Customer Reviews

Instructional Bellydance with Jillina: Level 1, 2, & 3

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First in what I hope to be a series of instructional videos from the producers of the Bellydance Superstars show, this is a great set from a fabulous dancer. Three separate DVDs cover beginning, intermediate, and advanced moves and choreography. The choreographies cover classic style dancing, the more "pop" moves, and an earthy, folkloric style, so you really get a good sample of what modern bellydance looks and feels like.

Each DVD begins with a short series of stretches, although she cautions you do an aerobic warm-up for about 20 minutes before you begin to stretch.

On each DVD, different moves are taught, from the most basic hip circles on Vol. 1 to the more complicated Arabic Twist and spins on Vol. 3. Beginners or people with no previous dance training will have no trouble following these movements. Jillina demonstrates each move slowly and in exaggerated fashion, so it's easy for you to see the shape, gradually bringing it down so it's smaller and more subtle, while speeding it up to its full time tempo. She repeats the movements several times so you don't have to keep rewinding. Unlike some "instructional" videos, Jillina actually describes and explains each move and the muscles driving it, so you don't just have to watch her and play follow the leader.

The next section is combinations, where she puts together the moves you just learned into short (on the beginning DVD) or longer (on the Advanced) combinations which you can incorporate into your own dances. The combinations you learn in this section will be put together in the next section, where she teaches a different choreography on each DVD. She is a thorough teacher, and explains and demonstrates each move and combination a number of times, so it is very easy to learn the choreography.

Each DVD ends with a performance by Jillina, in full costume, of the choreography you just learned, with a few additions and modifications.

I don't know that advanced dancers would learn any "new" moves from her, but they will definitely benefit from seeing the different combinations, and her choreographies are fun and easily modified to fit different music. Jillina's style is very energetic, and she interprets the music in a way that is different than most dancers of "classical" Egyptian dance. The price is so reasonable that if you only invest in this DVD to check out Jillina's personal dancing style, you still won't be disappointed.

Production Quality: Excellent
Jillina teaches with her back to the camera, in front of a large angled mirror, so you can see both her front and back at all times. The set is pleasantly decorated and the music is loud enough to dance to, but not loud enough to overpower her voice. There is no bizarre camera work. The camera angle will change depending on the focus of the movement, but for the most part her entire is body is shown, and the angle changes are not jarring or distracting.

Jillina is dressed in a matching hip scarf and choli-type blouse, and you can clearly see her stomach and legs. Since she teaches in front of a mirror, you can see just about all of the angles of her body. She stands out well against the backdrop, and the set itself is well-lit, unlike many videos, where you end up with eyestrain after watching!

Another nice addition is in the credits, which list the music used in each section. Also a plus is that there is no extraneous advertising at the beginning of the DVD, so you donŐt have to sit through five minutes of ads before the instructional part.

Price: Better than Excellent
Typical good-quality bellydance instructional videos are priced at around $45-$55 EACH. This set gives you 3 well-produced DVDs for that price. This boxed set is less than the price of a standard workshop, and you get about the same amount of instruction and choreography time. I hope to see more productions of this quality from the Bellydance Superstars team in the future.

Belly dance videos/dvds are usually expensive and, thinking you're getting a dvd that's going to help you learn the dance, you end up with an exercise aid instead. If you're looking to exercise using belly dance movements, I can recommend none higher than Rania's Exotic Belly Dance Workout; however, if you're looking to practice dance, you must buy Jillina's Instructional Bellydance dvd set.

The price is excellent - three dvd's for the usual cost of one. The set has three dvds: Levels One, Two and Three. Beginners can easily follow and intermediate and advanced students won't be disappointed either.

Jillina teaches you movements - she does not play "monkey see - monkey do." Her clear, concise instruction includes the movements, which muscles are being used, and proper posture starting with a slow, exaggerated example moving up to tempo. There are sufficient repetitions that allow you to repeat and practice instead of rewinding.

The music, modern Egyptian pop, is current, loud enough to hear, but not too overwhelming and does not prevent you from hearing the instruction. The song titles are also listed in the credits with the artists' names - very helpful.

