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Editorial Reviews
About the Actor
As a teacher, Ayshe combines her love of exotic movement and her academic knowledge of the human body. Her college degree in Human Movement involved studies in anatomy, kinesiology, corrective exercise, analysis of movement, motor learning, and dance therapy.
Early on, as a dancer, she observed there were some subtle, yet surprisingly difficult and highly unusual torso and pelvic movement isolations in Middle Eastern dance. She experienced that the journey toward the accomplishment of these coordinations, through careful and patient strengthening and stretching of deep internal pelvic and back muscles, would give the practitioner an unusual and powerful body awareness. Along with this would come a physical centeredness and a sense of personal inner strength that would bring forth physical health and relief from mental stress.
In her classes Ayshe has developed a series of simple exercises that will put the student on the road to a better understanding of her/his body in space and set the foundations for the individual to seek self expression through movement.
Product Description
Bellydance is an amazing art and one of the world's oldest fitness disciplines. Bellydance emphasizes movements of the abdomen and pelvis, and is an ideal way to develop deep abdominal core strength. Passed down from mother to daughter, this ancient celebratory dance became the traditional method for imparting body awareness, techniques of posture and movement, both natural and beneficial to the female body, as well as preparation for and recovery from childbirth.
In our age of sedentary lifestyles and stress-induced back pain, the bellydance fitness program developed by New York dancer and dance movement researcher, Ayshe, will help you regain and maintain abdominal core awareness and strength, an important step toward healthy and graceful posture, back pain relief, and safer ways to move your body.
Bellydance Core Fitness Workout flows from a warmup and isolations that engage your core muscles, to dance combinations and a beautiful dance routine.
Every movement in the workout has a name that can be referenced in the tutorial section, where each is carefully explained. The tutorial section contains a 1 hour 40 min. in-depth presentation by Ayshe, explaining the roles of the core muscles in the anatomy of dance movement, and their impact on our health and postural habits.
In this program we focus on the abdominal core muscles that span the lower spine, pelvis, and legs. Of main importance are the psoas and iliacus (iliopsoas), the key muscles for structural balance in the human body. The balanced fully-functional psoas is crucial for women's health. If the psoas is in a state of contraction or atrophy it will affect the reproductive system by restricting blood supply and disrupting the positioning of the organs within the pelvis. Menstrual cramping is often caused by the psoas exerting pressure on the reproductive organs when they are in a state of tenderness. A healthy, released psoas will bring relief from cramping and lower back pain.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
127 of 127 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I pre-ordered this DVD, so naturally I did not have a review to fall back on. I expected to see an energizing, fast-paced routine, a DVD I could put in my drive and get some sweat - after all that's what a workout is! The description made me believe that the excercises will be targeted at specific areas in the body. Eg, if you want to work on your abs, do crunches, etc.
I was more than surprised when upon receiving the DVD on the back cover I saw that the total run was 170 min (almost TWO HOURS AND A HALF!). This already looked unusual for a workout. Once I ran the DVD I understood why.
The DVD comprises of two main parts, Tutorial and Workout. The Tutorial is more than 1.5 straight hours long!
When you play the Tutorial, you see Ayshe alone at first (she is later joined by two of her students). She's probably past her middle ages but an amazing dancer with an impressive technique. Ayshe speaks directly to the camera and explains everything in great detail, which gives you the feeling you're right there with her in the studio. The studio itself is nothing too fancy but the lights are great and everything can be seen very clearly.
