Search - Bellydance with Rania: Learn to Bellydance on DVD

Good but Unfortunate Title

Elizabeth A. Borst | Miami Beach | 04/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Learn a Routine with Rania would have been a more appropriate title. If you're looking for a DVD to teach you bellydance this is not it. But if you want to, as Rania says, "take your bellydancing to a new level" and learn a challanging, fast paced, cabaret style dance give it a try. It's an intermediate level routine that assumes that you are already a bellydancer. Rania gets started right away with figure eights on toes layered over a traveling steps. She goes into camels while turning ending with a graceful (on her) hip circle. While you're expected to know most of the moves she does pause to explain once in a while (lotus hands for example and pelvic tucks while walking to the side). There are many quick turns bringing you directly into the next move. Although the dance itself is quick I like the way Rania paces it. She breaks it down into six chapters, goes through each move, puts it together without music, does it with her back to the camera and runs through it again, then puts it to music. There is enough repetition so you can really practice the steps with her. It ends with Rania doing the entire dance in costume and it comes together in a very attractive upbeat dance, which I personally found much too fast to follow. She does six bellyflutters in about two seconds. I am a beginner and was attracted by the title, "Learn to Bellydance". I would have loved it if Rania did the same thing as Shamira in "Pure Technique" and taken you through each move so you have the foundation to do the dance at the end. That would have been a longer, more expensive tape but it would have been worthwhile. Overall this is very good for the experienced dancer who wants to learn a new routine and pick up some new moves. If you're a dancer who's quick on your feet you will probably enjoy it."

Cute intermediate-level routine, but too short!

Kirvi Dances | Michigan | 04/24/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I just got this DVD a couple of days ago, and I love picking up new routines, choreographies, and combinations I can use while improvising in restaurant performances. The routine Rania teaches here is very cute, and about intermediate-level. I'll be adding a bit more laying to many of the movements in order to spice it up.

The previous reviewer is correct - it isn't a beginner-level DVD even if the routine could be easily picked up because Rania spends almost no time explaining how to do each movement. When she says, "layer a figure-8 hip over this," she will show you whether she means an inside- or outside-8; but she doesn't really explain how. If you're a beginner and don't yet have the dance "vocabulary" you will probably want to start with the Jillina vids first. But know that this one will be waiting for your when you're ready!

The bonus workout, "for hips, thighs, and abs," looks pretty effective not only for a workout but for a technique practice session. I found it moderately amusing that Rania is incapable of doing that slinky, sensuous vertical single-hip circle on her left side! She takes off to the right, and it's beautiful. She switches direction to go left and that left hip just kinda flops around like a dying fish. Well - not THAT bad but Rania is so gorgeous and talented that we have to take a perverse pleasure in finding a fault!

My only complaints are that (1) the routine taught thru-out the DVD is only about 1/2 of what Rania performs at the end in full costume. I would have liked to have gotten instruction on the WHOLE piece, although I'm sure I can pick up the choreography by watching her performance. (2)It would also have been nice if they had credited the music piece used in this routine - I'm off now to comb the internet for the name and artist of the music. Because the piece used has these cute little accents here and there, the choreography really does "go" with it and would have to be modified to work with a different song. These two things have peeved me into giving 3 stars instead of the 4 1/2 that the rest of the DVD is worth. After considering the content offered at this price, however, I'm jumping back up to 4 stars. There really is a lot here to work with! I know that artists sometimes pour over their reviews here, so Rania - if you're watching - don't hold back on us! Give the WHOLE routine, and the title of the music to which it's performed!

With all of the BDSS's jumping on the "video" bandwagon, (Jillina does beginner vids, Ansuya has 3 for more advanced dancers (layering, combinations, and zills), Sonia just did a drum solo video, Rania has always done the fitness vids, Rachel's yoga & isolation drills, and Amar's Bellyqueen video) it has been great for those of us who use videos to learn at home or supplement our classes."

Bellydance w/Rania

Lena, LMT | Nassau, NY | 11/18/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I got this at the library since I wasn't happy with her above mentioned series. I was pleasantly surprised her "no lights on" vacant stare was not as bad as in her fitness series. In this, she does talk as she demonstrates, not a voice over which helps a lot for her.
The dvd comes in 2.0 & 5.1 with the usual chapter selections, bonus performance & 10 min bonus workout in 4:3 or 16:9 letterbox. There is no warm-up or cool down.
She is alone this time which seems to help her as well teaching you the steps with no music except after teaching several steps in blocks & repeated a few times w/o music.
You definitely need to have done bellydance classes before or other learning bellydance dvds first. If you haven't you will be lost unless you can pick things up just by watching.
Because she doesn't teach movements, this goes at a pretty fast clip for those who get bored easily or hate slow paces. I thought her pace in teaching the steps was almost perfect, maybe a touch slower would be the happy medium between learning & boredom. I wasn't bored really which is quite good for choreography workouts.
The part I'm not happy with is that there is never any music to keep you going. The music is played only when she has you try a bunch of moves together. I wish she has a diff song, even lighter one playing when she teaches. The music for the routine is very fast w/good drum solos & tambourine. Her movements are still a little calculated. She is not a a fluid dancers, but she has great movements when executing them, but in between you can practically see her lips moving thinking which step comes next during the performance.
The dance itself is quite simple, mostly a lot of grapevines & turns with a touch of hip drops, vertical figure 8s, pelvic lifts, camels, shimmies & shoulder shimmies thrown in for a few seconds at a time.
In many spots she really takes advantage of the many unique percussion sounds sprinkled throughout (doing a shimmy on a drum beat only moment, doing hip drops to the tambourine) & I was impressed, but other times it seems she would ignore it (short, quick, great flute sounds while she does a slow turn) which disappointed me.
This is an easy to learn & do routine that isn't boring for beginners & intermediates.
If you're looking to learning moves, get another dvd. If you're looking to learn a routine to a good song with movements to the percussion, this is it.

Youtube video under "Rania Bossonis - Learn to Bellydance""

Oh, so short !!!

Slinky Snakes | OZ | 01/08/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Kirvi Dances, got it right..... read her review :-)

Great little choreography.... what Rania lets you have of it !!
But if you're into combinations, this has some wonderful combos.

I really like Rania desite her "rabbit caught in the headlights" look and have quite a few of her "workout dvds" but this shows none of her "looks" she really is quite a good teacher in this BUT as Kirvi says NOT a beginners dvd. This should be titled "Learn (half) a new choreography" not "Learn to Bellydance"

I've just ordered her new to dvd "Drum Solo" :-)"