Customer Reviews

Bellydance: Magical Motion [VHS]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I'm a beginner at bellydancing, and I found this video quite helpful. I wasn't sure about how well it would teach me at first, until I started performing the moves along with the tape- the camera angles are very clear, and each move is demonstrated succinctly. I suggest anyone using this video also stand in front of a mirror while performing the moves to get a clearer understanding of the instructions, or else it can be difficult to know if you are doing the moves correctly. Enough moves are taught to make a very decent dance, although some help with choreography would have been more helpful than just suggesting that the dancer "improvise". Even the performace sequences are somewhat helpful, if just to see the variety of costumes. The historical information at the beginning is also a great touch.

I take group bellydance classes and have been to seminars and workshops. This is bellydance but only the very simplest form. Atea is ok and this is a good tape to start with if you are not sure how serious you are about learning. It introduces you to things like veil and zills but it does not instruct you on them. If you are sure you want to dance you should shop around spend just a little more money getting a tape from someone/troup that dances a style you are interested in and has a well known face and name. For example Fat Chance Bellydance for American Tribal style or Aisha Ali for African dance or someone well known for Egyptian or Turkish Caberet. If this is a serious investment for you-get a good tape, beginner or otherwise if you search around you will find several.

This is a great video for learning basic belly dance technique.

I am a professional dancer, and I recommend this video to women who are interested in learning how to belly dance.

Atea has a very gentle demeanor, so the tape is not too intimidating for a beginner; she covers the basics well however, so that students who choose to continue with real-life classes have a good foundation to build upon.

Atea covers finger cymbal (zil) patterns, slow (taqsim) movements, isolations and shimmies.

There is a whole section (5 min. or so) at the end where women dance in different costumes, so that you can see how the moves can be put together.

I am a beginner and after viewing magical motion I feel that I am on my way to becoming a great dancer.Atea is a great instuctor she takes great care in guiding you through the moves with precision.The dancers in her troupe (some of them anyway) were pretty good especialy Nina one of her dancers I really liked her dance style.I also appreciated the history lesson at the beginning of the video.My only gripe is that I must agree with another reveiw I read about Atea, she is stiff and uncomfortable in front of the camera.But she does have some gracefullness, her style reminds me of a ballerina and she knows her hip moves.over all as a beginner I feel that this tape was very educational and motivates one to discover more about this dance form that has been around since the dawn of civilization!

I have been taking Belly Dance lessons for several years. I found this tape very helpful and the instructions clear. I think the intent of the tape is to introduce certain movements and let the viewer be creative. So if you are looking for a full workout you will not get it from the tape. You have to make your own. But that is one of the beauties of the tape. If you want to dance in the privacy of your home or if you are thinking of taking lessons, I think this would be great for you. It is a very gentle tape. Do not be fooled by the 1996 date listed here. That must be the reprint date, my tape said 1985 which explains the dated hair and makeup. Atea is not the most animated speaker but I think that is in line with gentle nature of the tape. I think the tape is very much in the spirit of belly dancing as it encourages the viewer to use her own style.

Bellydancing is an ancient art form. Its origins can be traced to India, Africa and Polynesia. This dance is suitable for all ages and body types. The fluid graceful movement provides focused exercise for the pelvic, hip and stomach regions. When you add the arm movements, this exercise is expressive and creative. The first section of the video gives some of the historical background to this dance.

The arm techniques will give you more flexibility and strength. As you move your entire body, the natural movements will exercise every muscle in the body. It will especially strengthen the abdominal muscles. While you are dancing away your belly, you will also notice improved posture and self-confidence.

For this video, you don't need any exotic costumes, although the ones the dancers wear are absolutely the best I have ever seen. You may want to buy a scarf for one of the latter sections to learn veil techniques. Finger cymbals are also used, but you can just pretend you have them.

This exercise video begins with a warm-up, then Atea shows you all the basic moves. The 5 dancers featured in this video show you how to incorporate the basic moves into a more free-style dance. There is no fancy footwork and the dancers are quite good. All the moves are easy to learn, but will take time to incorporate into your own dance routine.

Bellydancing is a low-impact exercise, yet you can feel you are getting a great workout. You will start with stretching, head rolls and some basic warm-up exercises. Then you move a section where you learn basic hip movements. You will then learn to isolate and control various muscle groups. If you wear comfortable clothing, you will be able to accomplish all the moves. There is music in the background, but it isn't the focus.

Bellydancing is healthy for the mind, body and spirit. If you want to put a little oriental spice into your exercise routing, this is not at all a traditional workout. It is very enjoyable and not at all fast paced. Take your time and enjoy the dances that were born at the beginning of time.

~The Rebecca Review

I really wanted to like this video. I TRIED to like this video, tried to keep in mind that it was filmed in the mid-80's, but I just can't help feeling disappointed. What I spent on this tape could have paid for 2 weeks of classes, which would have done me more good. Specifically: it lacked a structured warmup. A complete beginner would need to be taught the warm up exercises as well as the dance moves. And the pacing was uneven -- I was expecting a workout tape that I could pop in, watch once, then rewind and work out with. Instead, it was an instructional tape which left it to the individual to build her own workout. Great if that's what you're looking for, but a disappointment to someone like me, who hadn't danced in 15 years and is starting over from scratch. Finally, Atea's speech and mannerisms were distracting -- while she is a good dancer, she is too stiff and stilted when speaking, and was obviously reading from cue cards. She would have done better to rehearse more, or to have someone else do the instructions in a voiceover.

This video is fairly scary, especially if it is your introduction to bellydance. I went on a shopping binge and bought 6 bellydance videos and this was the most dissapointing. The ad boast all the costume changes, but since this was filmed in the '80's, we are talking Jane Fonda meets Pat Benetar with Green eyeshadow. The video covers alot of ground, but the flow is all wrong if you want to learn to bellydance. The warm-up is 3 bellydancers stretching freestyle, with no instruction whatsoever, with a voice over stating that you should warm-up. The different instructions(about 5 minutes) are followed by a performance( about 5 minutes) that breaks the flow of a workout, or simply trying to learn something. The performances are not a guided routine or combining the moves you just learned, but a performance. In the veil section, she doesn't even break down the moves, but has different dancers doing demonstrations. I would have given it only one star, but the opening is a history of bellydance that is quite interesting. The video comes off as an overview of bellydance more than an instructional video. My favorites of the videos I bought were The Sensual Workout and The Goddess Workout.

If you want a good intro to this style of dance, this is an excellent place to start without leaving the privacy of your home. The instruction is clear, excellent lighting, gorgeous costumes and the quality of the tape is very good. My only complaint is that I really would have liked to learn a complete dance so that I knew how to put the moves together and feel the "finished product".

Great video for intro to belly dancing and for reinforcing what you already know. I love this video, I also bought their Belly Dance Fast Moves, and Slow Moves, great, great, great, training videos. Also highly reccommend "The Ancient Art of Oriental Belly Dance"