Ayshe starts by reviewing the body posture. This is by far the longest and most comprehensive review of the body posture I have ever seen. Ayshe takes her time explaining which body posture is correct and why; how it should feel and how it shouldn't. It's good to remember that Ayshe has a degree in this field, so she is INDEED an expert. There are also pictures shown of the spinal column and the pertinent muscles used. This is truly amazing! Suddenly all becomes clear AND logical. [A lot of teachers can show you how stuff is done but they can't explain why it works]. To put a disclaimer here though, let me say I am licensed as a massage therapist and a part of the training is taking 100 hours of more hours of anatomy and physiology, thus I was aware of the body structures she addressed. In relation to this I do not think she mentioned a very important part of the body posture - keep your shoulders down! Horizontally it's clear where they go but trying your best to do it right, one can bring her shoulders closer to the ears which would compromise the levator scapula and the infraspinatus and lead to stress in the shoulders. So, your chest up and shoulders down. :-)
Ayshe continues with a few excercises to help strenghten the muscles. The issue of safety is addressed at ALL times. Ayshe, aided by her students, shows slowly and meticulously, giving plenty of repetition but don't expect sweating. The tutorial includes more excercises which teach how to fully isolate particular muscles and work on these only. The Psoas is paid a lot of attention in particular. I have to remark here that by the way Ayshe explains it, it looks like the psoas is an anterior (of the front) muscle just like Rectus Abdominis or the obliques but it isn't. At least I got this impression. The excercise she shows is very effective - if done right.
Her whole program actually is like that - you have to listen carefully to her explanations and take your time soaking in the information and exploring. I found using a mirror a very good way to take advantage of her "don't do that" tips. Also, seeing three different body types works great. At the end Ayshe demonstrates pelvic locks/thrusts which are very funny to look at but I can't think of a better way to strenghten the muscles of your lower abs.
The Workout: Ayshe demonstrates a warmup, dance combinations and a full dance followed by a cooldown. As a basis she uses the steps and excercises demonstrated in the Tutorial. This is great because this gives you an opportunity to focus only on isolations first, then to incorporate them all together in a string - in a whole dance.
Do not expect endless shimmies. You will be disappointed. If you need a "buckets of sweat" DVD, try the other one with Ayshe and Blanca - Ultimate workout. THAT one is really vigorous and truly a "workout". This DVD trains precision and safety of movement, thus is quite dissected and you could say, slow.
YOU MAY NOT LIKE THIS DVD IF:
1. You don't care for anatomy or kinesiology.
You don't need to understand how an engine works inside to be able to drive a car. To say figuratively, there are a lot of explanations about the "engine" of the body to utilize its "performance".
2. You want to go down to business without listening to too much explanation.
Ayshe does a lot of speaking. The tuturial, the bigger part of the DVD, feels more like a lecture at times.
3. If you don't have a lasting interest in bellydance or movement anyways.
This DVD is recommended to eveyone else, especially those who:
1. Have a lasting interest in isolations and dance in general.
2. Rely on videos to learn bellydance
3. Experience back pain, while dancing or otherwise.
4. Would like to learn more about the body mechanisms
This DVD is really difference and truly one of a kind. It taught me more about body posture and the mechanism of body isolations than all of my other over 15 DVDs together.
Practical tips: If you're working for a real "drill", you may want to check the Ultimate workout (directed by Jehan)
Sadie has a wonderful Drum Solo DVD and the first part of it is a section with excercises for muscle strenght. Her pelvic locks are absolutely fabulous - the right workout to go with after Ayshe's explanations.
To sum it up - a must-have in every 'serious' bellydancer's collection!
I was more than surprised when upon receiving the DVD on the back cover I saw that the total run was 170 min (almost TWO HOURS AND A HALF!). This already looked unusual for a workout. Once I ran the DVD I understood why.
The DVD comprises of two main parts, Tutorial and Workout. The Tutorial is more than 1.5 straight hours long!
When you play the Tutorial, you see Ayshe alone at first (she is later joined by two of her students). She's probably past her middle ages but an amazing dancer with an impressive technique. Ayshe speaks directly to the camera and explains everything in great detail, which gives you the feeling you're right there with her in the studio. The studio itself is nothing too fancy but the lights are great and everything can be seen very clearly.
