Customer Reviews

Bellydance - Tribal Fusion NYC

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

 

 

Good production. Good exercise session with challenging chest and torso (ondulation) moves.

Darshan teaches 3 combinations each with a different dance influence (tribal, world - samba etc.) in which she breaks down the moves involved.

Darshan then puts these moves togethet in a short and straighforward little dance combination which repeats itself automaticaly- that's a brilliant idea for those who might want to keep practising this routine for a while.

Darshan is graceful and teaches very well.

Only drawback: the background used during the dance combinations is a bit hard on the eyes.

The music is modern something or the other, not oriental. Darshan gives a lenghty solo permance at the end, which showcases her particular style of dance.

Overall, worth adding to one's collection of Tribal Styles.

I bought this DVD with Sera's "East Coast Tribal" DVD to help facilitate my at-home practice and I have to admit that it is dull in comparison. The combos are less than stimulating and the crazy lava-lamp background really is distracting from Darshan's teaching technique. Unlike Sera's smooth, graceful combos, Darshan's seem to be a bit tame and boring. Most of them are variations on ATS movements (arabic hip twist, for one) that you can find on Fatchance DVDs or are small isolation combos that you could feasibly make up at home.

The one that that is amazing on this DVD is her performance pieces. Darshan really is an amazing dancer and well worth watching... but I have to admit that her lovely performance wasn't enough for me to keep this DVD.

I WOULD suggest this DVD for its drills and combos for a beginner, however, since they're simple and clear-cut. However, if you're an experienced dancer who is looking to expand your horizons, I would suggest looking elsewhere.

Finally, a TFBD workout that shows you the intricacies of those isolations! Takes all the Rachel Brice stuff and really breaks it down, gives LOTS of choreography and a really long warmup/drill section that actually makes you feel like you've WORKED. I didn't care for the long, expository, talky bit at the beginning (she's not much of a public speaker) but the rest of the DVD was really good. Could have been lit a little better, the background is very dark sometimes, but that's not too important. I really like that she gives examples of 3 different styles here too. Her dance at the end is intricate and interesting. Overall not perfect but highly recommended.

I have been taking cabaret classes for 3 years now and this is my first DVD on tribal fusion bellydance. I loved the way Darshan explains how to do the moves in easy to understand step by step break down. She does them slowly at first, explains the use of muscles involved and then does them at full speed so that you can see what it is supposed to look like once the move is mastered. I liked her constant reminders to keep breathing and tucked for I get so involved trying to follow that my form often starts to suffer. True beginners might have a little trouble following along- for example, she doesn't explain what a hip drop is or how to do it. I however, found it fun and easy to follow and I especially improved on my undulations and learned the chest figure eight for the first time.

I also liked the break down of the combinations as well. She built them up slowly so that I could easily memorize them as she went along. I didn't have to keep going backwards on the DVD to see what she did because she repeated learned moves and then added new ones to the combination.

The intro is very informative and interesting. Darshan speaks clearly and has a nice voice, but used the word "um" quite a bit and the camera angle cutting was a little odd. Don't let that stop you from enjoying her dancing, teaching and her performances at the end. Over all, this DVD has a good warm up, helpful drills and some nice combinations that can be incorporated into one's dance. Nice little samples of a variety of moves in 3 combinations with 3 different styles: Contemporary Tribal Fusion, Tribalesque and World Tribal Fusion.

Advanced tribal fusion students might find this a good review, but may end up not getting enough new stuff from it.

I am a sort of a beginner myself. I bought Sera's DVD too and I found it helpful. However, the way Darshan explains the isolations is so much easier to understand. She really breaks it down and took me to the point I wanted. Although each DVD is very good, in my opinion. If you are a beginner then I would recomend this one too. Nevertheless, if you already are a trained dancer, or an intermedate, then maybe this is not the right one for you.

And of course, Darshan is one gorgeous dancer. Her performance is really captivating (the music, the choreography, her personal style, attitude, etc.).

I would also like to buy the music. That song named 'Klong' is WOW!