Jillina wears a matching choli, exercise pants, and short hip scarf so you can see her body move. The ability to see her is aided by the excellent camera angles and the full-wall mirror. There is no guess-work here. Finally, seeing Jillina's superlative preformance of the dance you've just learned is the best.

If you're not a beginner, this is still the set to buy. At all levels of this dvd, Jillina give excellent instruction of basic technique and then she proceeds to teach combinations using that technique. The combinations are then used in the choreogrphy section. I find these sections of the dvds most helpful; as you see how she combines movements and then uses the combination to choreograph a dance, it allows you to use that knowledge to create your own choreography - most helpful.

I highly recommend this dvd set to belly dancers of all levels - it is my best ever purchase for home practice.

I think Jillina is the best BD in the world. However, this is not the best video for brand new beginners. She doesn't spend much time on each move. So it would be hard for anyone to learn if they haven't seen the moves before. It would be great for some one who has already taken a beginners class or has other beginners videos. I consider it more a chorography video than instructional. Her performances at the end are wonderful!

You can spend all your life trying to learn "authentic" bellydance, and agonize over whether you're doing it JUST LIKE AN EGYPTIAN, or you can be true to your own soul, and bellydance the way YOU dance, not some ancient film star.

If you're a beginner, don't get caught up in the endless argument over what is or isn't REAL bellydance, because it doesn't matter. You should dance to please yourself, to have fun, to be spiritual or sexy- whatever you want from it. That being said, this is a great set of DVDs to learn lots of different moves and combinations.

You don't need previous dance classes to do bellydance, and these 3 DVDs will teach you all you need to know to get out there and express your soul.

Please, if you're new to bellydance, please please please don't be put off by people who say Jillina isn't "authentic." Dance because you love it, not because you're trying to recreate a dance done in egypt in the 50s or whatever. You're going to have way way way more fun doing these DVDs than trying to chase down some illusion of "authenticity."

Bellydance is for everybody: big people, thin people, jazz dancers, uncoordinated people who've never had a dance class in their life! And if you just want to watch a great dancer, Jillina performs on each DVD.

So my advice is, buy these DVDs, relax, don't worry about what other people think, and dance your heart out!

I have just bought all 3 levels of Jillina's instructional videos. I agree with some of the previous reveiwers reguarding the amount of time she spends on techinques. She does not spend alot of time on each one. However, each move is clearly labeled at the bottom of the screen. This would allow someone that is totaly new to Belly Dance a chance to rewind to what you don't understand. Her explanations were very clear, and performing in front of the mirror was an exellent idea.
One thing that is important for one to keep in mind is that someone that REALLY want's to learn belly dance should suppliment DVD'S with actual dance lessons. In a dance studio, a teacher can give you feed back on what you are doing, and see things that the student can't.
As far as the personal attacks about her race and looks, I could not care less. She could have trees growing out of her face, if she can teach, she can teach. It is my understanding that J has gone to Egypt to study technique. Who was teaching there? Russians?
ALSO RECCOMENEDED:
Neena & Veena the "Beyond Bellydance" Set
BellyQueen "BellyDance Jam"

I own a bunch of bellydance workout/instruction tapes, some which I love, others not so much.
So I bought volume 2, just for the heck of it and because quite simply I wanted another dance tape to work out to. I enjoyed it very much, so I got the other two as well.
In each one, Jillina offers some stretching exercises, then she has a segment on technique where you learn some moves individually. Following that there is a part on doing the steps, and she repeats the moves a couple times (at least); then you dance with her to the music. And she's not done yet. There is a section on choreography where you can go over the steps you just learned and practice those with a bit of variation.
She tops it all off with a performance in a nightclub setting and it's fun to watch her dance. She's a riveting performer and makes it all look so effortless (and is even more amazing if you know how much work it is).
I love that the instruction is done in front of a mirror, so you see her doing the moves from two angles, and she'll even go so far as to instruct you which foot to take a step with, so you can follow her that much more if you have two left feet.
She starts slow and explains it thoroughly and then you build up on it. Some moves are easy to pick up and others take a bit more effort, but it's fun to rewind and actually have a chance to do some steps. The first volume is easiest to learn (naturally) and they climb in difficulty but it's not overwhelming (mind you, I'm no pro, just a living room dancer with a few lessons under her belt). I love how well these dvds are done, and how clear Jillina is. They're excellent, especially for people who want stuff that is a bit more challenging and who want to explore more choreography.