Ayshe starts by reviewing the body posture. This is by far the longest and most comprehensive review of the body posture I have ever seen. Ayshe takes her time explaining which body posture is correct and why; how it should feel and how it shouldn't. It's good to remember that Ayshe has a degree in this field, so she is INDEED an expert. There are also pictures shown of the spinal column and the pertinent muscles used. This is truly amazing! Suddenly all becomes clear AND logical. [A lot of teachers can show you how stuff is done but they can't explain why it works]. To put a disclaimer here though, let me say I am licensed as a massage therapist and a part of the training is taking 100 hours of more hours of anatomy and physiology, thus I was aware of the body structures she addressed. In relation to this I do not think she mentioned a very important part of the body posture - keep your shoulders down! Horizontally it's clear where they go but trying your best to do it right, one can bring her shoulders closer to the ears which would compromise the levator scapula and the infraspinatus and lead to stress in the shoulders. So, your chest up and shoulders down. :-)
Ayshe continues with a few excercises to help strenghten the muscles. The issue of safety is addressed at ALL times. Ayshe, aided by her students, shows slowly and meticulously, giving plenty of repetition but don't expect sweating. The tutorial includes more excercises which teach how to fully isolate particular muscles and work on these only. The Psoas is paid a lot of attention in particular. I have to remark here that by the way Ayshe explains it, it looks like the psoas is an anterior (of the front) muscle just like Rectus Abdominis or the obliques but it isn't. At least I got this impression. The excercise she shows is very effective - if done right.
Her whole program actually is like that - you have to listen carefully to her explanations and take your time soaking in the information and exploring. I found using a mirror a very good way to take advantage of her "don't do that" tips. Also, seeing three different body types works great. At the end Ayshe demonstrates pelvic locks/thrusts which are very funny to look at but I can't think of a better way to strenghten the muscles of your lower abs.
The Workout: Ayshe demonstrates a warmup, dance combinations and a full dance followed by a cooldown. As a basis she uses the steps and excercises demonstrated in the Tutorial. This is great because this gives you an opportunity to focus only on isolations first, then to incorporate them all together in a string - in a whole dance.
Do not expect endless shimmies. You will be disappointed. If you need a "buckets of sweat" DVD, try the other one with Ayshe and Blanca - Ultimate workout. THAT one is really vigorous and truly a "workout". This DVD trains precision and safety of movement, thus is quite dissected and you could say, slow.
YOU MAY NOT LIKE THIS DVD IF:
1. You don't care for anatomy or kinesiology.
You don't need to understand how an engine works inside to be able to drive a car. To say figuratively, there are a lot of explanations about the "engine" of the body to utilize its "performance".
2. You want to go down to business without listening to too much explanation.
Ayshe does a lot of speaking. The tuturial, the bigger part of the DVD, feels more like a lecture at times.
3. If you don't have a lasting interest in bellydance or movement anyways.
This DVD is recommended to eveyone else, especially those who:
1. Have a lasting interest in isolations and dance in general.
2. Rely on videos to learn bellydance
3. Experience back pain, while dancing or otherwise.
4. Would like to learn more about the body mechanisms
This DVD is really difference and truly one of a kind. It taught me more about body posture and the mechanism of body isolations than all of my other over 15 DVDs together.
Practical tips: If you're working for a real "drill", you may want to check the Ultimate workout (directed by Jehan)
Sadie has a wonderful Drum Solo DVD and the first part of it is a section with excercises for muscle strenght. Her pelvic locks are absolutely fabulous - the right workout to go with after Ayshe's explanations.
To sum it up - a must-have in every 'serious' bellydancer's collection!
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Bellydance videos seem to fit into one of two genres: instructional or performance. The instructional types can be further broken down into those videos that are fitness oriented and those that tend to focus more on bellydance technique. Generally, I prefer the latter as many of the fitness videos are simply routines that implore viewers to do their best to follow along. Often these fitness videos contain little, if any, information on how to do the movements. There is usually very little time spent on actual technique and movement breakdown. Instead, the instructors tend to err more on the side of producing a video that will have their watchers up and moving, even if they are not necessarily moving safely or with proper bellydance form.
