Customer Reviews

Bellydancing: The Sensuous Workout with Shamira

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'd never tried bellydancing before so I was very anxious to get this DVD and start practicing. The workout was fun and well explained for the hip movements, and I felt muscles being used that I don't normally feel with a normal low-impact aerobic workout. For someone with no experience bellydancing however, there were definitely some problems. For one, she is wearing a typical bellydancer's outfit with the long flowing skirts. It is beautiful to look at, but unfortunately, it means at no time can you see the position of her feet, how she is moving her legs, or if her knees are locked or bent when she does a certain move. The other problem was that she never really explains any arm movements so although your hips and thighs get a great workout, she moves her arms randomly throughout the entire tape so there is nothing to follow along with. As I said though, I enjoyed the DVD quite a bit, but I'll probably end up using it as a backup workout once I have a better understanding of the leg and arm movements that go along with it.

this is a wonderful workout and bellydance instructional dvd.
shamira is a great teacher who really loves her art and it comes across. this can be used by both beginner and advanced dancer for a good workout & training drill. if you are a BRAND NEW beginner, though, you will want to also get a beginner dvd such as the dolphina beginner's workout or the veena & neena basic dance. some of the hip circles such as the bicycle hips are shown in more detail in the dolphina & twins' dvds. BUT, all in all, anyone can enjoy this dvd.

...this is the DVD to buy. I had not been exercising for quite a while and needed inspiration. What a lucky break this DVD was. It's different, so not only do I not mind sweating, I look forward to working out with it! I also don't want to lose the gains I've made on learning the moves by not practicing! (I've surprised myself.) Best of all you can just take off your shoes, change into a tank top, and start exercising within 3 minutes of deciding you are going to exercise. (critical excuse avoidance)

The DVD has a fairly short instructional section in the beginning that describe the moves in detail. She's in tights so you can see exactly what her hips, knees, and stomach are doing. The rest of the video is workout and instruction combined. The moves are repeated just often enough, long enough for you to get the move down a little better each time. (I don't want a video I can do all of it the first time) She does small combinations in each section. After I'd had the video for 30 days or so, I could do the whole video. Then I noticed I was concentrating on my posture and exactly how far forward I was pushing my hips and exactly how round my hip circles were. The workout became more difficult. Now I am actually able to concentrate on being sexy and enjoying my non-model-sized body while "dancing" as much as I am "exercising"

The only negative thing about this DVD is that there isn't a full dance on it--- for you to perform at the end. I was expecting that. I would have taken 1/2 a star off for that if I could.

The music seems good to me, as limited as my experience with Belly Dance Videos is, but the music and the cues were perfect for the moves being taught. Best thing of all, I've lost an inch or two off my waist. (Again, I had not been exercising quite in a while.) I've got an extra 2 inches of space in the waistband of my pants now. (Using, Hula work out and SHORT pilates video too) I thought my ACL repaired knee would be a problem, but it really wasn't and now because my legs are stronger, the knees are more stable; I took it real easy on the knees at first but my knees are definitely better and need less anti-inflam. meds when I workout or walk long distance. This has been win-win-win for me. I can't wait to get the other Shamira video.

I'm so glad Shamira listened to the wise words of a certain fan--grin--and had her videos put onto DVD. Having met this lady in person and seen her teach, as well as dance, I can say that she knows what she is doing. Belly dancing is not something Shamira does merely to pay the bills; it is her means of self-expression, of sensuality. It is her art.

Unlike many artists, however, Shamira is not only knowledgeable about her craft but is also able to convey her knowledge in a down-to-earth and comprehensible manner. Her DVD reflects this in every way. It is, as she says, devoid of frills and fluff, concentrating instead on teaching the student the basic movements. She explains clearly what she is doing as she goes along, and each movement is given its own chapter on the DVD, so if the viewer finds one move more challenging than another, she need only select that move's particular chapter from the menu. And of course, Shamira is more than happy to answer any questions a novice might have, as I have discovered by e-mailing her myself.

My recommendation: do yourself or a loved one a favor and buy this DVD. The sensuous woman rests in all of us, so wake her up and embrace her, already!

I bought this DVD last year and never seemed to get around to writing a review as I was new to the writing game then. I love bellydancing and have since bought many learn to bellydance and bellyrobics DVDs. This "sensuous" workout really is one of my favorites, on mornings when I feel like doing a "sensuous" workout instead of a strenuous workout, I go for this one. Lots of circles, hiplifts and "sensuous" figure 8's, all are muscle toners. Circles are fantastic on the upper thighs and the lower bottom while the figure 8's work the hips and upper bottom. In fact the lower the impact of the workout the more fat you will burn, the higher the impact, you lean more toward sugar and fluid loss thus dehydrating, so as soon as you eat, the weight you lost during your high impact workout will be gained. The music on this DVD is wonderful too and puts you in a real mood for the moves. Sensuously, dance your way to fitness.

