Product Details

• Actors: Neon, Raquy, Liron
• Directors: Neon
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: StratoStream - World Dance New York
• DVD Release Date: November 25, 2008
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001GIXO76
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,976 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Must Have, December 21, 2008

By 

K. T. Watkins (Carson, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bellydance Rhythms Workout (DVD)

I am fairly new to bellydance. I have nearly a dozen dvds. From the first viewing of this dvd, I knew this was a must have for the beginner's collection. Why? Well, if you know the basic moves, you can use this dvd right away. Neon gives the student two levels, beginner and intermediate. For 36 minutes, you do 20 mini routines to 5 drum rhythms. 100% bellydance moves that make you sweat. Don't worry if some of the combinations seem overwhelming. Neon has the most useful and thorough tutorials for each combo that walks you through step by step. The more you do the combos, the easier it gets. And what makes this dvd a standout is the explicit way the drum rhythms are highlighted. Raqy does a great job of leading the dancer through the rhythms before you even attempt to dance. Neon reinforces the rhythms as she leads you through the combos.

This a dvd that you can use now and grow into. If you want a dvd that will last longer than the initial lessons, this is it. If you want a workout that is based on 100% bellydance moves, this is it.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Belly Dance Workout, February 18, 2009

By 

Highbaugh Taxtamara J. Highbaugh "Tami" (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bellydance Rhythms Workout (DVD)

I love this dvd. I get a good workout that makes me sweat and I have already seen results in my abdominal muscles, hips and thighs. There is a beginner and intermediate level. I am mastering the beginner level before going on to the intermediate level. I love this DVD. I also would recommend Luscious. They both have an instructional section that will show you how to do the moves before you tackle the workout which is really nice.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vivacious drum rhythms workout-drill-dance, November 21, 2008

By 

Mala (New Delhi, India) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bellydance Rhythms Workout (DVD)

Come to think of it, there are many instructional videos in this sub genre. There's The Heartbeat of Belly Dance from the same producers, World Dance New York, there's Sonia and Issam's Art of the Drum Solo, the rhythms video by Saida with Mario Kirlis, and probably a few more I haven't bought. Each one brings its own format and combinations, style, and instruction type.

In this video, Neon, Raquy and Liron Peled bring vivacity and verve to drum solo technique. The format, specially if you go by the menu, looks very simple. But that doesn't mean it isn't thoroughly conceptualized. Neon, who looks like a piece of bottled sunlight, explains the entire concept of this instructional program (choreographed by her) in her five-minute welcome. She views it as a fitness program as well as a belly dance one. As she introduces the video, she stands in what I call her Andy Troy (fitness expert) pose. You can see the intro in the preview clip, so I won't get over-descriptive here. It's not an aerobic program, but it is very active (especially in the second segment of sharply percussive moves) and involves much muscle work. It is not about floating around leisurely - so you may well sweat and get washed out. Or head for a Mars bar, like I tend to do.

It seems that there are many "multi-level" videos being turned out of late, and this is another in that category. Half of it is for beginners, and another half for intermediate dancers. I'm beginning to like this format a lot because as intermediate dancers can easily use the beginner's segment to drill, sharpen moves, work on finer points like transitions, turning, changing angles, balance etc. And as a beginner, you have something to gradually work up to.
So... first, drummers Raquy Danziger (dumbek) and Liron Peled (base drum) take you through the rhythms featured here - just the most popular ones - chiftitelli, beledi, saiidi, maksoum and masmoudi. The famous Raquy has a very nice way of explaining them here - she breaks them up into "low" and "high". That also corresponds to the movements you can make, so it works very well. Neon later uses the high and low cues when working with each rhythm. There are no backgrounders on the rhythms and their cultural significance, etc. Just brief, practical, effective primers.
And then come the 40 drum solo combinations in two dance flows.

As has become almost standard with World Dance videos, there's a separate tutorial section which you can choose to do or not do. I choose to do because although I "know" the moves, they need both smoothness and sharpness. And speed. For those familiar with Neon's work, each combination is explained in total Neon style. For those who don't know Neon... she explains fully and demonstrates clearly. Explaining basic moves is her thing.

The combinations are short and easy for the beginner flow, Flow 1. You hear the rhythm and vocal cues through many repetitions (12) and that helps get the rhythm, both main beat and riffs, into your head. If none of this is news to you, use the music-only option to go through the 20 combinations as a workout or drill. It makes a great drill, in fact! If you're an advancing dancer, use the music-only part to start making variations as the drum pattern is repeated. I find this part very useful, in fact!

The intermediate combinations move faster and are obviously more complex. They're still not long though. This iothncreases their drill-worthiness. If you've been dancing already, try both flows consecutively for a longer drill.

The obligatory performance on this video is missing. But for this price, it's a giveaway. Everyone on the DVD looks as if they're having fun. I think learners will too!