Search - Cardio Bellydance Workout : Bellycore on DVD

A compilation/ cardio workout

Seir | USA | 11/14/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This is a cardio workout from a physical trainer/bellydancer using bellydance as the fundamentals.The warm up segment is pilates and not too complicated. The 4 level breathing technique is interesting and taught well.Some yoga poses are included. Undulating traveling steps were fun to do. Some steps as the Turkish 2 step are repeated too much. Cool down seems a bit too much like a second workout. The studio setting is good, the trainer pleasant just a bit unconnected with her viewer- moving too fast appearing more like a physical trainer than a dancer, but then is that so bad for a cardio workout? Overall this seems to be a compilation of bellydance,pilates, yoga. There is a nice performance at the end by the trainer herself. The music is great by Gypsy Caravan, Jehan, Knossos."

Okay for a decent sweat, but not the greatest

Dee Tee | Norwich, CT | 01/09/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"After taking a belly dancing class at my gym I decided to purchase this DVD. It claimed to give a good cardio workout (which is what I was looking for). Although it did make me work up a bit of a sweat (a 5-6 on a scale of 1-10), I found it to be a bit boring and thought that the instructor was going a bit too fast after showing the "steps" only a couple of time. I have used the DVD only twice and honestly doubt that I will use it again. There was no nice background or others participating in the DVD and I would not recommend this. I would rather go to my gym and have others around which make it fun (even if you do not know all the steps), it's all about the moving and keeping up a cardio routine, and since I was bored with one woman just belly dancing and hearing her monotonous tone (and everything she was saying had been pre-recorded so she was dancing and her lips were not moving.... too wierd)."

Burn Those Calories!

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 02/02/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Bellycore system Melissa has created combines the use of Pilates techniques with a cardio belly dance, to firm up the tummy and then burn the excess away with lots of energetic but basic belly dance combinations.

The initial Pilates warm-up/tutorial is excellent and quite long. It gets every part of your body strengthened and stretched, and ready for the fast and furious cardio section. Simple enough for a beginner, the cardio bellydance steps are very easy to assimilate and the trick is to just keep on going at the tempo given. It's a good workout, and fun to do. Finally there is a lengthy and well deserved Cool-down, and a lovely performance by Melissa finishes the DVD.

The biggest plus is Melissa's no-nonsense way of speaking and teaching that carries us through, with her winsome personality and energy, to go beyond the "I quit!" phase to our second wind and the finish line. Melissa has a lot of experience as a teacher and performer, and with Cardio Bellydance we can benefit from her expertise and get in shape too.

Music is by Gypsy Caravan, Knossons, and Jehan, and the setting is a plain, white walled, bare floor studio, with bright lighting so every movement is clearly seen. Melissa does her floor work on the bare floor, but you would probably feel better with a mat or rug under you. She also wears a T-strap dance shoe with a short heel, but barefoot is OK for me! There is also an option on the menu to play the Pilates workout with just the music and no tutorial, a nice option when you know all the movements."

Fun fast workout

A. Aragon | Albuquerque | 08/27/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Being relatively new to belly dancing I found some of the moves a bit hard to follow and was not sure if I was using correct form. I did have fun at first and think it was a wonderful workout but towards the end I had a hard time catching up with Melissa as I was concentrating on the moves rather then the pace she was going. I will use this workout again but not until I have a understanding of the dance itself with some more practice using a beginning belly dance DVDs."