Customer Reviews

Step By Step Bellydance

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Lovely dancer + beautiful set = terrible bellydance dvd

First let me state that I have been belly dancing since 2004 (working extensively with live instructors as well as dvds) and do not considered myself a bellydance expert by any stretch of the imagination. That said, over the past years of my dance journey I have come to realize good instruction from bad.

I have an extensive collection of bellydance dvds - some good, some great and some just downright horrible. Unfortunately, "Step By Step" bellydance falls into the last category. After watching this (in it's entirety) on a local fitness channel and being left totally agast at what I saw, I determined that this dvd would NEVER make it into my collection - even if someone gave it to me.

One thing is for sure, this dvd is definitely NOT for beginners (or anyone else) since the moves are presented at such a break neck pace as to be completely dangerous to joints and muscles. Worst of all, Leilainia jumps at light speed from one move to the next with no sensible transitions. Again, risking injury to anyone trying desperately to follow the "bouncing butt".

Leilainia's wildly variating posture, jerky transitions, strange/unattractive arm positions and overall poor execution of moves make her appear as if she is barely above beginner level herself - despite the fact that Leilainia is professional bellydancer and a member of the "The Shimmy Sisters" duo. The instruction is scant at best and inaccurate at worst. Even the dance routines by Leilainia are remiscent of those you would see at a beginner recital i.e. - too much going on at a disjointed, frantic pace. If I went to a live class and the instructor moved/taught this poorly I would never return to that class again.

I'm sorry if I offened any anyone who liked this dvd because they believed that it offered good beginner instruction. I urge anyone wishing to explore bellydance to check out the many titles offered by World Dance New York and Cheeky Girls Productions. Both companies have many, many quality, inexpensive beginning instructional dvds available that will teach you how to execute bellydance moves CORRECTLY without risking serious injury.

I thought this would be a great addition to my (admittedly very small) collection of belly dance DVDs. I'm an absolute beginner with absolutely no dance experience. Boy was I wrong. Have I mentioned that I'm an absolute beginner with no dance experience under my belt?

There are a few pros to this DVD though. The music is great, and Leilainia is obviously enthusiastic about dancing. She seems to be having a heck of a lot of fun and is plenty encouraging. Leilainia is certainly very engaging and made me want to try, but I just couldn't. Remember when I said I was an absolute beginner? I need a slower pace so I can get it all.

I wanted to like this DVD, honest. But I think this one is geared more toward people who have some sort of dance experience behind them, and want to branch out into bellydance. Not for people like me who have never taken a dance class in their lives.

To start off, I have been belly dancing for about two years, and have taken classes for nine months. I'm not exactly a beginner, but I'm not a professional, either. In general, I find most belly dance DVDs to be instruction that someone did in their basement and charge a pretty penny for you to buy it. I stick to following "Shimmy" or the belly dance episode on "All Star Workouts" on FitTV. When I saw that Acacia was offering this DVD, I was excited. I already have Hemalayaa: Bollywood Dance Workouts, Hoopnotica Hoopdance Beginning Level 1 and Shiva Rea - Fluid Power - Vinyasa Flow Yoga, and liked them a lot. So it seemed like a good idea to get it.

Here's my breakdown of the 57 minutes of instruction:
1) Tutorial: It's brief, but it familiarizes you of the basic moves and terminology Leilainia uses throughout the whole workout. It also emphasizes posture and how to place weigh your weight on your feet properly.
2) Warm Up: Again brief but helpful. The multitasking moves, like seated forward bends while crossing your wrists, are nice and you get prepared for the workout. I highly recommend you does this before trying out the rest of the DVD.
3) Workout 1: Get ready to go fast. This segment is heavy on the cardio, and if you skipped the tutorial on your first try, you will get lost after three minutes. It deals with the basic moves uptempo with hip pistons, turns and shimmies layered with arm frames. I wasn't really out of breath after the 16.5-minute workout (it lists it as 15 minutes), but it was faster than what I'm used to.
4) Workout 2: Dancers, break out your guns. This segment, Toning Angels, emphasizes the torso, hips and thighs. Leilainia laces three combinations featuring chest pops, hip lifts and hops. The moves are a cross between the Charlie's Angels poster (yeah, you break out the imaginary guns as a hand position) and the Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian" video. I felt silly at first during this segment, especially during the Egyptian arms part. But all three combos work well together, and I could tell that my thighs were getting a workout. Of the three workout segments, this has the best choreography. The counts and movements fall in line, and I find myself continuing the moves even when the segment ends.
5) Workout 3: This is probably my least favorite. It introduces the grapevine, and you will repeat it a billion times. If you have never learned the grapevine, then this segment is for you. Leilaina keeps it interesting by layering shoulder lifts, hip pops and a turn-and-shimmy move, but for the experienced dancer, you may start rolling your eyes after the fifth attempt. The second half of the routine returns to a basic move from the first segment. If you want to start out slowly or just need a routine that burns calories after a long day at work, try this one.
6) Cool down: Like the warm up, it's brief and multilayered. Yet, there are so many belly dance instruction videos that do not include a cool down, so I was glad to see it here.

The DVD is designed for a 30-minute workout by picking one workout with a warm up and cool down, or you can do all three. I do all three, but by the time I get to the third segment, the fun wears itself off with the repetitive grapevine.

