Customer Reviews

Bellydance For Body Shaping: Abs - Belly Dance Fitness Workout

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Who this DVD is for:
-a student of belly dance who wants to get more strength and tone in her abs, make her belly dance movements stronger, or wants a great abdominal workout, or
-a follower of the bellydance aerobic fitness trend who wants an intense workout, or
-someone who owns both of Neon's instructional DVD's and is comfortable with the moves taught there, or
-someone with previous dance experience who is good with "monkey see, monkey do" style learning

Who this DVD is not for (yet):
-if you want a video to LEARN belly dance
-if you are new to belly dance and don't yet have a grasp of the basic movements.
-if you don't want to get a great abs workout. (No kidding around here!)

Before beginning this workout it's important to keep in mind what it is -- a workout. Although you will practice bellydance, as all of the sections are completely comprised of bellydance moves, don't expect to buy this DVD and have it be your one-stop shopping for instruction and workout. They haven't made anything like that yet. The pacing required for instruction is way too slow to get your heart rate up for a cardiovascular or fat burning workout. Stopping to explain the movements would disrupt the flow of the workout and would keep it from being nearly as good. In order to work the abdominals, one must drill them without taking breaks for explanation. Neon is an excellent Bellydance instructor but the purpose of this DVD to get your abs in shape, not to learn how to dance.

There is absolutely no bellydance instruction on "Belly Dance for Body Shaping: Abs." This workout was designed for someone who already knows bellydance and wants to be lead through a great workout; it's difficulty would be considered at the Intermediate level. The movements are all done quickly in succession leaving no time for instruction. Although instruction is beyond the scope of this video, Neon does give pointers as to what muscles to be contracting for the different movements -- more like good reminders than instruction.

Andy Troy, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, pops in throughout the workout with helpful, real-time tips for getting the safest and most conformable workout. This is important so you don't strain your knees or lower back.

Two sphere shaped diagrams representing the ribcage and the pelvis are always on the left side of the screen to show how each movement relates to the muscle groups in the area. Although they will help you understand what move you are doing at any given time, they will by no means help explain. A basic knowledge and competency with belly dance are required here. You don't have to be the star attraction at the local Mediterranean restaurant here, you just need to have a basic working knowledge of belly dance.

A progress bar counts the number of moves you have done so far and shows you how many left till the next change. This is helpful for both cueing and motivational purposes.

If you already know what you're doing, bellydance wise, this is as good of a practice session as it is a workout -- excellent overall.

Neon delivers the best abs workout and I have fun doing it. She is very graceful, perfect cueing, awesome digital effects to show you the moves and whatnot. The exercise is broken down into 3 sequences, followed by a dance sequence/routine with each. You get a cardio workout because she does not stop and talk then move but you can follow her easily because she delivers perfect cueing through oral instruction and the special effects. I think the quality of the DVD is top notch and Neon is mesmerizing...I owned a LOT of bellydance workout and by far this one is the best! (I also purchased the Bellydance Party by Neon and it has the same top notch quality).

I have been bellydancing for about a year now. I have a TON of DVDs and this one by Neon is by far one of my fave! Its detailed, its fun, and before you know it you have worked out for 15 min and it leaves you feeing energized ready for the next workout or for the rest of your day. I love how Neon has given 3-dimensional diagrams so you can understand the body movements, but make sure you have a basic understanding of bellydance because Neon doesn't explain them, but they aren't too hard to figure out but in order to them right get a good book or a good beginner video that explains them so that you can be safe. Also another awesome DVD that is great to workout to or just dance is the Ultimate Bellydance Fitness Workout which features Neon along with a cast of really talented dancers. I loved Body Shaping for Abs & I can't wait to get Body Shaping for Buns & thighs!

The"Bellydance for Body Shaping" DVDs "Abs" and "Buns and Thighs" feature Neon and her signature use of graphic diagrams to show movement direction and depth. Neon is famous for her creative instruction and how differently she approaches creating a video program. Previously I was only familiar only with her "Instant Bellydancer" DVDs, but I thought I'd give her new fitness videos a shot, and I wans't disappointed, I love them! Neon's fitness videos are not aerobic workouts, they are "target toning"."Abs" involves only your torso,"Buns and Thighs" includes footwork moves. The two most impressive things about these DVDs (aside from the fact that you feel it in the target areas the next day!) are 1- the graphic diagrams 2- the emphasis on technique. The "Abs" diagrams show two areas of movement, ribcage and pelvis. The 2 gray spherical 3D grids represent upper and lower body, while movement directions are shown as yellow circles, arcs and figure 8s. The "Buns and Thighs" DVD has diagrams only for the lower body, and they are different. A star indicates glute contraction, and movement directions are depicted as arrows.
During the workout Neon explains how to use glute contraction in many basic, intermediate and a few advanced bellydance moves. For instance, when you perform a hip drop in "Buns and Thighs", she instructs you to contract your glutes on the opposite side, and the diagram on the left shows a star (glute contraction) and a downward pointing arrow opposite it.. There are many great technique pointers in both videos. In "Abs" the 3D character of the diagrams is very helpful in visualizing the angles at which the pelvis and ribcage tilt toward or away from each other in different directions. Even though these are not instructional vdieos by any measure, even beginners may benefit, the graphics are so helpful. Kudos to Neon for being always ahead in the uncharted territory of bellydance!

Work those abs in a different way than ever before! This workout works! If done consistently it's as good as doing a bizillion crunches but definitely more fun. I use this in combination with another, such as a half hour to 40 min cardio workout in addition to one 15 min segment of this workout. If you haven't had any dance training or aren't familiar with bellydance, this isn't for you (why I took one star off). I say this mainly because you could easily injure yourself doing the undulations if you aren't familiar with how to move your body in a correct way. I also love Suhaila's Jazz Fitness Fusion. This is a lot of fun and a great way to play around with belly dance if you haven't had any dance background. It's also a more complete workout.

This video has great moves, but if you are looking for step-by-step instruction then this video isn't what you want. You are shown the move once, then the instructor goes into the routine. It was too fast paced for a beginner.

The actual workout seems fine however if you have never done bellydancing before this DVD is not for you. The instructor moves too quickly to the next step before you have a chance to grasp the move. I threw out my back trying to keep up with this one!

This video is pretty easy to follow. I enjoy it a lot because the dancer is shown from the front and back at the same time. THis makes it much easier to learn and understand how the move is suposed to be perfomed. The photo quality itself is a little low but the information that the DVD gives you is worth the purchase.

Everyone wrote great reviews that I agree with. This is for people who already know bellydance or own several dvds that teach the basics first since there is none here.
Neon is VERY fluid & there are great dances on here & moves that are beautiful. You never get any rest & you get a short warmup, workout that develops into a dance & cooldown all in 15 min. in three separate sessions. There is music playing the whole time which does not in her Dance Party DVD that has the same look.

There are clips of other DVDs at the distributer's site at worlddancenewyork com

I'm a somewhat experienced belly dancer, and I was looking for something a little different and faster paced, and this video definitely fits the bill.
If you have never belly danced before then this DVD is not for you, but if you want something challenging that varies from the average belly dance workout video, then I recommend this video.