15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
good choreo, some problems, February 4, 2005
This review is from: Yousry's Sharif Choreography Video Vol. 2 "Layali Yasmina" (DVD)
I've been a fan of Yousry Sharif choreography for many years, and I've always been impressed at the ease with which he can choreograph and the beauty of his creations.
I recently got the chance to learn from Yousry and I was completly floored by his uncanny ability to translate music into movement. Music was the canvas and our bodies as dancers were the paintbrush. It was an incredible experience.
Nourhan Sharif is Yousry Sharif's wife, and in this video she is performing one of Yousry's choreographies.
But the moment I put this DVD in, and went to the performance section, I was shocked!! First I thought maybe they put the wrong music on top of the dance, but no, that was not it. The song begins with a taqsim, which has a little break in which Nourhan performs a hop in the air which pretty much made me do a double-take to make sure I saw it right.
I was kinda put off by this but then after talking to some people I found out that Yousry uses live music sometimes and maybe in the song that he used to choreograph there was in that portion something that prompted the jump in the middle of the taksim. I can understand that but I wish that the jump would have been taken out because there's no way for someone who learns the choreography from the video to know why would anyone choreograph a jump right in that spot.
The rest of the choreography was good, however i initially felt that Nourhan's execution is rushed, too busy. It is very cutsey and funny and full of joy, kinda hyper. I did not like it until I actually met Nourhan, and - that's her personality. She's so nice and cute and lively and that's exactly what translates in the choreography. I definitely enjoyed the choreography a lot more after meeting Nourhan in person. I still think that she could slow down a bit so that our eye has time to enjoy her dance more.
Nourhan is a very lively performer who is definitely enjoying what she's doing, and she has a great shimmy which I could only wish for..
The production value is very high, and the choreography is presented from many angles making it easy to learn. Also it's sectioned in pieces and slowed down for us.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
very disappointing, May 21, 2005
This review is from: Yousry's Sharif Choreography Video Vol. 2 "Layali Yasmina" (DVD)
This is the worst, and incidentally the most expensive, belly dance video that I own. I would give it 0 stars, if it was possible.
The video production is poor, the background is flickering and disruptive. There are couple combinations worth watching, but the rest of the choreoraphy is unimpressive, especially that leap step. The choice of costumes is wrong for her body type, and music is boring. Save your money!
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very advanced, well produced, August 23, 2004
This review is from: Yousry's Sharif Choreography Video Vol. 2 "Layali Yasmina" (DVD)
This is a very advanced choreography not for the faint of heart. The production value is good, Nourhan's movements are seen clearly, and the voice over allows the viewer to clearly "hear" the movements being executed on screen. I really liked that the choreography is performed first with Nourhan speaking off camera giving commentary on movements, combos, counting, and alternatives for performing the choreography. It gives you a good idea of what you're in for. ;)
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