PROS: Great production values (not basement home video work), energetic instructor, multilayered moves that are not included in most beginner belly dance DVDs, fast pace workout, great background music, Toning Angels segment, bonus features.
CONS: Arm moves are sloppy for my taste, no figure-8s or hip circles (essential belly dance moves), grapevine.

Given the market for belly dance DVDs, this is one of the better ones. I definitely see myself using this again. Leilainia is highly entertaining, and she looks like she's having as much fun as you are in the workout.

I found a mini workout free from my tv and started using it everyday for 2 wks along with diet and I've lost 9lbs!!! You can feel the difference in your body right away and she is so fun to watch the time flies cause its like you're dancing not working out I just had to get the dvd I'm glad I did I've been using it for a few days now and I love it you can feel the burn and definitely feel sexy learning all these moves! I recommend this to anyone looking for a fun workout with results you can see :-)

Leilainia embodies all of the qualities of a true artist and performer. This DVD is beautifully made and fun to do. Leilainia is a great teacher and breaks everything down into fun and easy to do segments that are great for all levels of BellyDance:-). Thanks Leilainia for your inspiration:-). I absolutely love this and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a fun and inspiring workout :-).

This video walks you through the basics of Belly Dance in an easy to follow step by step manner. After only 20 minutes you begin to feel a burn. My wife enjoyed working out to it as it brought a change of pace to her usual workout.

Step-By-Step Belly Dance with Leilainia is the perfect way to learn Belly Dance.
I have been surrounded by Belly Dancers for over 10 years. I love to watch them perform, but I've always been hesitant to pursue it as my own dance. Every time I take a class, it progresses far too quickly for me. With Step-By-Step Belly Dance with Leilainia you can repeat the class as many times as you want; or stop it while you practice a particular technique; and then go on when you are ready.

Leilainia's instruction is the perfect combination of beauty, technique, and playfulness. You feel like she is someone you would like to know. Someone who maybe I would take a class with; that is of course after I master the Step-By-Step Belly Dance DVD!

I enjoyed this video and definitely got a workout. However, it doesn't seem very suitable for beginners, at least not if you don't have dance experience of any type. I would call it a workout that utilizes Bellydance moves. The music is not traditional, nor the routines, but it's fun, upbeat, and you'll get a workout. Instructor is fun, and I think she does drop you some good visual hints throughout about how to hold yourself and keep from straining. You'll probably enjoy it if you're at the intermediate level, or have had enough classes to already be comfortable with the moves--it took me 2 classes just to understand what was happening with the knees in a shimmy!

Here's a fun new DVD that's perfect for beginning dancers because it introduces basic steps and then combines them into a workout ... a great way to keep newer dancers motivated.

Our instructor is Leilainia of San Diego, CA who performs with her sister as The Shimmy Sisters and also teaches belly dance and yoga. She's very much at ease in front of the camera and has a very pleasant demeanor as she demonstrates the steps and talks to her "audience". The set is beautiful and the videography is very clear, so there's never any problem seeing exactly what she is doing.

She begins with a short tutorial of basic posture, then moves into hip lifts, hips side-to-side, shimmies, basic "hip up", grapevine and snake arms. Since this is a very short segment, the moves are demonstrated with instruction on weight placement, but are basically presented as steps that will be used in the workout segments, rather than total breakdown for dance.

The DVD is then divided into three 15-minute segments: high energy basics (where we learn technique and then a combination); a combination that will tone the entire body (she calls it "Toning Angels"); and a combination that fuses traditional mixed with modern moves called "Flirty Grapevine". The combinations are all fun and will give you a workout, whether you do only one 15 minute segment or all three. And there's an option of doing the segments with just music, or with voice-over instructions as well.

Throughout the DVD Leilainia emphasizes the fitness aspect of dance since she focuses on using different muscle groups for strengthening and toning. This emphasis on the "workout" rather than just breakdown of technique really sets it apart from other beginning Belly Dance DVDs.

Many DVDs for beginners show us the basic steps, but don't give a hint on how to put the movements together. In this DVD, Leilainia emphasizes having fun, so once she's into the combinations, her smile and flirty attitude take over and suddenly she's not just walking through combinations, she's dancing! So we see how you can actually dance while using only a few different steps (lots of beginning dancers think you have to throw everything you know into a piece of music). To me, this is one of the high points of the DVD.

The entire DVD runs 57 minutes and includes a bonus dance performance as well as bonus workout segment! I recommend this DVD for all beginning dancers who are looking for a way to practice their technique and get a workout as well!

I love this DVD! The whole production value is superb. Great background and lighting help to set the mood for the lesson. I also love the music, easy to follow the beats without becoming a distraction. Leilainia makes it look so easy...she breaks down all of the steps, making it simpler to learn the routine. I think it's cool that she is having fun with it as well. If I get stuck on a step and have to go slower to get it down, I just pause the dvd or back it up a couple of times until I feel ready to move on. And, it's a great workout, it really works the muscles in your thighs, abs, back, calves, glutes and arms. I read a LOT of reviews for many, many bellydance videos before buying this one. (Having a sample video clip on the product page helps alot as well as using YouTube.) I realize that everyone has a 'preferred teaching style' that they find easy to follow. Personally, I prefer Leilainia's to the others. She makes bellydancing easy to learn. In the past I had "tried" using another bellydance dvd with 'Jillina' as the instructor. It was very complicated and difficult to follow and made me feel totally inept. That disc sat on my shelf for years collecting dust. Not this one...it is getting plenty of use!