I love Darshan since seeing her great body awareness & mind/body connection in her Chakra Dance dvd.
Intro/Welcome w/Darshan - 4 min
Including how modern incorporates more upper body which this dvd focuses on
Dance Workout - 30 min
Set in a small auditorium? as the 2nd part of the intro is in. She's alone in a basic black halter & black pants that you can easily see her legs to see how she moves. Includes a warm-up, posture exercises, poses, rib slides, circles, figure 8s, a little snake arms, hip bumps, omi, undulations both up & down (she explains it the best I've ever seen & I finally get it.) She teaches corners first, then builds to complex finish. She also has you do it slow several times & normal speed several times which was perfect. Enough to get muscle memory but not get tired/bored. She also doens't do a voice over & teaches you well with talking you through the move telling you which direction to move that & every body part. She doesn't just count like others which is great. There is always music playing, different styles in even the dance workout as time went on from modern to pacific island to middle eastern which helps although sometimes the music will have a fast temp which goes against her relaxed teaching in this section. She talk a little too much before/after instead of during the drill practice where you would be moving which is what you want. At first the slow pace killed me, but as time went on, she talked less & did more movements it was perfect.
Combinations - 40 min (Contemporary, Tribaleque, World Tribal Fusion)
Darshan is in a simple red/black pant/halter that you can still see her knees for movement. The background is all computer generated & looks like a beautifully colored STATIONARY graffiti brick/concrete wall that only changes for each new chapter dance style. Here she goes over the moves 1/2 speed a few times & then normal/fast speed several times while still telling you where to move your body. It build into a routine & she always has you practice each part of the routine on each side of the body before adding more. She was fast, to the point, but great drilling.
Contemporary - 20 min - she uses mostly the moves covered in the workout section, very nice routine, very fluid music here had a slow beat
Tribaleque - 9 min - short routine of only undulations, chest lift, w/added shimmy walk, hip lifts & hip push backs (not taught in the workout section)
World Tribal Fusion - 9 min - teaches only one samba style, a turn, pose, etc.
Transitions - 2 min - teaches one horse stance transition w/some hip circles & drops for added workout music is very trance-like which put me to sleep
Practice Combinations - 17 min??? - Shows Darshan showing all 3 combinations in a single routine done 2x in 1 min 10 seconds w/music that fades in/out with it as well. This chapter is reset many times for as long as you want to practice
Performance - 10 min
Darshan in tribal style outfit/silver metal jewelry & metal top in a room with a simple black floor, black curtains behind her, well placed subtle colored lights & sunlight streaming in off camera most times from the large windows.

I did feel my muscles being used/strengthening & I felt more control & learned a lot, but this isn't a cardio/sweat type of workout. I tend to like minimal/no instruction before/after each move & only details while you are doing the drills/practice instead of as an intro so that you're always moving. Darshan did a little too much intro instruction in the workout section, but talked less as time went on. She did give great detailed info that is the difference between an average dancer & a skillful/mesmerizing dancer. Some of the music was trance like which some like, but I need a fast/hard beat to keep me energized. Great for beginners who already know the basic movements of the popular belly dance steps & those looking for a little refinement, fluidity & body awareness.

Intro/Welcome clip is on amazon & youtube. A clip of her in the combination portion is also on youtube.

Found Sera's East Coast Tribal a little more useful and educational, but this has some great stuff re: posture and much more comprehensive with arms. The warmup is a pretty good one. From a production point of view, the dark background is a tad on the creepy side (smacks of a snuff film being shot in a warehouse) but the quality of education is good and certainly I have no regrets on this purchase. A good supplement to other tribal training.

There are several unique characteristics of this DVD that I enjoy. First, Darshan has a more upbeat personality than some of the other dancers who teach tribal fusion type dance. Second, the movements are simple and repeated slowly and then slightly faster - over and over. When the movements are simple you feel more successful which keeps you motivated. Third, the DVD is educational. She explains and demonstrates the differences between 4 different types of tribal fusion styles. Fourth she is a wonderful dancer. Fifth, the music really compliments the movements. This DVD and the DVD by Ariellah will definitely teach beginners the basics of tribal bellydance technique.

I have wanted to learn belly dancing for years but there are no good instructors here in my area. I have bought 5 other tapes and been disappointed. This one is very different. It's the first I have found that shows in-depth beginner step-by-step instruction and technical moves. The repetition was also good for me as a beginner. I think learning new dances is all about muscle memory and I gained a lot of that with this video. For all this I gave 3 stars.

I also like that it has like 4 (~40 sections of instruction.) most tapes only give you 1 session most of which includes warm up and cool down. 1 star

I also like that there are sections with some history and cultural, and her philosophical thoughts on dance. It made learning from her a more personal experience. I gave 1 star.

I held back on a few stars because of her borderline gothic attire (why all black for such a spiritual dance?), the psychedelic and weird backgrounds, and the creepy music. It was slightly distracting and broke the mood.

Its a nice video, well produced and easy to follow.

Intro, warm up, workout, combinations, performance... pretty standard stuff.

The nice thing about this DVD is that the instructor gives some history of the art before the workout begins and helps clarify the different styles she teaches. Her primary focus is the upper body rather than the hips.

Darshan is a fantastic dancer, but her instruction needs some work.
Overall, the video was lackluster and it becomes "just another bellydance video."

Its great if you have a collection of belly dance workouts and do a different one each day, or if you want to try tribal belly dance for the first time. But if you only buy one belly dance DVD in your life, this is not the one you want.