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with Leyla Jouvana and Roland
There's a reason LEYLA JOUVANA is known around the world as The Shimmy Queen! of belly dance. No one can Shimmy like Leyla!
Now you can learn 21 of The Shimmy Queen's favorite shimmies ~ plus lots of variations ~ from Leyla herself. Leyla completely breaks down the technique used for each shimmy, including the muscles involved and weight changes. She explains the differences between the shimmies, what makes each shimmy special, and how to match each shimmy to the music.
Leyla teaches 21 kinds of shimmies, including:
Rotation Shimmy
Hip Shimmy
Ghawazee Shimmy
Egyptian Shimmy
Vertical Afro Shimmy
Samba Shimmy
Flutter Shimmy
and more!
From basic shimmies like the Hip Shimmy and the Egyptian Shimmy, to the advanced layering of the Combined Afro-Vibration Shimmy or the Samba Shimmy, Leyla fully demonstrates each shimmy so you can follow along and perfect your own technique.
Plus, to help you to clearly understand the relationship between the movements and the rhythms, Leyla teaches to exciting rhythms played by her husband Roland, the accomplished drummer. You'll gain a deeper appreciation of the music as well learn some great moves!
Your drum solos will never be the same, and whether you're dancing to the latest pop tunes or the classics, Leyla's shimmies will add excitement and spice to all your belly dance performances!
Running time: 135 minutes. | | | Product Details: | | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 23 reviews |
| | | | Used and New: | | | |
| All | |
| $24.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $33.95 | New | | | $34.95 | New | | | $34.99 | Used
- Mint | | | $36.99 | New | | | $40.00 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | Used
- Mint | | | $46.50 | Used
- VeryGood | |
| New | |
| $33.95 | New | | | $34.95 | New | | | $36.99 | New | |
| Used | |
| $24.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $34.99 | Used
- Mint | | | $40.00 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | Used
- Mint | | | $46.50 | Used
- VeryGood | |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 23 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
80 of 80 found the following review helpful:
 Unique on the market!Sep 05, 2006
By Eden Russell
From the first moment I saw this item on amazon, I knew I wanted to have it. Since this DVD is a little pricey I made a point to scrutinize the web for other similar products but I found none! Only Celeste's Turbo Shimmy DVD came close but not enough. Given my modest budget I took a deep breath and ordered.
For the price and being an IAMED production I had very high expectations of the DVD and they were not betrayed! The total run time is 2 hours and 15 mins and it's the longest single DVD in my collection. The menu is really nice, divided in chapters you can play seperately.
In the first chapter Leyla introduces herself and her husband Roland, the drummer who assists her. Maybe because of her name, Leyla, I expected to see a dark-haired mid-eastern dancer but she turned out to be blond, probably in her forties, Yugoslavian. She has a thick accent that I found a little distracting at first but I got used to it very quickly.
Of all instructors I've seen on DVDs ever, Leyla Jouvana is probably the most natural and cheerful among them. There is the ultra serious Nourhan Sharif and the plastered smiles on Neena and Veena's faces as two extremes. Leyla smiles and laughs so genuinely it's incredibly refreshing. She is dressed in a nice tight-fitting outfit with a hip scarf. The lesson takes place in a brightly lit room (I think IAMED DVDS are all filmed in the same room or a very similar one) with a few cushions on the floor to give it a light mid-eastern flavor.
When each chapter starts, the name of the shimmy learned pops up, then Leyla demonstrates while Roland helps her with the dumbek. Then she gives a short introduction to the shimmy, claps hands to break down the rhythm, then displays the technique of the shimmy. She does that once, then when it gets fast, she starts again with explanations slowly. This is a great opportunity to get enough repetition without making it tedious. Besides, by presenting the instruction twice it becomes complete and very detailed, especially if you have missed some details the first time she spoke. At the end Leyla also teaches some layering as well which I'm going to leave for later when I'm more comfortable with the basic technique. I think I have material for solid excercise in the next couple of months or more! Leyla also does make a point to explain the differences between the shimmies and what makes them different from the rest. I'm very grateful she also gives hints on proper posture or how a shimmy should NOT look.
The shimmies introduced are not exactly arranged in easiest-hardest order. Most of them are mentioned on the back of the cover. Rotation shimmy (with variations), hip shimmy (with variation), Egyptian, Ghawazee, muscle, vibration, afro shimmy and combined shimmies are presented to name a few. Egyptial and hip shimmy are what most people visualize when they hear the word "shimmy" and they are also two of the easiest shimmies to learn. Great attention is paid to the the 3/4 shimmy which she calls triplets. Contrary to what the back cover suggests, I actually found the flutter, muscle and especially rotation shimmies the hardest of all (of course variations making them even harder). I'm a huge fan of Jenna who did the Heartbeat of Bellydance video but I think only Leyla does a more impressive shimmy/undulation layering. Some less "traditional" shimmies are included, such as hand shimmy, calf shimmy, and (what could be called) tongue shimmy, very cute spices to a dance.
