Search - Discover Bellydance: Mystic Dance on DVD

Sensual Dance

Rebecca Johnson | Washington State | 06/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Identical twins, Veena and Neena, introduce a sensuous way to exercise that is much more like learning a choreographed routine. The sensuous movements are introduced in slow flowing motions and then you learn the entire dance. I was surprised at how easy this was to learn and how much the moves worked my stomach from every angle.

Your arms will also feel this workout because you seem to constantly have your arms in position or swirling the veils. So, technically, this does seem to almost be an abdominal and arm workout. You might also feel like you are massaging your entire body from the inside out.

The set is gorgeous with candles, curtains flowing from the ceiling and pillows everywhere on the floor in the background.

If you consider yourself to be an intermediate belly dancer, then you will be able to enjoy this immediately. If you are just learning belly dance this might also be a good place to start because the moves are slow and the dance routine is less complicated and more sensuous and slow.

Truthfully, this might become one of my favorite ways to relax in the evening. I've love to be able to do this entire routine on my own at some point. Belly dancing is relaxing, healing and takes me to sensual places no other workout can.

~The Rebecca Review
"

Brief intro to turns and veil

A woman | 07/19/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"
I think this one isn't very useful. It does provide some instructions on some isolations, and allows you to practice them, but there are more solid programs than this. This video also teaches basic veilwork and turns, but for people looking for a fun workout or for ways to improve their party dancing this is hardly interesting, and for those considering becoming a professional dancer it might be too rudimentary. And perhaps for everybody it will be somewhat annoying due to the nonsensical editing and few other issues.

The isolations are:
- rib cage: horizontal circles
- upper body camel
- hips: horizontal figure 8's (both forward and backward)
- hips: vertical figure 8's (both upward and downward)
- hips: bicycle figure 8's
- shoulder rolls
- head slides (just demo, no instruction)

Lovely arm positions and movements are introduced too (Aladdin, mummy, temple, goddess, genie, candle, snake, and several variations of the Nile).

Two types of steps are briefly touched as well:
- 4-count walk back and forth with a leg lift on each 4th count
- toe-walking sideward while cameling

The issues are:

1. The ridiculous editing. It gets especially annoying during turns' demonstration: what you need to watch most closely (the feet) is only shown for a few brief moments, sometimes at an awkward angle, and with the camera that keeps moving!!! And throughout the video, the editor's favorite angle is the one that is the least useful for a student: from above!

2. Voiceover during the steps' teaching is misleading. It says "flat, flat, toe, toe", but the girls are doing "flat, toe, toe, toe" (with the last "toe" gradually becoming "flat"). By the way, you may find the voiceover's intonation to be silly (it's like a kindergarten teacher). On the other hand, non-native English speakers will likely appreciate all those exaggerations (every word is pronounced super-clearly).

3. The twins should have spent more time demonstrating (and maybe should have tried to explain) how to combine camel and traveling steps. This is the most mystifying part of their mystic dance, and they are kind of reluctant to unveil the mystery for you.

4. One of the sisters doesn't seem highly experienced. She also looks aloof. The other sister adds some playful bouncing to her moves, which I like, but a total beginner might find it confusing.

I like the chosen music and appreciate the DVD's feature "music without narration"."