Search - Bellydance for Beginners with Suhaila: Fitness Fusion - 4 Volume Gift Set (Buns, Jazz, Pilates, Yoga) on DVD

Val W. (LadyHvnly) from COTTONWOOD, CA
Reviewed on 9/18/2008...

I have a few of Suhaila's dvds and she is totally awesome.. The 'Buns' dvd is pretty funny to watch and do.. but keep at it and it will really be helpful in the long run. the glutes are to me the hardest to work.. so this whole set of dvds is truly awesome.. great even if you are beyond beginning bellydancing, these are great workout dvds and to use during your classes too! hope this helps others!

Exercise for belly dancers (not belly dance for exercisers)

CASSANDRE LEE | ROSEDALE, MD United States | 02/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Belly dance has come into vogue again, so of course there's been a rush of belly-dance fitness videos. Most market the same simple moves, performed to cheesy music--a kind of belly-aerobic crossbreed complete with fixed smiles and devoid of art.

Salimpour's videos go beyond those beginner moves to the isolations and exercises that will improve the viewer's dance. In other words, she doesn't offer the usual hip-twist, chest-lift routine meant for someone who's taken six weeks of belly dance class at the gym. Instead, these videos include drills meant both to exercise those muscles most pertinent to belly dance and to develop mastery of the shimmy and undulation. A beginner might benefit from following along, but this isn't the usual mechanical review of basics.

As a bonus the videos offer some great performances by Salimpour, a uniquely expressive and powerful dancer, and some inspiring advice and anecdotes about her weight gain and loss, motherhood, career pressures, and time management."

Ow. Owwww. But fantastically so.

BellyAndWings | MD | 08/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I took a Rachel Brice 4 day intensive workshop, and she said that Suhaila's buns and abdominal exercises were the best out there for locks and isolations. So, I found a great deal on the VHS tapes, and ever so skeptically, popped them in. I was amazed, and in awe of HOW she moves her glutes and abs like that! Sure, it's frustrating that I can't keep up the fast rolls and LRL/RLR combinations, but it gives me something to work towards.
So from a true skeptic, and professional dancer, I do highly recommend these, especially to ATS and fusion dancers. In fact, I'm going back and buying them on DVD now."

Excellent variety of workouts

Mollidy | Fargo, ND | 01/31/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been taking some beginner bellydance lessons and wanted to have something with the flavor of bellydance to work out to at home. These DVDs provide a lot of content and variety to your home routine, with mostly upper body bellydancing - some hip action, but mostly from squeezing your gluteus muscles, and no hip-dropping. I like a lot of variety so I bought the box set. I found most of the workouts to be enjoyable and worth the money.
In order of how well I liked them:
The Jazz DVD is the most advanced and the best. You will learn two short dancing routines. Suhaila explains her actions while she performs them, so there's no time for stopping, just dancing. Sometimes she just says what the move is, but doesn't explain it, so I've had to watch the screen to get it right. This one was fun and gets your heart rate up, and will probably be a favorite once I get the moves down.
The Pilates DVD is my second favorite. Some unulations of the torso and hip circles.
The Buns DVD has LOTS of glute-clenching. What else did you expect? I was able to get through this one with minimal sweat. I will note here that Suahaila uses a glute-clenching move that involves near splits and squeezing the cheeks. I'm not flexible enough to do the splits and I can't seem to figure out how they are able to do this move, and it appears in 3 of the DVDs. (not the Jazz one) It's an uncomfortable one for me, and I might suggest trying to do the exercise in an alternate way.
The Yoga DVD was my least favorite because there are lots of torso undulations, too many for me in one workout. Paired with a segment of glute-clenching (yes, undulating your body while trying to remember how to squeeze those buns) made it a little frightening to watch. I don't think I'll use this one too much until I've mastered the moves.
Suhaila does a good job of keeping the monotony out of the moves. Even though you perform many sets of the same move, she might add a different arm move or pattern. She also does a good job of reminding you of correct posture and keeps you motivated throughout all the routines. Her instructions flow smoothly with the actions and there are several other competent ladies working out with Suhaila. The music helps you keep the beat and the background is pleasing. Each workout ends with a costumed dance and a circle dance to watch.
Each DVD comes with an extra 10 minute workout in case you're feeling pumped and want to make it a 50-minute workout. They also include a couple extra dances to watch.
All in all, I say this is an excellent purchase. I enjoyed most parts of the workouts and I am feeling the burn in all the right places. If you just want a workout with a little spice thrown in, these are great, and you'll feel energized. If you just get one, get the Jazz. And you just might find yourself rocking out using your new "fusion" moves!"