Customer Reviews

Luscious - The Bellydance Workout for Beginners

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Did we really need another bellydance-based workout? I wouldn't have thought so, but Neon, as usual, has gone and proven my expectations wrong.

"Luscious" is an exquisitely made program, with more good qualities than I can enumerate. The costumes and setting are gorgeous -- nothing like the typical brightly-lit aerobics studio -- and Neon advises you at the beginning to dress up for it and join the three dancers here in making the movement special. This is the kind of thing that sounds cheesy, but I did it, and it makes sense: how will you forget about bad body image or those extra pounds if you're wearing ugly workout wear? Dressing up makes you feel like you're dancing, not punishing yourself.

The instruction itself is taught in sections themed "Circles," "Infinity Loops," "Undulations," "Hip Accents," "Shimmy," and "Body Line." Each dancer leads two of the sections: she stands at the front and her voiceover describes the movements to be done. What I really like about this is that the sections weren't assigned randomly; instead, each section bears the particular dancer's imprint, and showcases her strengths. It's subtle, but you start to notice that Neon leads complicated, quick-changing combinations, Blanca shows her wonderful, large, and sensuous movements, and Sarah Skinner adds an upbeat Turkish feel to the shimmy section. This made the instructors seem much less like exchangeable dancing bodies, and much more like teachers with particular areas of expertise.

The movements are varied, and quite a few combinations are introduced and repeated from two to six times. This is not a "four of this and four of that" drill. In fact, I would suggest that complete beginners start with a different video. This would be great for advanced beginners like me, who are not expert enough for a complicated choreo with tons of layering, but get bored when everything comes in fours and is repeated ad infinitum.

All along, the dancers offer tips on putting emotion into the steps, on maintaining form, and on making movements deeper and stronger. While the dancing is rarely fast-paced, the slowness of the movements is often more challenging and grueling. The workout made me sweat (though it might not make everyone), but more importantly, it challenged me to maintain grace, form, and muscle control while learning the combinations. I couldn't believe it when the forty-five minutes were over -- it felt like fifteen!

If you have weak knees, you might want to be careful with some of the lunges and plies; on the other hand, there aren't a lot of them, and they're done slowly enough that you can be careful. I'll also repeat the warning that this might be a little hard for complete beginners who aren't already good at picking up choreography. However, the video does have a well-indexed instructional section which describes all the movements used in the workout. As a step up, there's a version of the workout with music alone, and no voice over.

In case my enthusiasm wasn't clear enough, I really think WDNY has a winner with this video. It's simple, but also simple enough to do regularly and to grow into. At the same time, even once you have learned the step combinations, adding graceful arm and handwork (to say nothing of being aware of facial expressions, head positions, and dancer's poise) poses an extra layer of difficulty. And finally, the movements are, quite simply, beautiful. You will be happy to be dancing.

One of the things that attracted me to this workout is that it advertises itself as being for beginners. This isn't quite true. If you've never done bellydance before, then this is not a DVD for you. It's lovely and lush, and each of the instructors are talented in their own right, but a rank beginner will find the moves hard to follow.

The DVD does include a tutorial section, which is a bonus. I wish, however, that they had filmed it differently. The tutorial appears to be filmed on the same stage on which the workout is performed, when a studio with mirrors to show more angles of Neon (who is the only instructor performing the tutorials) might be more advantageous. Neon is also dressed in a performance costume, which is a bit distracting and which makes it hard to follow sometimes, particularly in traveling moves and the movements of her knees. The tutorial for each move also seems a bit short at times, with more time being devoted to an accompanying clip demonstrating the move's use in the workout.

The workout itself is more satisfying. The vocal prompts are in general quite good, and I particularly like that there is an indication on-screen as to which move or combination is being performed. The workout is balanced and well-paced, building moves from each previous section as it progresses, and the musical accompaniment is appropriate. The angle changes are occasionally odd and distracting, but don't detract too much from the quality of the workout itself.

Although it purports to be for beginners, I would not recommend this as one's first bellydance DVD purchase, unless they've already had some instruction. For those without access to an instructor, it might be better to start with another DVD that better breaks down the basics, such as Bellydance Basics and Beyond: Technique for a Solid Foundation (another World Dance New York title). If you've mastered the basics, though, then this will be a fun, relaxed workout, well worth the money.

"Luscious" is a terrific bellydance instruction DVD geared towards beginners, though intermediate students may enjoy and learn from it too, as Neon, Blanca, and Sarah are superb dancers and teachers, and the choreography is varied enough to find interest and enjoyment for a very long time.

