Search - The Goddess Workout: Intro to Bellydance on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 2/16/2023...

A great introduction to Bellydancing if you want to learn!

Dance Dance!

My story with Intro to Bellydance

Ruby Slippers Fanatic | Cleveland, OH | 02/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"About five years ago, I was doing a weight-loss program and picked up this video for regular exercise. I was surprised at how much fun I had, that I could discover muscles that I didn't even know were there and how to control them. The video helped me lose quite a bit of weight and I was so pleased with it.

In the past two years, during several personal struggles, my weight crept back up to where it had been. However, I noticed that my posture was better and I could move more gracefully, improvements I credit to the Goddess Workout. I have started to do the video again, at a higher weight than I started doing it the last time, and was surprised to find that it was still simple and fun to do. (I thought it would be harder at this weight.) It's low-impact, makes you sweat just a little, and before you know it, you've done a 45-minute basic workout that stretches you out and calms you down.

If you are really truly wanting to learn how to bellydance, I have heard that this video is not good for that. However, if you just want to be active for a little while, try this."

Pretty good workout

Lorriger rogerson | WAshington, usa | 01/28/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"i was definatly sore the next day after doing this ( then again im really out of shape). it is fun and dolphina ( the instructor) is very motivating being skinny & pretty. I would have given it 4 stars except that for some of the parts where your doing foot moves, the camera is zoomed in on her face and you dont know what your supposed to be doing. She gives verbal cues and then it shows the steps half way thoruhg. So perhaps if you watch it / do it several times you would be able to master the moves and know what to do , even though they dont show it right away."

Poor instruction; buy The Sacred Shapes instead

MYOB | Radford, VA United States | 04/17/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I'm giving this one as many as three stars only because it was the first belly dance video I got as a beginner, and I enjoyed it then. Thank goodness I was also taking classes, though, because the quality of instruction on this video is pretty poor. There are times when what she says isn't what she's doing, times when what she says doesn't make sense, and times when what she says is just plain wrong. Probably the best things about this video are the warm up and cool down, which are fairly good.

If you want a belly dance video with a Goddess orientation, buy Belly Dancing The Sacred Shapes with The Goddess Dancing. The quality of instruction on that one is much better; you will learn to do the movements correctly and not hurt yourself.

P.S. Maybe this was just my own cluelessness, but as a beginner I never could figure out what made Dolphina's undulations look so different from the ones I was seeing in class. A couple of years later when I dusted this video off and watched it again, I burst out laughing because I realized that the answer is super simple: instead of the more commonly seen Arabic 1 (flat, ball), she's doing it with an Arabic 2 (Flat, ball, ball, ball), which gives a little bit of a level change, and makes it look a bit different. Of course, she doesn't bother to mention the footwork, so as a beginner, it drove me absolutely crazy trying to figure it out!"