This DVD is great if you're interested in toning your abs and strengthening your lower back... but that's it. I've been bellydancing for awhile and I find that this DVD is a good bellydancing introductory.
Shamira hits the basic steps for hip movements and only hip movements missing basic steps for the feet and arms.
The run time is rather short. It left me dissatisfied. It would be nice to see one bellydance routine as an extra just so you can get a better idea on how to put it all together.

This workout is as the title say "sensuous", and it makes you feel very sexy. I have the VHS actually and have used it for over 2 years now and still inspired me. I am ordering the DVD version to give my VHS a rest. Shamira gives you the basic movements before the exercise/dance program. There is a music video at the end which shows Shamira's good sense of humor, down to earth personality and her "obsession" of star trek! (her website proclaim she is a trekkie!). I have e-mailed her a few times for questions and what not and she always response right away.
For the beginners, the dance might be a bit intermediate but be patient you will get it in no time as you continue to do the workout. I have a background in latin and belly dancing so it's a bit easy to follow her movements.

This DVD is wonderful, if you know what to expect from it. It's not super long (46 min), and it won't fulfill every desire, but it does what it does very well.

Let me start with the negatives, and save people some money. Do not get this video if you want:
- A high intensity workout. It's not, it's just not. I do break a sweat sometimes, especially if I try to follow along with her arms, but you won't feel challenged if you dance regularly.
- Thorough bellydance instruction. It really helps knowing the moves before, though she does introduce them in the "Basic Movements" section. I advise using this after another video, even after her Sensuous Workout 2.
- Lots of bellydance moves, complex technique.
- Shimmy work. Her shimmy section is very short. The video is much better on circles, hipwork, traveling steps and turns.
- Finally, and this is the reason I took off a point, while there is a warmup, it's short (no neck stretches, for example), and there's no cooldown. So you have to add to that on your own. Also, I really think every bellydance video should go over posture, just as a matter of course.

However, this video is fantastic if you want:
- A light, not too strenuous way to get moving and have fun. It might be a good way to start an exercise program, or to get moving if you've been sick or not dancing for a while. I have much fancier bellydance videos in my collection, but since dancing is my hobby, not my life, I wind up playing this one much more than I ever expected to. It's just great when you're not that energetic, you don't want to strain your back or knees, but you want to get moving and feel the spirit of the dance.
- A sense of the grace and beauty of bellydance. Shamira's style is not to string together a hundred movements in ten seconds, so if that's what impresses you, get something else. She uses a few movements (especially in this video), but she puts them together in a lovely way, and gives you a sense of how you might make combinations out of them.
- Easy traveling and stationary combinations. It's nice practice.
- Incredible hands and arms. It's funny: to me, the loveliest part about Shamira's dancing are her hands and arms, but she doesn't really talk about them on the two Sensuous Workout videos too much. If you've got the steps of the video down, try following along with the arms -- it makes it much more challenging, and gives the video the potential to be used for a longer time.

To conclude, Shamira's dancing, even in this "workout" DVD, represents to me much of the reason I first got into bellydancing. She's graceful, expressive, and playful. I think even dancers who know many more moves than are represented on this DVD can stand to learn a lot from her, if they pay attention.

I have had about a year's worth of beginners belly dance classes. Due to a move into an area where belly dancing is not offered, I've resorted to purchasing several belly dance DVDs. I must say that Shamira's, by far, are the absolute best especially for a beginner or someone with limited previous experience.

I'm 40 years old, slightly overweight, do not have the best body coordination in the world and I have permanent toe and ankle injuries that semi limit what I am able to do physically.

Shamira's Sensuous Workout allows me to put those handicaps aside to get a wonderful workout and I don't feel like a total fool executing the moves. She explains and shows the movements well. She also does an excellent job of talking us through the drills which are broken down into "figure 8's", "Hipwork", "Shimmies" etc. Each drill is long enough to feel like you've gotten a good workout but not so long as to be boring or impossible to accomplish.

I've had so much fun working with Sensuous Workout. In fact I've had numerous times where upon finishing I was like "wow! I'm done already!" When was the last time you could say THAT about a workout video?

I fell in love with this video (I've worn the VHF out and must get the DVD) when I first got it. Her incredible gracefulness, especially in her arm movements, is pure inspiration. I learned a lot just watching and imitating her arms, once I got the hang of the hip moves. Downsides are no mention of upper body isolation and moves, she focuses on the hips and legs with a short shimmy section. Having already had dance experience I did not need details on leg and feet, although her beginning section does show her in tights so that you can see her leg and feet positions. But her dancing is incredibly graceful and just by imitating her hip and arm moves, I added a lot to my own dancing. And you truly do feel sensuous! I've never seen any other video that shows as much the playful, fun-loving and graceful spirit as this one. Definitely worth buying as part of a collection. Even though there is no upper body work, I gave it 5 stars because it is so unique and captures the essence of sensuous belly dancing.