Finally there's a bellydance "fitness" video that corrects this issue, providing a fun, sassy "follow along and dance" format while also including enough technical information to make the best instructional videos fear being sent to the bellydance swap pages. Ayshe, seeking to provide dancers with a way to improve their core abdominal strength, has created a DVD that offers viewers three distinct sections. The first includes all aspects of the typical fitness video (warm up, combinations, a dance section featuring the combos, and a cool down) combined with Ayshe's detailed voice-over description. This part of the video is a great bellydance workout as it is designed to specifically target key muscle groups important for technique such as the psoas and glutes. Each section of this "workout" portion could serve as a stand-alone exercise plan on its own, allowing viewers a nice variety of options all wrapped up into one DVD. For those seeking to simply follow along, the second section provides the same format without the narration. This part is in the standard fitness video style, allowing viewers to work at their own pace along with the video.
The third part of Ayshe' creation is, on its own, easily worth the price of the video. Here the instructor reveals her special talent of analyzing and clearly explaining the technical details of each movement. Ayshe spends a lot of time discussing the muscles that drive each move, presenting her information clearly and concisely. I was pleased that, although Ayshe certainly knows her human anatomy, I did not need a medical degree to understand her descriptions. And, in addition to all of this technical stuff, Ayshe shows several short drills with each movement and muscle group, a nice bonus for those of us who desire less to practice combinations to improve our dance and more to simply drill, drill, drill!
A particularly interesting aspect of this video was Ayshe's choice of movements. Rather than include the "standards" that many dancers know and love, Ayshe instead chose to highlight those moves that would improve core strength. Ayshe provides an interesting, diverse selection of movements, many of which are rare to find on instructional video. She even includes several folkloric steps, a nice and unexpected touch for a fitness offering.
I confess that I normally steer clear of bellydance fitness videos, but I can honestly say that I not only enjoyed Ayshe's work but will also actually use it regularly. This video is definitely worth a look and one I'd recommend for everyone's collection.
Finally there's a bellydance "fitness" video that corrects this issue, providing a fun, sassy "follow along and dance" format while also including enough technical information to make the best instructional videos fear being sent to the bellydance swap pages. Ayshe, seeking to provide dancers with a way to improve their core abdominal strength, has created a DVD that offers viewers three distinct sections. The first includes all aspects of the typical fitness video (warm up, combinations, a dance section featuring the combos, and a cool down) combined with Ayshe's detailed voice-over description. This part of the video is a great bellydance workout as it is designed to specifically target key muscle groups important for technique such as the psoas and glutes. Each section of this "workout" portion could serve as a stand-alone exercise plan on its own, allowing viewers a nice variety of options all wrapped up into one DVD. For those seeking to simply follow along, the second section provides the same format without the narration. This part is in the standard fitness video style, allowing viewers to work at their own pace along with the video.
The third part of Ayshe' creation is, on its own, easily worth the price of the video. Here the instructor reveals her special talent of analyzing and clearly explaining the technical details of each movement. Ayshe spends a lot of time discussing the muscles that drive each move, presenting her information clearly and concisely. I was pleased that, although Ayshe certainly knows her human anatomy, I did not need a medical degree to understand her descriptions. And, in addition to all of this technical stuff, Ayshe shows several short drills with each movement and muscle group, a nice bonus for those of us who desire less to practice combinations to improve our dance and more to simply drill, drill, drill!
A particularly interesting aspect of this video was Ayshe's choice of movements. Rather than include the "standards" that many dancers know and love, Ayshe instead chose to highlight those moves that would improve core strength. Ayshe provides an interesting, diverse selection of movements, many of which are rare to find on instructional video. She even includes several folkloric steps, a nice and unexpected touch for a fitness offering.
I confess that I normally steer clear of bellydance fitness videos, but I can honestly say that I not only enjoyed Ayshe's work but will also actually use it regularly. This video is definitely worth a look and one I'd recommend for everyone's collection.