After the "Welcome" by Neon, the dancers guide you through the moves, each taking their turn at being in the front and doing the teaching. There is also the option of a "Step by Step Tutorial," which explains each move in detail, as well as an option to practice just with the music, without the voice-over instructions. The music is marvelous, all with a traditional flavor in its instrumentation and melodies.

Your instructors:
Neon is a stunning blonde born in Russia; a famed dancer, teacher, and choreographer, whose technique is dazzling, and creativity amazing. She has helped bring the art of bellydance to a new level. Blanca is a goddess. Born in Mexico, her sensual style and grace have few equals. Sarah Skinner is a dancer I'm less familiar with, but she is incredibly impressive and beautiful, and fits in well with Neon and Blanca. These 3 dancers are the epitome of "The Three Graces."

"Luscious" is very well produced, and the dancers are filmed in a simple stage setting with excellent lighting, making it easy to discern and follow the movements. The costuming is also lovely, in shades of teal and red, and adds to the visual beauty of the program. This is a great way to learn bellydancing, relieve stress, get your exercise and have fun at the same time. If you want weight loss, many experts agree that the best way to lose is through doing continual movement as is done on this DVD, rather than in aerobics. "Luscious" is a superb DVD for your dance instruction library, and if you're just starting out with bellydancing, it will inspire you to keep practicing and learning.

All I can say is wow.
I am an an advanced belly dancer who performs and choreographs for other dancers, I also come from a Middle Eastern family, so I am generally a hypercritical malcontent when it comes to Belly dance DVDs. However, this one is like nothing I have ever purchased before and yet it is everything I have ever wanted in a practice conditioning workout, but didn't know how to articulate. Not only do the beautiful dancers on the DVD lead you straight into the "Goddess Zone" but they also keep you there long enough to heal and nurture your body, soul and mind. If you concentrate and perform every movement as it is meant to be executed you will get more of a workout than you realize. It is only a few hours after you dance this out, will your body tell you what has happened. Your internal organs will glow, any physical injuries will start to self heal and your confidence and inner sensuality and joy will radiate from every pore. Forget "exercise", this "workout" will turn you back into the living work of art you have always been.

I agree with the reviewer who indicated the clothing/costume can make it difficult to see how to do the moves. With a basic understanding of bellydancing, or by doing the tutorials, you can learn the moves that are in this video (although it would be easier with a different costume choice on the part of the instructor). The instruction isn't great, but you can get an idea. However, the main problem I had with this video is the lack of cuing. There are move changes and direction changes with little to no cuing. It's difficult to follow, so I mainly just use the tutorials for practicing the basic moves. There are much better videos out there, so if you're a true beginner, spend your money on something else.

Too exquisite to be called a workout, this seven-part "danceout" as I like to call it, is beauty in motion. The three absolute goddesses who draw you warmly, elegantly, charmingly into the beautiful world of bellydancing, look every bit luscious. Dressed in equally luscious costumes, they create an atmosphere that totally fills your mind even as you watch on your screen.

While Neon, Blanca and Sarah may look as if they're dancing the most impossibly beautiful moves, the bellydance beginner can join in. Conceptualized and choreographed by Neon, who has produced numerous instructional videos that have spread bellydancing to many places in the world, this video is targeted at beginners. And it includes the "simpler" moves. If you've recently begun bellydancing and have a video or two focusing on basic technique or better still, if you're taking classes, Luscious will be a lovely way to practice them in a connected, smooth, flowing way. I won't describe each section because other reviewers have done so and the video clip does a great job of telling you what to expect. But I will say, that for the absolute beginner, there's a natural sort of break up in each segment which makes it easier to work with the video a little bit at a time. Another really useful touch is that in the tutorial section, led by Neon, each set of isolations ends with an extract from the danceout. You can use that to practice putting the moves into action.

The tutorial section is very thorough and the moves are explained very thoroughly at a pace which a beginner will have no trouble with. For anyone not familiar with Neon, she's particularly experienced with clear, precise and ever-so-gentle explanations and demonstrations of dance movements. She happens to be the one who started me off on belly dancing as a video-only learner and several years later I'm amazed to have reached a happy level with no injury.

For more experienced dancers, this is a wonderful video to deepen, intensify and beautify the basic moves without the usual almost-military drills we do. Use it to focus fully on engaging the abs and back while doing a full 45 minutes to strengthen the moves you'll use most often. There are combinations and arm moves sprinkled through the sessions - so it feels like a long, long leisurely dance. It's a very pleasurable way to go through all your moves, for all body zones. It reminds me a little, conceptually, of Jehan's Ultimate Fitness, which of course is a fast-paced advanced workout with complex movements and layering.

