Customer Reviews

Bellydance: Fast Moves [VHS]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have read over the previous reviews and felt that I needed to add my 2 cents (sense) worth. I began dancing in Europe in the 1970's and I still teach and dance. I recommend all of Atea's dance video to those I come in contact with. Many reviewers made comment that her tapes are equal to the first few lessons of a belly dancing class... and you know what - they're right. AND this is a good thing! Many people want to take up belly dancing and do not live anywhere near a professional teacher. Atea will get you through the basics and, because she is so thin and wears the types of costumes that she does, you can see her every move - just what a beginning student needs. She speaks slowly and clearly. I have little use for instructional tapes where the instructor is all "dressed up" making the student guess at what their legs and body are doing. Performance tapes are not good instructional tapes for beginners. If you have never danced or had a lesson before and what to learn the basics - start here. Then begin your collection of tapes and grow upward.

There are some pros and cons to this instructional video. Overall, it is a good place to start if you want to learn basic belly dance moves. Here are some of my comments to give you a better sense of what Atea's "FAST Moves" has to offer you.

THE GOOD -- Atea demonstrates and explains the belly dance moves including hip shimmys, shoulder shimmys, and hip drops. You can see her entire body, which helps when you are learning these moves yourself. Also there are four individual dance performances and a group dance presented at the end. Each performer has a different style and they demonstrate modern and traditional belly dances. These performances may give you some ideas for costuming (though I hope not), choreography, or just inspire you to be a DIVA!! =)

THE BAD -- My main complaint is the lack grace and fluidity in the dance performances. You can count the beats to the music and predict when the dancer will change moves. This kind of purposeful dancing is not natural---the choreography should flow better from each move. I also did not like some of the music in this video-it is very corny and spacey (think disco-era and sounds of shooting stars).

THE UGLY -- This may seem superficial but nonetheless it effects the overall quality and enjoyment of the video.....The aestethics are not pleasing at all. The setting, costuming, and 80's hair from the instructors are quite unattractive and distracting. If you are easily distracted, then you may find it difficult to focus on learning the belly dance moves. If this is the case, then I would recommend that you get Neena & Veena's, Basic Moves Bellydance video--for a more visually pleasing experience.

FAST Moves is a good video for beginners and those interested in learning how to belly dance. I would also recommend this video to those who want to refresh their technique.

Absolutely fantastic tape for anyone that knows anything about Bellydancing or wants to. It's beautifully done and a plus for those special wanna-bees to enhance their abilities so they can become involved in the professional end of the dance.

At first I wasn't sure I liked this video, but it's growing on me. I admit I didn't care for the set and I'd agree with other reviews that Atea seems stiff when talking to the camera in various intros, but she does explain moves well and goes through them slowly enough for you to start catching on. Plus she is accompanied by two other dancers during each teaching segment, and points out the variations in speed and styles, which I enjoyed seeing. I didn't care for the video at first because I was hoping for a more structured routine to be guided through, like the Bellytwins and Dolphina offer, but I think Atea is more focused on teaching the dance as opposed to offering a 40-minute workout. She does break down the moves very well explains some of them in better detail to help you catch on a little easier. I had been having problems with a couple of the moves not clicking while dancing or working out to other tapes, and going back to this video kind of gave that lightbulb effect. I also enjoyed watching the dance performances at the beginning and end of the tape. There were many styles of dance to watch, which I found very entertaining and informative as to just how widely the styles of dance vary. I also like the ending, where all the women get together and dance so you can see everyone doing their own little solo dance to the music before they all get together and 'jam,' so to speak. It reminded me of what I read about the dance, originally being a dance for women, and not just some mode of seduction as it is interpreted today.

Disappointment! This was the only word that came to mind. The tape is only 40 mins long, with about 26 mins. of instruction time. The only person that is worth watching is the brunette.I think that buying this tape is a waste of time and money.

The focus on this tape is on hip moves. There are several full routines and the costumes are wonderfully inspiring. The instructions are given slowly and there is enough repetition for you to get it. There are several full routines which are good, focusing on hip and walking moves. They also give you a routine that is printed on the screen desrcibing the steps to one of the dances. This will be helpful for me between my classes and a good way to not only keep in shape between classes but a good way to review what I have learned when my class is not meeting for a few weeks.

I first saw Dahlia, a guest dancer, on Atea's Slow Moves tape and was so impressed by her graceful dancing that she inspired me to study the dance. On this tape she gives another wonderful and inspiring performance.

This tape, like Slow Moves, is another good tool for helping students of the dance to move into a stronger beginner and towards intermediate level with its faster moves, turns, and traveling steps. It is best to study with a live instructor when possible, but these tapes are great for review or if you can't take classes.

I have studied belly dance seriously for several years. I got this video (and Atea's Belly Dance Slow Moves) over a year ago. I often use this one when I want to practice, exercise, and concentrate on the basic structure of my moves. It's nice to have someone set the pace and remind me of the proper forms. She breaks the moves down and does them slowly. Doing any move slowly is an excellent way to concentrate on doing it cleanly. Atea's style is very clear. Her moves are distinct and precise. This makes learning from her much easier than from other dancers whose moves are not so clear. I totally diasagree with some critics who find her too stiff. This is a teaching video, and she has her own style. The dances by other dancers (at the beginning and end of the tape) are all excellent and give the viewer a chance to see differnt styles and approaches - as well as a variety of costumes. This video combined with her Slow Moves video make a good set for a beginning student or anyone who likes to practice with a video.

The instruction portion of the video isn't anything you won't learn in a beginner belly dance class. Atea is very stiff on the narrative parts, and I wasn't very impressed with her belly dancing skills compared to some of the other dancers on the video. While it was interesting to see some of the variety in the routines presented, there were only 2 I felt had any merit, and 1 dancer who was so bad it bordered on offensive.

This video is really great for those of us (like me) who have little or no experience in belly dance and want to get a taste of basic moves. I have been reading reviews that say this video is "not worth the money" because it doesn't raise the heart rate or the scenes are not "seamless" and it seems "too instructional". Well....DUH! This video is NOT an exercise video, it IS an instructional video in basic belly dance moves! If you are looking for this video to raise the heart rate like an exercise video, then don't buy it because it will not do that and you won't achieve that. But it can be great exercise and does wonders for toning and honing muscles in your body, so there is wonderful benefits from doing bellydance, period. Of course, it is always best to go to a studio and be taught for real but if you are very new and have no teachers in your area or want to learn basic stuff, this is the video for you. If you are an experienced dancer, than you will more than likely be bored with this because it is stuff you already know to death and use in your daily routine but it is still fun to look at! As for Atea, yeah, the video is pretty dated and she acts like a robot on screen and very stilted but the video has what are now top bellydancers, who now have their own websites, videos and studios/dancers. To see them perform and do the moves with her is a plus in my book! Plus the techniques/moves are really taught well, in my opinion and I have yet seen another video that teaches quite as good, especially leg placement and being able to see how the legs and the lower body are supposed to move. I also like the group dances and the demonstration of costumes in the video, that no other videos seem to have. And the section where she does examples of choreography and how you can put together your own, is a great part of the video for those who have no clue on how to choreograph their own moves. To me, that is worth the price alone. The video does have lots of value and I love it despite the issues many people who commented, had with it. It should be part of every dancers collection; beginner, advanced, and professional! The only wish I have is that Atea update the video and put out some more because she really has a knack of teaching the moves well!