Customer Reviews

Habibi, You Are My WHAT?! Leyla Lanty's Essential Arabic for Dancers - Volume 1

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

 

 

The short version: I liked it. A lot.

On this DVD, Leyla Lanty provides an introduction to selected Arabic words that can be useful for dancers to know. The bulk of the instruction focuses on words that frequently appear in Arabic song lyrics, with exercises on how to listen for them, and suggestions for gestures to use with them while dancing. At the end, Leyla covers some additional words and gestures that dancers may find useful when interacting with Arabs.

I wish this DVD had existed back when I was a student dancer. Even now, despite the fact that I've been dancing 28 years, visited Egypt 8 times, and completed 29 out of 30 lessons in an audio CD program that teaches Arabic, I still learned a great deal from this video. Leyla is very knowledgeable about this topic, and teaches it very well. The price is affordable, and with all the information Leyla presents it offers an excellent value for the money. For more information about this video, see my full-length review at [...]

If you're a bellydancer, you probably won't want to know all there is to know about the complex Arabic language, but if you've ever wondered why songs are sung by men to men, what that finger to the cheek means, or how many ways there are to say 'love', this is a great start.
It's a simple format: Layla Lanty speaks as if she's taking a workshop in your own lounge - well, she's taking a workshop somewhere in the world! And this is a very straightforward recording of that workshop. There are bloopers, just one or two, and simple flipcharts, and that's about it. As I said, simple and straightforward.
The chapters all make sense - although perhaps a bit long to learn in one go - and the range of words are entirely suitable for dancers. I particularly liked the addition of cultural background to help 'make sense' of gestures, oh - and why songs are sung by men to men (it's about being modest and not being too forward or explicit about love and women).
Sure there are lots of production values and video techniques that could make this a better DVD, and yes I would have loved to see Layla dance to the song she discusses, but overall this is one excellent DVD for any bellydancer unfamiliar with the language who really wants to ensure no gaffes are made and look like she or he knows what the songs are about.

Every serious dancer needs this video in their collection! Understanding what you are dancing to is imperative. Because of this video, I have avoided a serious mistake I had been making in my dancing that would have been very offensive to Arabs in my audience. Highly recommend it! I hope there is a volume 2!

It is always useful to be able to add to your dance with gestures that demonstrate the feel of the song, and Leyla helps with this, giving advice on various english spellings and sounds of the arabic lyrics, and explaining why most songs are masculine!
However, I must add that my enjoyment of the DVD was marred by poor camerawork and editing (we really don't need to see Leyla asking someone to change the CD, or someone walking past the camera!), and I agree with others that my attention would have been held better if there had been some dancing shown. For the money paid, I expect better quality.
That said, I did learn from this lecture, but would advise you not to try to watch it in one sitting: it is hard work and is probably better watched in sections.