Jillina,a Southern California dancer is a dance artist coming from a western jazz and ballet background with training in ME dance. Like many American Oriental dancers Jillina's western dance training shows through very strongly in her style and her performances are designed to please American audiences and their preferences. I think its time we stopped penalizing American Oriental dancers for being what they are- American Oriental Dancers!
So, if you are looking for authentic Egyptian Raqs Sharqi, this is not it. However, that does not diminish the fact that this DVD set contains some excellent instruction and combinations. It is fun, well presented and easy to follow for an advanced beginner and higher dancer. If you enjoy performing to Arabic pop you will find value also.

Wow, three full instructional DVDs for under $50. What a value. I find Jillina's look so tame compared to some of the "authentic" Egyptian cabaret performers I have seen. She is lovely, her body is ideal for bellydance and I don't see the Hollywood "plastic" as has been previously mentioned. Bellydance is a performance art and as such the performer needs to be well groomed and have a sense of style. She specializes in cabaret/pop style and her "glamorous" look is very appropriate. Although I am not crazy about all of her performance costumes, they suit her. (I am sure my costumes probably wouldn't suit everyone's taste either.) I love danse oriental because it allows everyone some leeway in personal style. She looks great!
As far as content; the production values are great and instruction is awesome. Professional set, audio, visual, titles, etc. Her instruction is comprehensive and easy to follow (you see her as you would an instructor in class, her back is to you and her front reflection in the mirror). She gives you everything you need to supplement or temporarily substitute for classes in your own home. I find having a choreography to work towards more motivating than just learning moves. She provides both, as well as a warm-up (although, as she states, this is not a cold warm-up. You should do at least 20 minutes of cardio first to get your body ready) and a full dress performance of the choreography with costume and audience at the end of each DVD. This is great so you can get a full idea of the embellishments, flourishes and audience interaction that make a routine work. All three routines are fun and not too difficult, with practice, although not my favorites. I personally enjoy her routine on "Jillina's Egyptian Pop Choreography" tape more and there are other dancer's styles that mirror my own better but these three DVDs are an exceptional value and every level can get something out of these, whether you're a complete beginner wondering where to start or an advanced dancer looking to hone some moves or some new ideas in choreography. Thanks to Jillina for making a well-produced, fun and highly instructional product available to almost anyone with its very, very reasonable price.

Instruction:
Not deep and sometimes unclear. Some of the moves included in choreography are not explained at all.

Drilling:
None! As many reviewers pointed out, you have to constantly rewind, as each move is demonstrated only a few times. You'll end up spending more time rewinding than practicing.

Choreography:
First of all, in the absence of proper instruction and drilling, it is pointless. Secondly, for quick learners and imaginative dancers, her routines are neither challenging nor cute.

Technique:
I have to note that Jillina is not a very gifted dancer. I find her rather rigid compared to many other bellydancers I've seen, including some that are not famous (yet). Her Egyptian shimmy is downright poor.

Filming:
Will make you nauseous, since the camera was handheld. The "sliding" transitions between sections make it even worse. Most of the time you have to watch Jillina's back, which is quite frustrating, as naturally one tends to pay more attention to the front. In addition, the position of the camera makes her look short-legged. The lighting level is too low, considering Jillina's dark outfit.

Jillina's "instructional" videos include some belly dance technique and combinations which she puts together into a performance at the end of each one. Overall, it seems more instructional in choreography than in belly dance technique, and Jillina filmed choreography that she uses elsewhere. Learning choreography technique and getting ideas from this video can be helpful, but learning music composition is fairly crucial to this process as well if that's what you're seeking. While Jillina can belly dance and put together choreography, the tone of her videos is directed at the American consumer, or it is, rather, commercialized. By her own admission, her background is in Jazz dance. I recommend that if you are looking for technique than the best thing to do is enroll in a class with a teacher you are comfortable with and if you use videos, use them to augment your lessons. Videos, as true in this set, will not teach you emotional interpretation of music and using expression like you'll see with authentic Egyptian performers (this is much more than remembering to smile while you dance).