Customer Reviews

Kelli Marie Presents Bellydance

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

 

 

This is a very basic video without a lot of fancy camerawork. Kelli Marie and her assistants seem very natural and sweet. They do a good job demonstrating the moves that are the foundation of all bellydance.

The production seems kinda low budget though. If you like your videos to have really flattering lighting and your hosts to have fashion stylists and great camera make up, this isn't for you. If you prefer a very natural look, and have no previous bellydance experience (including other basic videos) then you might like it. If you've watched any other basic video you will be bored because they all share the same basic moves.

I love this video. True basically what she is teaching you can find with various good teachers. She explains things throughly and clear. The set is wonderfully decorated but the most wonderful thing about this is that she has backup assistants who are the average size of at home dancers. It made me for more comfortable and not wishing that I could be that size but oh so that's how that move looks on me. Thank you, Kelli Marie.

Kelli is an amazing instructor and has so much to offer for beginners in her instructional DVD. I bought the DVD while I was taking a classic Egyptian style bellydance class and used it to practice the basic movements in between my classes. I felt I improved my movements much faster than the other women in the class because of this.
If you are looking to learn advanced belly dance techniques you should consider attending a class or hiring a personal instructor to work one-on-one with you.
If you are a beginner wanting to learn some beautiful belly dance movements while improving your abdominal strength, this is a wonderful DVD for you. It's worth every cent!

Length:: 2:50 Mins

First off in her 2 min solo performance... Kelli Marie floats.... her arm movements are like butta! lol If she had a tutorial in that, that would be worth it! She has great energy, almost spiritual, great body awareness & fluid. You are captivated watching her. There are few dancers who do that for me... either they have to be VERY skillful or have great body awareness or both.

The set is gorgeous with Eastern influence, the music is very fast paced with a great beat that is folkloric, but looking at Keli, I keep thinking it's almost a ho-down & want do sing "My achy breaky heart" which isn't bad, still fun music. The camera work & sound are very good, it zooms in like a high production film. The 2 backup dancers are not stiff per se, but seem nervous which brings down Keli's energy in the teaching segment. Those who are not slim will enjoy both backups look to be a size 12-16. Keli teaches in a voice over & the names of the movements flash on the screen.
This is for beginners, the pace is slow, they teach you mostly only if 1/2 speed for several movements & then do a normal speed quick run-down before teaching you a new set of moves.
The moves are: figure 8s, small hip circles, chest lifts, vertical chest circles, hip bumps, hip lifts (more like a bump), hip sways, slow only shoulder shimmies (no hip shimmies), arm poses, wrist waves, arm fluid moving helpful tips, some traveling steps, about 3 like chasse, simple jazz like legs cross forward or back, 1 folkloric step
There is a 2 min dance w/her & 2 backup doing the moves you learned which was a bit slow & boring.
BONUS
Health movements - 8 min of lying on the floor & doing some of the moves for those with health issues or spinal issues.
Stretching - 7 min of some basic leg stretching & some simple reclined spinal twists

Pros:
Keli is a wonderful dancer & great presence on screen
Music is fast paced & interesting
The production & set are done very well

Cons:
The backup dancers are trying to be happy, but seem nervous & bring Keli's energy down
The pace is very slow & only teaches 1/2 speed except the small routines 3x
She gives only 1 analogy but there is room for more
Would be better if she did it 1/2 pace 2x & full speed 4x or more to make it more cardio/toning & interesting & easier to muscle memory the movements
Could have more moves taught
It might have been less stiff is she talked instead of voice over

I'd love to see more from her alone w/my suggestions & how to be more fluid
More reviews here: Belly Dance For Fitness And Health Level 1