Product Details

• VHS Release Date: January 24, 1997
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004W3GB
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #95,981 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  Video > Special Interests > Dance > Belly

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy it!, August 9, 2000

By	"alsharifa" (Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews

This video is not worth the money. Maybe for 1/3 the price it would be. Yes, she does teach you some moves, which she does spend a good amount of time on, but they are VERY basic. However, it is very difficult to understand her! The sound is atrocious, you can barely hear her, and if you can hear her, you sometimes have to struggle to understand because of her british accent. On top of this who would choose a black costume, with a (very) dark gray background? It makes it more difficult to see her moves very well.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Guide For Beginners, March 21, 2001

By	Helen Adams "fatimacouscous" (UK) - See all my reviews

For someone like myself who is a complete beginner when it comes to belly dancing, I found Hilary's video both instructive and informative. Having her introduce the different movements one by one enabled me to get a feel for the whole dance form, and gradually, through practice, to be able to put the movements together and begin to improvise.

Although the sound quality was slightly muffled, this was no problem when the volume was turned up. I had no trouble in picking up what she was trying to convey.

She goes to a lot of trouble to introduce quite a number of basic moves that could be likened to the ABC of belly dancing. Once these are mastered, it is then easier to join them together into whole sequences of movement. Teaching in this way seems to be a very sensible approach to the whole subject. I would recommend this video to anyone who is also a complete beginner and wishes to start from scratch.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid introduction video, December 5, 2000

By	Christine Hall (Cranbrook, Kent, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

I'm a teacher of belly dance, and I do recommend this video to my students. The beginner to improver level students who have bought it have all been appreciative. It is much better than many other belly dance instruction videos.

The previous reviewer is right, of course: the movements she teachers are basic. But what does she expect from a BEGINNERS video? This is volume one in a series of three: 1. Beginners, 2. Intermediate, 3. Advanced. Is it possible that the reviewer missed that basic point?

Hilary gives solid tuition on basic movements. My only criticism is that she should have spent more time on each move, allowing the viewers to practice with her, without having to rewind every few seconds.

I agree that a black costume against a dark backdrop is not ideal.

But why the complaint about her British accept? Hilary is British (she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland), so why should she speak like am American?

Of course, if you specifically want an 'American Belly Dance' video with an authentic Los Angeles accent, then I wouldn't recommend Hilary's series either. And if you want an intermediate or advanced video, then go and buy Volume 2 or 3.

Almeh Amira (Christine Hall), England.