Customer Reviews

Bellydance - The Next Level: Transitions, Turns & Layers

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Belly Dance the next level with Jenna
Are you ready for new challenges? This enriching instructional program; one hour and 45 minutes, is perfect for those who want to go beyond basics after acquiring a firm foundation and basic knowledge in belly dance, ready to move to ahead to meet new challenges. This is a great step up to follow Jenna's Basics and Beyond instructional program. See how the basics of belly dance are taken into more complex moves to beautifully layer and enhance moves, transitions, turns, hip work.
Three practice sessions specific for shoulders, hips and turns
The warm-up session: thorough and enjoyable, set to pleasant music and involves every muscle; nothing is left out. Jenna carefully guides a thorough warm up, using undulations, hip arcs, circles, upper and lower body movements the various figure 8s. .Jenna is reflected from a mirror in a studio setting therefore you can see all angles.
Hip work layering- in this section, Jenna leaves no stone unturned. Learn to co-ordinate hip and arm movement, using mayas with level change, adding twists to the hips while undulating, pelvic circles done in angles and center, scissor steps on toe layered with a circle, beautiful hip lifts layered with accents in and out, alternate with hips down, then add accents, slide the hips, then get ready for hip drops, shimmies, so much more. If you were ever at a loss at hip work, this will open your vocabulary.
Upper body layering: full torso rotations, variations of shoulder shimmies while layering on chest circles and more shoulder shimmies, layered with traveling steps.
Turns: a necessary section for all dancers. Almost swan-like and graceful, these turns are all beautifully illustrated to music as Jenna describes and guides you through each step and arm placement. Here Jenna takes you into her concept of turns; how a simple 3 step turn can become a barrel turn; try a two step turn with accent or embellishment, a compass turn or a hip circle with reverse turn, a beautiful compass turn on a spin, a lovely character turn, embellished with oriental arms, a slick cross-over turn, a hip twist turn. Also included is a great practice session for all the turns in the section.
Cool-down-Gentle yoga like asanas with soothing music in the background as Jenna instructs each move carefully while demonstrating proper body alignment and placement.
Jenna puts all her moves together for two great performances in full costume to 2 intermediate and advanced choreographies with step by step demonstration.
This program is packed with instruction. I have learned much from Jenna's programs; her instruction is thorough, detailed and precise in technique, guiding from the basic fundamentals of belly dance in a friendly approach. Jenna appears to be a wholesome teacher and if you cannot be present in her class, this dvd is the next best choice. I am grateful for such!

Just got this DVD the other day and must say that if you like Jenna's other DVD's this one is styled in much the same way. My experience is beginner/intermediate. I own Amira's beginning, Sensuous Blanca, Jenna's other two DVD's, the shimmies DVD, bellydance for fitness and well you get the drift. So anyhow heres my breakdown on the 1-5 scale. One is blah and 5 awesome.

DVD Length-5
thoroughness of instruction at intermediate level-5
Visuals, nothing distracting, good view of legs-5
Menu options-5
Costumes-2 (this is so subjective, but wasn't thrilled especially with the red dress that covers a good deal of her belly

Instructor likablility-5
Bang for buck-5 worth every penny and then some; nothing comparable in the intermediate range

Recommend-5 this is my top pick for intermediates

I believe this is a very good intermediate video. The instructor is clear in her explaination and her movements are not obstructed by wardrobe. I like that she then performs in costume to inspire you. Good education/entertainment mix. This is also a good video for anyone who just likes to watch competent dancers perform.

Well produced, easy to follow...there's a wealth of information here that can keep a dancer occupied for awhile! I love the break down of the turns. I FINALLY figured out the barrel turn after watching the DVD! It was like a lightbulb went off:) I also find it very helpful to have the camera behind Jenna while she faces the mirror, especially during the break down of the choreos. Makes it a lot easier to learn them.
This DVD is also a useful tool for teachers looking for new ideas to bring to their intermediate/advanced classes. Jenna uses clear explanations and great tips for all the movements taught, so a teacher is able to utilize some of these ideas to incorporate in their classes.

