Product Details

• Actors: Suhaila Salimpour
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Cerebellum Corporation
• DVD Release Date: March 29, 2005
• Run Time: 45 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007GP7UK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,067 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

BELLYDANCE PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE SUHAI - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars not for the faint hearted, October 28, 2005

By 

The munter (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bellydance Performance Ensemble with Suhaila (DVD)

You either love Suhaila or you hate her. I love the excess drama she puts into her performances, and her quirky take on a traditional dance. Also her little girl is sooooooo adorable!!! i would have added an extra star for her if i could.
If you have bad eyesight, the setting might be a bit cluttered & if you detest fusion then this DVD is not for you. For bellydance performance in general, if close ups bother you or you don't like skant outfits, my advice is to be mature and watch it for the fab dancing =-)

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magic, September 26, 2005

By 

D. Nichols (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bellydance Performance Ensemble with Suhaila (DVD)

This DVD is a treasure for anybody looking for the pleasure of just watching the dance. I love belly dancing but am not educated about it, so I'm not competent to critique the performances. But I know that magic belly dance moment when the performance just grabs you and you sit there entranced. And that is the rare accomplishment of this DVD.

For one thing, the sets are clear of distractions and you can focus on the dancers. Most important, the camera doesn't move around as though the cameraman was jacked up on caffeine. The magic of belly dancing is in the small, subtle movements, and you can't appreciate them if you're not sitting still. Nothing is more annoying than to be engrossed in the performance of your hands-down favorite dancer when suddenly the cameraman decides to take a walk and the next thing you know a candle is in the way or maybe some guy is standing there playing a violin.

Most of the dancing in this DVD has that genuine belly dance mysteriousness and not the modern look - that "thin girls hopping around doing jazzercise" look. I don't know enough about belly dance to know what the moves are called, but whatever they are, these dancers do them. There is a bit of the modern look to some of the performances, but fortunately not very much. That mysterious kind of belly dance has you thinking, "How can any human being do that?" Belly dancers don't walk, they float. They can even sit on their heals and float around in circles across the floor. The things they do with their bellies and hips you can't even describe to somebody who has never seen it. They're like magicians who have power to do impossible things, but power over you as well. And when you're captured in that magic moment and you're completely entranced, you're thinking, "She's not human. She's a genie somebody let out of a bottle."

The sword dance alone is worth the price of this DVD. The dancers are beautiful, the ensembles are so smooth and effortless, and then there is one overpowering performance after another by Suhaila Salimpour. There is no point even trying to describe with words what her dancing is like. I'm willing to concede that the other dancers might be human after all, but Suhaila is a genie. You can't fool me.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring to watch and new moves to learn, August 11, 2005

By 

Andrea Fryett (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bellydance Performance Ensemble With Suhaila [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I have just received my copy of Bellydance performance and must say that i am very impressed.

I will touch on three topics, environment, quality and the dances themselves.

First the video is set in a large space decorated with different platforms, large curtains, arched doorways candles plants and flowers. The space is very clean, the hard wood floor looks newly finished. Not only a very professional looking environment but also very beautiful. They have also had some fun with the lighting which is overall soft and dim (but not to dark). They have a light on the ceiling which casts beautiful patterns of light and shadow on the dance floor and dancers. The tones are very warm and sensual.

The quality of the video is excellent. The camera is stable and the focus is sharp and clean. The camera man changes his view point occasionally which can make it difficult if you are trying to follow along, but from a visual and video point of view it is well done and focuses on certain features of the dances beautifully.

The music its self is not always standard bellydance music which i found "weird" to begin with but warmed to afterward. Parts of the music seem much more modern while other pieces are the songs we all know and love. In one dance the dancer create the music with finger symbols only. The quality of the sound is very clean you can turn the volume very high without noticing any real distortion.

The Choreographys themselves are delightful to watch. I have seen many amateur bellydance performances and was tired of the same old act but this has renewed by interest in bellydancing as a true art form. The dances mix more traditional moves with more modern jazz moves. I find some of the moves to be less "pretty" or "feminine" than the traditional moves but can see the interest in them the same. One of the dances is comprised almost entirely of acrobatics which seems a little off topic but interesting to watch anyway.

If you are an intermediate dancer and want something challenging to follow this video could definitely hold your interest. Just be sure that you can follow fast changes in movements, if not you will definitely become frustrated. If you can however there are many new moves to learn and you will have a good work out. It all seems fast and overwhelming at first but you begin to recognize the new moves after the second time watching. You won't become bored after the first time you play the video for sure.