DISCOVER BELLYDANCE:BEYOND BASIC DANC - DVD Movie

Average Customer Review: ( 32 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

I thoroughly enjoyed simply WATCHING this video-the voice-over was less distracting than when an instructor talks as she teaches, and the camera shots glide smoothly from front, side angles to zoom-in and pan-out. The outfits worn by Veena and Neena are attractive (midriff tanks, leggings and hipscarves) and allow a good view of how the legs, arms, torso and hips should be moving.

In both the warm-up segment and the dance segment the moves are carefully explained and demonstrated. (I did not agree with two particular techniques...hip shimmies are shown with straight legs, with the knees bouncing forward and back. This can cause damage to the knees over time. I prefer shimmies to be taught in a bent knee posture, which protects these extremely vulnerable joints. Secondly...single hiplifts and drops are demonstrated on the tips of the toes. This is immensely difficult for a beginner dancer-and for many experienced ones! I teach this on the ball of the foot, which makes it easier to maintain balance, and cuts down on cramping in the arch).

The twins show a nice, simple choreography which utilizes the movements taught in the video...once in the workout clothes with a pretty chiffon skirt added, then again in vintage-style full costume!

I REALLY liked this video-the quality was impressive and the price reasonable. (The twin's physiques inspired me to diet)! I recommend this as a practice video, or as an instructional tape for a dancer without an instructor in her area.

18 of 18 found the following review helpful:

Excellent!Apr 11, 2001

Neena and Veena are lovely, sweet, and graceful. I found this video far more challenging than the first. They teach each move carefully, but the performance is fast-paced and gets your heart rate up, and the whole video really tones the arms and the torso. If you haven't learned to do hip drops, you might want to check out their Basic Dance video where they teach you exactly how to do it, because in Beyond Basic Dance, they expect you to already know it. This is yet another good quality about their videos--you really get your money's worth because if they taught you a move in one video, they won't re-teach it in another so you are assured of each video's uniqueness. A couple of the moves were very difficult for me to get, but I am very uncoordinated, and have a hard time following even the moves on aerobic videos. I highly recommend this video--I loved the soul-capitivating music, the inside-an-Arabian-palace background, their attitude (sweet and professional without being overly cheery nor condescending), and the womanly and challenging moves. To me, bellydance is one of the best and healthiest kinds of dance for a woman, and Veena and Neena do a great job of introducing it to a beginner!

13 of 13 found the following review helpful:

WELL WORTH THE MONEY!Jan 20, 2004
By Cherry Sprinkle
Have you always wanted to learn Belly dance but have no instructors in your area? Too shy to try it in front of others? Or just need a fast & fun way to get in shape? Buy this tape! Veena & Neena are beautiful to watch and show the movements slowly and very, very clearly! You begin learning warm ups, hand movements, stomach movements, lower body movements, and last but not least - the dance.

This video is simple enough for someone who has never danced before to follow but challenging enough so that if you have been dancing, there are new things to learn. I would actually give this tape to a beginner rather than an intermediate level student.. If you have studied Hawaiian or even Tahitian dance.. you already would know 1/2 of what they teach here (with slight variations on hand positions).. The girls dance and you watch and the instructor explains their every movement and how to make it.. and even encourages you the whole way through.

If you have never danced before.. this tape is just what you need.. but please be aware that you will need to rewind this a few times to get your steps down.. and it will take LOTS of practice to move like the girls on the video. If you are buying this for fitness, practice the stomach moves over and over again. Your abs will tighten up in no time however, if you are wanting to lose weight, you will need to diet as well.

If you have weak knees or bad ankles, make SURE you check with your doctors because there are a lot of movements on these parts of your body. If you have had a back injury or suffer from stiff lower back and/or pelvis.. this tape will help you loosen them up!

Overall this is probably the best tape you could give to a beginner for either learning belly dance or for dieting! You learn all the steps needed to finish the dance at the end. The backgrounds and music are complimentary to the girls dancing and is definitely one of my favorite tapes.

I however, was a little disappointed that the title suggests that this is an intermediate tape and its really more geared for beginners. Try the advanced if you have already learned some basic belly dance.

12 of 12 found the following review helpful:

Simply wonderfulDec 24, 2001
By Basbenee
I have all the bellytwins videos, from the workout to the dance tapes. I'm someone who hates aerobics, yet learning bellydance moves seems somehow natural, and it offers a bit of a challenge and a lot of fun. The dance videos are quite manageable, though some of the steps take work, but it wouldn't be fun if you learned everything right away. The beauty is in the process of learning an art form. Plus since dancing and working out to these tapes I feel great. More energy and the neck and back soreness I would wake up to a couple days a week virtually went away. I also am getting more flexible. The production quality on the twins' tapes is excellent and they dress in such a way that doesn't hinder your ability to watch and follow their moves. The workout videos don't always explain everything quite as well, but the more you do them the easier it gets. Sort of that little light bulb going off, 'Hey I can do that now where I couldn't at first' sort of thing. If I feel kind of drained and crabby I find dancing to one of the tapes works a thousand times better than a cup of coffee or a nap.

See all 32 customer reviews on Amazon.com