This isn't a bad DVD overall. It has a good warm-up and decent cool-down, which some DVDs sorely lack. I have a few major complaints, however.

Yes, she does the stuff in front of a mirror, but the instructional part she does FACING YOU, not the mirror. I'm used to taking classes where the instructor faces the same direction as me (i.e. the mirror), so it was difficult for me to determine which foot she was actually on and that made following the turns nearly impossible without stopping entirely to watch it several times before trying it myself. (Thank goodness she turns around for the choreography; it's MUCH easier to follow!) The mirror also cuts off your view of her feet, which, when coupled with the fact that she's wearing BLACK pants, makes it very difficult to tell how her weight is distributed on certain moves (unless you run it back). Also, on the turns section, she uses ballet terminology you may not be familiar with. (This is the 2nd bellydance DVD I've encountered with this same problem. Is ballet a pre-requisite for belly dance or something?)

There are two different choreography routines on the DVD, but there is a HUGE gap in the difficulty levels. I would consider myself an intermediate-level dancer, and I found the first routine to be almost too easy. I mastered it in just a couple of sessions. The second choreography had me so bewildered just watching it that I haven't had the nerve to try it yet. There really wasn't enough instruction on turning to make me feel comfortable tackling that choreography.

Also, while she does break down the choreography into sections, they are presented poorly. She does the full section (no voice-over) BEFORE she breaks the moves down and then does not repeat the moves at speed with the music all together, so you have to run it BACK after each section to put it to music. Also, she does not stitch the sections together in any way so that you get used to (ha-ha) the TRANSITIONS! You're relying solely on memory as to which section comes after which by the time you get to the full choreography, and it ends up looking awkward for a while (until you just memorize it).

Overall, I felt the title was misleading. There wasn't a true, defined focus on transitions or layering (apart from the warm-up), and there just wasn't enough instruction on turning techniques to warrant that either. Just an average DVD. Worth trying out, but I would suggest borrowing it from a friend or getting it used at a steep discount.

To any amateur dancer who is looking to improve her own choreography and increase overall dancing abilities, I would highly recommend this DVD as the perfect supplemental tool.

This DVD delivers in every aspect. The Drill sections offer opportunity to practice basic hip and upper body movements, while incorporating layers and transitions. I will say that the pace of the drills is pretty rapid, so you will need to utilize the pause button quite a bit.

After mastering the drills and the turns section, Jenna has two choreographies that are both elegant and technically challenging. Each choreography is broken down step by step so that you can attempt the entire routine on your own.

I use this DVD as a practice utensil and as a supplement to my in class lessons. Its right at my level (intermediate-Advanced). However, If you have taken or are taking belly dance lessons, this DVD will be very useful. I would not recommend this to a beginner or someone who hasn't taken lessons because the DVD is geared towards Intermediate to Advanced dancers.

Jenna is the best. She is such a sweet spirit. Both her dvds are a must to have. I have learned so much from her. I will purchase all of her instructional dvds. You go girl!!!!

i just got this and so far played it 3 times. but after seeing the trailer here i decided to get it. WOW - this is really challenging, and i'm now using this for my daily drills, i love it that much! jenna is great, clearly explains everything as she does them, and really challenges you to go just a little bit more than you're current skill level while gently encouraging you and keeps you going. i'm definitely going to look for some more bellydance DVDs by Jenna :D

While I don't believe this is necessary for every belly dancers collection, it offers new perspective on how to layer moves. Some of the moves look alluring, while others are on the awkward side. This DVD can be very frustrating and hard in the beginning if you don't have the patience. Jenna has plenty to offer someone looking for more complex moves. I recommend taking what you want out of it, leave the rest.

I enjoyed watching Jenna and the information in the video is very helpful. I especially liked how she broke down each type of turn and discussed weight transfers. I'll use this video for practice and for creating choreography. Well worth the money!