Two things need a special mention and that's the absolutely gorgeous costumes and the music. The costumes contribute significantly to how this whole video looks and the aura that it creates. They're lush and totally mouth watering. The music. Ah. There are 17 (if I counted correctly) tracks used here. They're beautifully selected and add so much richness to the dance. The most-featured artists are DJ Mosavo and Solace. I've got myself an entire Luscious playlist because the music is so very pretty.

I bought this workout thinking that it would be something different to do to still workout on days when I didn't really feel like working out... First time, started off with the 'workout with voice cues' thinking I could listen and watch and would be able to follow what they were doing. A couple minutes in, realized that was a big mistake... the belly dancing moves were complicated and the voice cues were confusing since I didn't know the difference between a hip circle, a pelvic circle, etc... so I pulled the menu up and back-tracked to the Tutorial section. If you haven't belly danced before, you'll want to start at the Tutorial!! Much better :)
OK, so the tutorial is thorough and clearly explains/demonstrates each of the moves... provides the opportunity to practice them a few times, then follow along with a little combination series incorporating the move you've just learned with 1 or 2 of the moves earlier in the tutorial. Once through the whole tutorial (day 1), I was able to go back and do the workout with the voiceovers (day 2 -- the tutorial is fairly long!), because now the little comments made sense! Which is to say that I could follow their movements and at least knew what I was supposed to be doing, but probably not doing it completely right -- that will take a bit more practice!

The workout is a lot of fun and goes very quickly (it's not boring). Would put intensity level at light to moderate, (light sweat, but not out of breath...) Fun!

For the price, you get what amounts to a 'two-fer': an instructional video--sort of a short form of Neon's "instant bellydancer" series that lasts 50 minutes, and a 45 minute connected workout. The instructional section has Neon's typical focus on proper posture and alignment as well as her wonderful way of conceptualizing the moves. If you've never ever ever bellydanced before, this might require a few watchings to get the moves right, because she's a real stickler on form. It's that focus on form, though, that a) keeps you safe physically (no hyperextending or dangerous twisting) and b) works the deep muscles that show real control and grace. It's worth it to learn how to dance with proper form!

If you already know a bit about dance, jump right into the workout. There's plenty to keep even intermediate level dancers involved--incorporating arm movements, studying how they put together combinations, etc, so don't pass this one up as too basic. It's harder than the BellyTwins stuff! It may take you a time or two to get all the moves down yourself!

The production value, especially for bellydance videos, is high. The dancers are easy to see and well lit, you can see their knees and feet and what they're doing to create the movement. The music isn't too loud or too soft and there's no distracting background.

This video showcases a series of moves and puts them together in short combinations of anything from two to five moves. An advanced dancer could profit from this video studying how they put the combinations together--the interplay of soft and hard movements, upper and lower body movements, and transitions.

Bellydance has lately seemed to bifurcate into the camp that thinks dance should be hard and extreme and damaging on the body--if you're not doing aerial Turkish knee drops, you're a poseur--and the camp that thinks that bellydance is something all women of all ages should be able to do and do safely. Neon is in this latter camp, but her moves, though safe on the joints, are not simplistic. I've seen women struggle with the one-hip figure eight for a long time. So there's complexity here, but a complexity you can achieve with practice.

Prior to buying this DVD, I had been working out with Rania's Weight Loss for Beginners:Hip Hop, Hip Drop. Her DVD is a workout that includes belly dance moves that are more basic.
When I first tried Lucsious: Bellydancing for beginners, it was hard for me to follow some of the moves. The instructor went over each move but seemed to rush the teaching of each move a little bit. Then after each move learned there is a practice session a " mini-workout".
I would recommend both Rania's DVD and Luscious with the caveat that you need to build up your stamina first with an easier DVD like Rania's.
Luscious is for people that already might have some knowledge of basic moves and would like to move on to more challenging moves.
Luscious is produced by World Dance Studios in New York and the dancers are professionals in full costume. It is a dance instructional workout.
Whichever one you choose, realize that it takes time to build up the strength and physical skills to bellydance. Persevere, and you will learn how to bellydance.

As an intermediate-advanced level exerciser, I can tell you that it's important with something like this to watch the tutorial first. I went through the tutorial for the first four days and got an excellent workout and figured out how to properly align my body in order to do the moves. After doing that for about four days, I was ready to move on to the full workout. I found it fun and challenging and wouldn't return it for anything. In fact, I used this video as training before I did Rania's "Cardio Shimmy" (which I found disappointing as it was less belly dance and more rah-rah cheerleader aerobics). I would recommend this to anybody who wants to learn a little about middle eastern dancing and get a good workout and fantastic hips in the process. It's challenging, but you will love it.