Customer Reviews

Discover Bellydance - Beyond Basic Dance [VHS]

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have both this video and Basic Dance in my collection, along with Neena and Veena's Bellydance Fitness for Beginners: Basic Moves video. I've always wanted to learn bellydance, but am THE WORLD'S MOST UNCOORDINATED PERSON! But, believe it or not, I have almost mastered all the moves on the videos I have! It's so much fun and so rewarding! The instruction is unparallelled, and you feel sensual and fantastic from start to finish. And as a bonus, these videos have helped me trim THREE inches off my waist in a little more than a month! I can't say enough for these tapes, and I'm buying Mystic Dance ASAP as well! :)

This video is a sleek, professionally-shot production in a lush setting reminescent of a Sultan's palace...thick carpeting underfoot, velvet cushions in indolent disarray, the warm glow of candles, richly appointed drapes flowing to the floor, artfully arranged potted palms, and a matching set of beautiful dancing girls sets the mood.

I thoroughly enjoyed simply WATCHING this video-the voice-over was less distracting than when an instructor talks as she teaches, and the camera shots glide smoothly from front, side angles to zoom-in and pan-out. The outfits worn by Veena and Neena are attractive (midriff tanks, leggings and hipscarves) and allow a good view of how the legs, arms, torso and hips should be moving.

In both the warm-up segment and the dance segment the moves are carefully explained and demonstrated. (I did not agree with two particular techniques...hip shimmies are shown with straight legs, with the knees bouncing forward and back. This can cause damage to the knees over time. I prefer shimmies to be taught in a bent knee posture, which protects these extremely vulnerable joints. Secondly...single hiplifts and drops are demonstrated on the tips of the toes. This is immensely difficult for a beginner dancer-and for many experienced ones! I teach this on the ball of the foot, which makes it easier to maintain balance, and cuts down on cramping in the arch).

The twins show a nice, simple choreography which utilizes the movements taught in the video...once in the workout clothes with a pretty chiffon skirt added, then again in vintage-style full costume!

I REALLY liked this video-the quality was impressive and the price reasonable. (The twin's physiques inspired me to diet)! I recommend this as a practice video, or as an instructional tape for a dancer without an instructor in her area.

Neena and Veena are lovely, sweet, and graceful. I found this video far more challenging than the first. They teach each move carefully, but the performance is fast-paced and gets your heart rate up, and the whole video really tones the arms and the torso. If you haven't learned to do hip drops, you might want to check out their Basic Dance video where they teach you exactly how to do it, because in Beyond Basic Dance, they expect you to already know it. This is yet another good quality about their videos--you really get your money's worth because if they taught you a move in one video, they won't re-teach it in another so you are assured of each video's uniqueness. A couple of the moves were very difficult for me to get, but I am very uncoordinated, and have a hard time following even the moves on aerobic videos. I highly recommend this video--I loved the soul-capitivating music, the inside-an-Arabian-palace background, their attitude (sweet and professional without being overly cheery nor condescending), and the womanly and challenging moves. To me, bellydance is one of the best and healthiest kinds of dance for a woman, and Veena and Neena do a great job of introducing it to a beginner!

Have you always wanted to learn Belly dance but have no instructors in your area? Too shy to try it in front of others? Or just need a fast & fun way to get in shape? Buy this tape! Veena & Neena are beautiful to watch and show the movements slowly and very, very clearly! You begin learning warm ups, hand movements, stomach movements, lower body movements, and last but not least - the dance.

This video is simple enough for someone who has never danced before to follow but challenging enough so that if you have been dancing, there are new things to learn. I would actually give this tape to a beginner rather than an intermediate level student.. If you have studied Hawaiian or even Tahitian dance.. you already would know 1/2 of what they teach here (with slight variations on hand positions).. The girls dance and you watch and the instructor explains their every movement and how to make it.. and even encourages you the whole way through.

If you have never danced before.. this tape is just what you need.. but please be aware that you will need to rewind this a few times to get your steps down.. and it will take LOTS of practice to move like the girls on the video. If you are buying this for fitness, practice the stomach moves over and over again. Your abs will tighten up in no time however, if you are wanting to lose weight, you will need to diet as well.