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Great Abdominal Core Fitness Progam!
This is an excellent learning program. First, the tutorial is detailed, explaining how to identify and learn to use the psoas muscle, thus the inner core muscles used to engage the pelvis. Interestingly the psoas muscle is defined as relating to menstrual and reproductive health as well as the fear and shame of the reproductive cycle if not in proper state. A relaxed psoas is believed to quell fear of intense partum and strengthens the belief that belly dance was used to alleviate the pain associated with childbirth!
Included in this great program is an in depth explanation on the importance of posture in dance and other physical activities, strengthening and using core abdominal muscles, their relative positions in the pelvis and such.
.
Learn beledi rhythm, 2- step versions, fun, Moroccan folk step, karsh, and arabic twist step. These are fun and easy to learn!
Easy follow along choreography with delightful music; workout with music only or music and narration. Ayshe and dancers are delightful!
Great warm up and also included is a cool down using floor work and yoga related poses.
This is an excellent learning program. First, the tutorial is detailed, explaining how to identify and learn to use the psoas muscle, thus the inner core muscles used to engage the pelvis. Interestingly the psoas muscle is defined as relating to menstrual and reproductive health as well as the fear and shame of the reproductive cycle if not in proper state. A relaxed psoas is believed to quell fear of intense partum and strengthens the belief that belly dance was used to alleviate the pain associated with childbirth!
Included in this great program is an in depth explanation on the importance of posture in dance and other physical activities, strengthening and using core abdominal muscles, their relative positions in the pelvis and such.
.
Learn beledi rhythm, 2- step versions, fun, Moroccan folk step, karsh, and arabic twist step. These are fun and easy to learn!
Easy follow along choreography with delightful music; workout with music only or music and narration. Ayshe and dancers are delightful!
Great warm up and also included is a cool down using floor work and yoga related poses.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Long-winded, detailed explanations, but not completely useless.
I do appreciate that the instructor took the time to give detailed explanations on how and which muscles to move for certain basic bellydance movements. Read more
Published 13 months ago by OliveOyl
Not Good
This is not for beginners--not everyone can teach people how to dance and this is one of those instances. The instructor goes so fast... Read more
Published 22 months ago by michelle dyett-welcome
really, really easy, not in a good way
if you're looking to lose weight look elsewhere. if you're looking for a challenge too. this dvd is EASY and you won't work out a sweat. Read more
Published on April 14, 2010 by barbara novak
You get a lot for your money!
I love it. The only issue I have is that in the tutorial section maybe only two of her many explanations are not clear enough. Read more
Published on July 31, 2009 by yogabear
Lots of info to assimilate
I'm 50, wanted to learn Belly Dancing SAFELY as well as for fun. I read the reviews and went in with my eyes open. Read more
Published on June 1, 2009 by Truckle
I want my money back
I have contacted this seller twice, and have not received my video.
The replies are done by a computer, and i would like my money back!
The replies are done by a computer, and i would like my money back!
Published on April 7, 2009 by Valerie Gaitan
Good instruction; not good cardio
Not exactly what I was looking for. She does a good job of explaining the difficult to explain moves involved in bellydancing and I liked that. Read more
Published on January 12, 2009 by R. Cole
If you want to learn bellydance, do the instructional segment of this,...
O.k., so, I've been trying to teach myself bellydance. The thing is, there are a lot of fun DVD's out there where you can follow along, but, really, you have no idea what the heck... Read more
Published on October 12, 2008 by Lisa M. Mims
A Very Complete Belly Dance Instruction DVD
This dvd is very thorough. Ayshe, the instructor, takes you through all the kinesiology of the movements so you know exactly what you're supposed to be doing. Read more
Published on April 5, 2008 by Tara O'Hara
Requires too much room
Content-wise: This is fantastic. I'm not going into that. It just is.
However, I have to give this a 3-star rating. Read more
However, I have to give this a 3-star rating. Read more
Published on January 18, 2008 by Dancer Dreamer
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