Customer Reviews

Learn 21 Shimmies and 1001 Variations Belly Dance Instruction

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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. :)

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.

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.

If this video were a little less expensive, I'd give it a 4. But while it's an encyclopedia of shimmies,all taught well by a charming and natural instructor, you probably wouldn't end up using all these. Well, unless you're a professional dancer. So it's a 3 for new dancers and hobbyists--possibly a lot more for professional and serious dancers, all of whom have this video in their library. I was a little more taken with this video when I first bought it, but many months later have realized that I haven't used it much. Shimmie drill videos end up being more useful. Also, she didn't take it further into layering, which is when we'd get into the 1,001 variations territory. I wish belly dance videos would position themselves better so that beginners and hobbyists would know what to choose rather than amassing tons of videos and then figuring out that so many were unnecessary. But then that wouldn't make business sense would it.

Apart from my two complaints though, the video is well made, well taught, and has a lot of content. In other words, it's a strong video--for the right people.

Love this! It is basically an encyclopedia of different shimmies. Some I already know and use, some I have always wanted to learn, and some I will probably never use. It is a great reference resource.

I like the instructor's presentation style. For me she has the perfect balance of verbal instruction and demonstration. I am a visual learner and like to follow along--however, I also like a break down, tops and a little theory. I also like that she is enthusiastic and smiles without being obnoxiously cheery.

The music is primarily drum music provided by the instructor's husband. The pure drumming makes it easy to work on coordinating the shimmies with music.

You will like this dvd if: 1--you are interested in adding to your shimmy repertoire 2--you like fast, high energy dancing. 3--you are interested in learning from a video that features a curvy but still healthy looking instructor 4--you are of at least intermediate level as this dvd does not break down many basic moves

You may not like it if: 1--you are not particularly interested in shimmies 2--you are focused on learning one particular style as she uses shimmies from a variety of styles and dance forms (though she generally explains which styles use each shimmy) 3--you are specifically looking for shimmy drill exercises (although you can drill with this dvd after you learn the technique by dancing along with her demonstrations for each shimmy) 4--You are a beginner who needs to learn the fundamentals--there are other dvds that do an excellent job of breaking down basic movements and postures. 5--You are looking for a prepared workout--this is dance instruction dvd not a workout dvd. The moves can be used in a workout but that is not how this dvd is put together.

I love this video. Although it does not contain the 1001 variations as the title suggests it does provide a nice foundation to start layering your moves on. The instructor has a very pleasant voice and also walks you through each move then drills them. Some of the moves are difficult for me to do as I have only been dancing for about a year now, but never the less it doesn't stop me from trying and also perfecting the shimmies that I already know.

I purchased this DVD about a year ago and I really like it because this person is a good teacher and she knows what she's doing, just check her performance at the end of the DVD, you can tell a lot about a dancer that way. This is a good tool if you want to practice and get familiarized with different types of shimmies. I recommend it, just have fun, it is not easy mastering a shimmy. Give it a chance! All you have to do is practice!

All the reviewers before me have pretty much said all there is to say about this DVD. I love it for all the same reasons that those who love it do. I actually decided to buy not just this DVD but all three by Leyla when I saw some clips on YouTube. IAMED also offers a few "previews" of their DVDs. Do go take a look, it may help you decide to purchase, or not. Other reviewers before me had listed all the shimmies on the DVD, so I will not repeat that.

My thoughts.

The good.
1. I just love Leyla - her isolations on each and every shimmy are incredible. Her breaking down the rhythm and explaining how many "shimmies" per beat before one can actually CALL it a shimmy is the ONLY place I've ever heard that.
2. I really liked her explanation and demonstration of layering over the shimmies, and how the layered move needs to be at a different rhythm or pace than the shimmy, other wise it just looks frenetic.
3. All the different types of shimmies! At the time I purchased this I'd only been taking belly dance for a year or so; and a few of these shimmies (like the african shimmy) I'd only seen in workshops. One or two of the names of these shimmies do differ among teachers and performers, but when all is said and done, she's demonstrated and taught just about every one possible. The "hand" shimmy and "tongue" shimmy are a bit of stretching the point I think.
4. One reviewer said this was not "drill" DVD. Maybe, but if you pick one or two of the shimmies "on spot", then moving, you can get a pretty good practice session in.
5. Breaking down how many "things" (rotations, hip articulations, whatever) have to happen in one beat of music before you can call it a shimmy, is the ONLY place I'd ever heard this (except for 3/4 shimmies of course).

Okay, the bad.
1. This DVD, like many from IAMED IS pricey.
2. This DVD is NOT for complete beginners. While I think Leyla does a very nice job at breaking things down and explaining them, I don't think a lot of the beginners that I know could keep up, and would probably just get discouraged.

Really that's all I've got for "bad". Some have said they thought the DVD looked amaturish, but this style, if not the actual set, is typical of the IAMED DVDs. For the most part the quality of the teaching in the IAMED DVDs is superior to the other producers of Belly Dance DVDs, so I am not so put off by the "look" of the DVD.

This DVD was very expensive but worth every penny. It was just so visually pleasing, I watched it over and over again even before I started practising. Every shimmy is very well demonstrated and broken down and Leila is so sweet and always smiling. I have ordered 3 more expensive dvd's from IAMED on the assumption that they are all of this standard.

This disc is a little expensive but it's worth it. There are around twenty different shimmies for over two hours worth of run time. Leyla has a sweet and genuine teaching personality and breaks down each shimmy into easy-to-follow movements. Great for beginners.