Customer Reviews

The Goddess Workout With Dolphina: Bellydance for Fitness: Body, Mind and Spirit

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

 

 

I bought this to replace another copy that my nephew destroyed. I waited so long to look for another copy and am so glad to have found it. This is one of my favorite workouts. It is not very strenuous so I like to do it at the end of the day followed by Tai Chi and bed. It's great for releasing tension in your neck and shoulders and always leaves me with a fluid and sexy feeling. Very empowering. My favorite part is the Goddess walk (at least that's what I call it) when Dolfina instructs you to "do it with attitude...it's like saying aren't I fabulous?" Some reveiwers commented on not being able to see what she's doing because of the camera angeles. I have taken a belly dance course in the past so this was not an issue for me. But I find that even if you didn't have prior knowledge if you watch the workout once first you can figure it out. She also gives you instructions all throughout so listening to what she's saying is also helpful. I also recommend the Neena and Veena series of bellydance workouts.

This was my first belly dance tape. I practiced to her calming, clear instruction. When I entered a class, I found far more experienced dancers than I could not do the slow moves she presents so well here. They create limberness in muscle groups that other exercise forms do not address. These are the sensuous moves that are signature to belly dance.

...how annoying I found Dolphina and her video. And now that I've sampled other DVD instruction by professional dancers, I can see I was correct in thinking she was all about trying to look sultry and alluring and not so much about teaching the dance. Granted, back then I couldn't make it through the arms section, but that's because they're my weakest area and she did them to death.

My experience with this video made me check reviews before making a purchase because I didn't want to make the same mistake twice. And I didn't. If you're interested in belly dance taught methodically and well, I would suggest looking into New York World Dance's DVDs and videos. One of the DVDs I own, "Love Potion," includes an instructional section, a practice flow, the workout dance using the moves learned before, and an extra choreographed dance at the end. With the workout and practice flow, that's 90 minutes.

I wouldn't really call this a workout, it's more like a bellydancing video. You won't work up a sweat with it like an aerobic workout, but you will learn basic bellydancing moves. In my case, I discovered ways of moving that I didn't even think were possible. It's a little funny though, how Dolphina makes weird faces sometimes. If you are looking for a workout were you can sweat a lot, this isn't for you, but if you want to learn to bellydance this is a good video.
Another thing, it's pretty long, I usually get tired halfway through the video. Mostly my arms. By the way, the costumes she wears are really cute, and the settings are nice. I actually bought myself a bellydancing belt with hanging coins to do this workout. It made me feel more feminine.

I read some of the other reviews on this dvd, and was expecting ... maybe a dud ... but I was pleasantly surprised. I don't find Dolphina's references to religion, chakras, or any of the other less-than-commercial ideologies to be detrimental - more her personal view of the inner workings of the dance. I enjoyed it, and found it to be well planned and beautifully presented. Some of the production values - sound, and camera angles, could have been better... (sometimes you can't see her feet, for a move, sometimes the crashing ocean makes her words difficult to hear), but overall I found it to be an excellent value, an enjoyable session, and probably a lot more akin to the dances of our ancient mothers, in character, than some of the Raqs Sharqi instructionals structured in discipline like a modern ballet class.

Teru

I have to admit Dolphina is quite the character but once you get past her random references to chakras, past lives and exercises that make,"magical things happen" you realize that it's a pretty ok DVD. It has a warm up, exercises, routines and a cool down. It adds a little spice to what would normally be boring and mundane squats, lunges and ab work but because you're dancing and focusing on your body's movements, you're less aware of the burn you feel when you get a good work out. It's not incredibly intense but some dances are challenging and I'm thinking, Dolphina slow down -like when she just goes off the deep end shimmying into oblivion. You get better each time you do the dvd, you are exercising but it's fun.