Product Details

• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000ERAPGI
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,733 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique on the market!, September 5, 2006

By 

Eden Russell (Provincetown, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learn 21 Shimmies and 1001 Variations Belly Dance Instruction (DVD)

From the first moment I saw this item on amazon, I knew I wanted to have it. Since this DVD is a little pricey I made a point to scrutinize the web for other similar products but I found none! Only Celeste's Turbo Shimmy DVD came close but not enough. Given my modest budget I took a deep breath and ordered.

For the price and being an IAMED production I had very high expectations of the DVD and they were not betrayed! The total run time is 2 hours and 15 mins and it's the longest single DVD in my collection. The menu is really nice, divided in chapters you can play seperately.

In the first chapter Leyla introduces herself and her husband Roland, the drummer who assists her. Maybe because of her name, Leyla, I expected to see a dark-haired mid-eastern dancer but she turned out to be blond, probably in her forties, Yugoslavian. She has a thick accent that I found a little distracting at first but I got used to it very quickly.

Of all instructors I've seen on DVDs ever, Leyla Jouvana is probably the most natural and cheerful among them. There is the ultra serious Nourhan Sharif and the plastered smiles on Neena and Veena's faces as two extremes. Leyla smiles and laughs so genuinely it's incredibly refreshing. She is dressed in a nice tight-fitting outfit with a hip scarf. The lesson takes place in a brightly lit room (I think IAMED DVDS are all filmed in the same room or a very similar one) with a few cushions on the floor to give it a light mid-eastern flavor.

When each chapter starts, the name of the shimmy learned pops up, then Leyla demonstrates while Roland helps her with the dumbek. Then she gives a short introduction to the shimmy, claps hands to break down the rhythm, then displays the technique of the shimmy. She does that once, then when it gets fast, she starts again with explanations slowly. This is a great opportunity to get enough repetition without making it tedious. Besides, by presenting the instruction twice it becomes complete and very detailed, especially if you have missed some details the first time she spoke. At the end Leyla also teaches some layering as well which I'm going to leave for later when I'm more comfortable with the basic technique. I think I have material for solid excercise in the next couple of months or more! Leyla also does make a point to explain the differences between the shimmies and what makes them different from the rest. I'm very grateful she also gives hints on proper posture or how a shimmy should NOT look.

The shimmies introduced are not exactly arranged in easiest-hardest order. Most of them are mentioned on the back of the cover. Rotation shimmy (with variations), hip shimmy (with variation), Egyptian, Ghawazee, muscle, vibration, afro shimmy and combined shimmies are presented to name a few. Egyptial and hip shimmy are what most people visualize when they hear the word "shimmy" and they are also two of the easiest shimmies to learn. Great attention is paid to the the 3/4 shimmy which she calls triplets. Contrary to what the back cover suggests, I actually found the flutter, muscle and especially rotation shimmies the hardest of all (of course variations making them even harder). I'm a huge fan of Jenna who did the Heartbeat of Bellydance video but I think only Leyla does a more impressive shimmy/undulation layering. Some less "traditional" shimmies are included, such as hand shimmy, calf shimmy, and (what could be called) tongue shimmy, very cute spices to a dance.

The DVD ends with a spectacular drum solo performance where Leyla demostrates her outstanding dancing skills. It's beautiful to watch especially because she does it as cheerfully as she had given instruction.

In conclusion I want to say that my money couldn't be invested in a better way. I have now lots of material to enhance and spice up my dancing and I also have a much better undestanding of this signature bellydance move, the shimmy. As I expected, this is also a great workout and it's excellent for body shaping/ weightloss.

One DVD, so many ways to benefit from it. :)

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Supplement to the Dancer's Practice Library, January 15, 2007

By 

Shannon B Davis "Nepenthe" (Arlington, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Learn 21 Shimmies and 1001 Variations Belly Dance Instruction (DVD)

This is an excellent DVD for teaching and practicing different types of shimmies, particularly if your teacher focuses only on a few. Although I had several years of bellydance instruction under my belt, Leyla still managed to introduce some new concepts to me, like the Samba shimmy. I had learned the tummy flutter already but it was Leyla's instruction that helped me go from a flutter-fearer to a flutter-doer.

The video is structured around 21 shimmies, in 21 chapters. In each chapter, there is a discussion of the shimmy, then drills, then variations are taught, and then drilled. This is a good video to drill along with. I would do the sections on shimmies I already knew well as an opportunity to focus my drilling. Since each shimmy is in one chapter, you could easily put the DVD in to practice one or two shimmies at a time rather than tackle the whole video at once.

Leyla is a sweet instructor. She is encouraging and has a genuine personality. She seems comfortable in front of the camera.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth Every Penny!, June 5, 2006

By 

HoneeeB (Jamaica, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Learn 21 Shimmies and 1001 Variations Belly Dance Instruction (DVD)

This was one of the most expensive instructional bellydance DVDs that I have purchased. However, I can honestly say that it was worth every penny. In fact, I got MORE than my money's worth! While I don't believe that a DVD can replace the "dance studio" experience, I do feel that anyone interested in learning or refining their shimmy would definitely benefit greatly from the information on this DVD.