

I bought this not knowing this is the 10 min bonus workouts of her 4 Bellydance Fusion series plus an extra to make 5 10-min workouts.
To help, I have tried & own about 50 other belly dance dvds (some had poor instruction or unskillful dancing by the instructors) so those who have never done belly dance might have more trouble especially those who have two left feet.
The instruction is good, with cues & starts slow & build ups, better then other dance workouts so should have little trouble following along. I only had minor trouble & I tend need extra instruction. I tried to do all 50 minutes, but couldn't. It's very challenging.
The yoga bonus workout contains undulations while doing figure 8s at the same time, etc.
The pilates bonus workout is pelvic lifts, then side bumps & then putting them together in an internal square again while walking the whole time.
The buns bonus workout is sitting in a "saddle" squat with elbows resting on your knees & doing glut contractions & then more side bumps.
I love her style so far, she's very aware of body movement & friendly. Buying this made me more confident to buy her Bellydance Fusion series which I now have done & love except for her Buns DVD.
Check out my other reviews on those DVDs on their respective pages.

You can see previews of her other dvds on youtube

The DVD's cover is the most misleading I've ever seen:

1. Why "with Suhaila"? Suhaila leads only 1 of these workouts; the other 4 are done by different dancers. And she doesn't participate in the "bonus" performances.
2. Why "for beginners"? Why "only 10 minutes a day"? If you are a beginner and spend only 10 min/day practicing, you will never master these challenging routines... You might never get any close.

However, if you have a lot of time for dancing and/or some dance experience, you might find this disk very valuable. These routines are something to aspire to be able to do. They are relatively good drills (each move is repeated many times, more slowly at first). Just be aware that some of the moves might be difficult to grasp, as they are barely, if at all, broken down. Suhaila narrates all 5 workouts, but she doesn't explain much, mostly just cues (it's helpful for learning dance terminology though). Also be warned that camerawork isn't very good. During one of the workouts the camera moves so much that it makes me dizzy (if not nauseous).

Apart from that, I enjoyed the video. All 5 instructors are great, the music and set are nice, and the way Suhaila speaks is pleasant (so I feel no need to use the option "music without narration"). And I'm learning more than cool body moves from her segment of the program. Her playful, charming, and heart-warming facial expressions make me forget everything in the world and get completely absorbed into the joy of watching her.

I wish Suhaila had explained the various movements in more detail for those of us that can't just look at a dancer and follow what she's doing. She uses terms like "releve"(?) and "grapevine" and I have no idea what she is talking about. I love dancing but I've never taken a dance class, so I need more help picking up steps than this video provides.

I wouldn't recommend this tape for bellydancing novices like myself.

This DVD is okay. Not what I expected but at least it loaded and played without freezing, skipping, etc. It had some steps that didn't seem to be for beginners. A little faster than I would have liked.

This is an excellent instructional video that tones the muscles used in belly dance; however, it it isn't just belly dance moves... and it isn't for beginner. I highly recommend this video for those who are familiar with belly dance and are ready for a further challenge.

I have so many DVD's by Suhaila and have not been disappointed by any of them. She is an excellent Bellydancer and is able to somehow reach out and enter my living room as a partner buddy doing the routines with me. I bet she relates to all women, she's so down to earth. Her workouts are tough, but doable, just know that you are going to seriously work out! All very low impact, and fun to do. She works hard, and shows such a passion and love for what she does. You can't ever lose by buying ANY DVD by Suhaila Salimpour!

I like the moves that Suhaila has and shows but this is not for beginners. I had a tough time keeping up and knowing what she was talking about. A little slower and less intense to begin with would have been nice. Oh, and explain the moves.

I like excercising with DVD regularly. I tried many DVDs - aerobics, yoga, jazzercise, stretching, etc. I learned a lot from each one of them and I've never had any problem to follow cues and instructions. Unfortunately, this DVD was not for me. Like another viewer pointed out, Suhaila does not explain the routine movement clearly so that Bellydance beginners can understand. Every movement goes too fast, I can barely catch up. Plus, sorry to say this, but instructors are not very attractive. This DVD did not inspire me.