If you have weak knees or bad ankles, make SURE you check with your doctors because there are a lot of movements on these parts of your body. If you have had a back injury or suffer from stiff lower back and/or pelvis.. this tape will help you loosen them up!

Overall this is probably the best tape you could give to a beginner for either learning belly dance or for dieting! You learn all the steps needed to finish the dance at the end. The backgrounds and music are complimentary to the girls dancing and is definitely one of my favorite tapes.

I however, was a little disappointed that the title suggests that this is an intermediate tape and its really more geared for beginners. Try the advanced if you have already learned some basic belly dance.

I have all the bellytwins videos, from the workout to the dance tapes. I'm someone who hates aerobics, yet learning bellydance moves seems somehow natural, and it offers a bit of a challenge and a lot of fun. The dance videos are quite manageable, though some of the steps take work, but it wouldn't be fun if you learned everything right away. The beauty is in the process of learning an art form. Plus since dancing and working out to these tapes I feel great. More energy and the neck and back soreness I would wake up to a couple days a week virtually went away. I also am getting more flexible. The production quality on the twins' tapes is excellent and they dress in such a way that doesn't hinder your ability to watch and follow their moves. The workout videos don't always explain everything quite as well, but the more you do them the easier it gets. Sort of that little light bulb going off, 'Hey I can do that now where I couldn't at first' sort of thing. If I feel kind of drained and crabby I find dancing to one of the tapes works a thousand times better than a cup of coffee or a nap.

I did the Basic Dance tape about 7-8 times, and then went for the Beyond Basic Dance tape. Wow. :) I've done this one 3 times now, and am slowly getting the hang of it (managed to do the three quarter shimmy for the first time today!)

It is a lot of fun, and a good workout at the same time. I'm seeing new definition in my abs and hip muscles (and I've been weight training for ages!) Give it a try - Neena and Veena are very nice and friendly, without being sickening. :)

I have purchased a number of bellydance videos by different instructors and so far I like the best Veena's and Neena's instructional videos for bellydancing.

Even if you've never bellydanced before, Veena and Neena guide you step by step, from the beginning, first guiding you through the elements of the dance separately and then you get to practice along and do the entire sequence.

At the beginning of the tape, you get to admire one dance by Veena and Neena, followed by a warm up and then onto the most fun part - the dance itself. Everything is thoroughly explained and demonstrated and you can rest assured that you will be able to do the moves. Some are easier to execute than others, but with practice, you're bound to improve and you'll have fun all along.

I already have the Bellydance Fitness for Beginners video tape, and loved it so much that I order this set. This program is perfect for anyone interested in Bellydance. The instruction is slow, so you can learn the movements. I really enjoy the final section that combines the movements into a dance routine. My daily workout is Bellydance then (either yoga,strength training,etc.) Many thanks to Veena and Neena for these videos.

The video is gorgeous to look at, and it starts out well with some good stretches. The moves they introduce in order for you to be able to put it all together for the choreography are for the most part buiding on what a beginner would do, but with more movement across or around the floor.

I have been dancing since November, and am still trying to master some of the moves which they show on this video--and my teacher considers me an excellent student. The three quarter shimmy traveling is a killer.

Some of the camera work focuses only on their lovely faces, so it is hard to see what the hips are supposed to be doing. And sometimes they spend so much time on a really simple move like a hip bump, when they could be spending more time breaking down some of the more difficult moves.

But on the whole it is invaluable for practicing at home-no matter how many times you go to class it is good to practice on your own. Fun and a good workout, and the music is excellent, the costumes lovely.

I just got this video and its Awesome!It teaches you how to dance like a professional belly dancer! It even shows you egyptian hand moves etc.Its a little fast paced I have to admit!But yet its still good.The girls are very nice.I bought this video along with Exotic Dancing for Every Day Women which I REALLY Love but these two together I am making up my own dance routine which is really good! If you get these two videos you will be one sexy dancer!