The DVD ends with a spectacular drum solo performance where Leyla demostrates her outstanding dancing skills. It's beautiful to watch especially because she does it as cheerfully as she had given instruction.
In conclusion I want to say that my money couldn't be invested in a better way. I have now lots of material to enhance and spice up my dancing and I also have a much better undestanding of this signature bellydance move, the shimmy. As I expected, this is also a great workout and it's excellent for body shaping/ weightloss.
One DVD, so many ways to benefit from it. :)
22 of 22 found the following review helpful:
 A Good Supplement to the Dancer's Practice LibraryJan 15, 2007
By Shannon B Davis
"Nepenthe"
This is an excellent DVD for teaching and practicing different types of shimmies, particularly if your teacher focuses only on a few. Although I had several years of bellydance instruction under my belt, Leyla still managed to introduce some new concepts to me, like the Samba shimmy. I had learned the tummy flutter already but it was Leyla's instruction that helped me go from a flutter-fearer to a flutter-doer.
The video is structured around 21 shimmies, in 21 chapters. In each chapter, there is a discussion of the shimmy, then drills, then variations are taught, and then drilled. This is a good video to drill along with. I would do the sections on shimmies I already knew well as an opportunity to focus my drilling. Since each shimmy is in one chapter, you could easily put the DVD in to practice one or two shimmies at a time rather than tackle the whole video at once.
Leyla is a sweet instructor. She is encouraging and has a genuine personality. She seems comfortable in front of the camera.
24 of 25 found the following review helpful:
Worth Every Penny!Jun 05, 2006
By HoneeeB
This was one of the most expensive instructional bellydance DVDs that I have purchased. However, I can honestly say that it was worth every penny. In fact, I got MORE than my money's worth! While I don't believe that a DVD can replace the "dance studio" experience, I do feel that anyone interested in learning or refining their shimmy would definitely benefit greatly from the information on this DVD.
22 of 24 found the following review helpful:
 An encyclopedia of shimmies---but where are the 1001 variations?Dec 24, 2006
By Mala
If this video were a little less expensive, I'd give it a 4. But while it's an encyclopedia of shimmies,all taught well by a charming and natural instructor, you probably wouldn't end up using all these. Well, unless you're a professional dancer. So it's a 3 for new dancers and hobbyists--possibly a lot more for professional and serious dancers, all of whom have this video in their library. I was a little more taken with this video when I first bought it, but many months later have realized that I haven't used it much. Shimmie drill videos end up being more useful. Also, she didn't take it further into layering, which is when we'd get into the 1,001 variations territory. I wish belly dance videos would position themselves better so that beginners and hobbyists would know what to choose rather than amassing tons of videos and then figuring out that so many were unnecessary. But then that wouldn't make business sense would it.
Apart from my two complaints though, the video is well made, well taught, and has a lot of content. In other words, it's a strong video--for the right people.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
A Great Collection of Shimmies!Jul 02, 2007
By S. Sied
Love this! It is basically an encyclopedia of different shimmies. Some I already know and use, some I have always wanted to learn, and some I will probably never use. It is a great reference resource.
I like the instructor's presentation style. For me she has the perfect balance of verbal instruction and demonstration. I am a visual learner and like to follow along--however, I also like a break down, tops and a little theory. I also like that she is enthusiastic and smiles without being obnoxiously cheery.
The music is primarily drum music provided by the instructor's husband. The pure drumming makes it easy to work on coordinating the shimmies with music.
You will like this dvd if: 1--you are interested in adding to your shimmy repertoire 2--you like fast, high energy dancing. 3--you are interested in learning from a video that features a curvy but still healthy looking instructor 4--you are of at least intermediate level as this dvd does not break down many basic moves
You may not like it if: 1--you are not particularly interested in shimmies 2--you are focused on learning one particular style as she uses shimmies from a variety of styles and dance forms (though she generally explains which styles use each shimmy) 3--you are specifically looking for shimmy drill exercises (although you can drill with this dvd after you learn the technique by dancing along with her demonstrations for each shimmy) 4--You are a beginner who needs to learn the fundamentals--there are other dvds that do an excellent job of breaking down basic movements and postures. 5--You are looking for a prepared workout--this is dance instruction dvd not a workout dvd. The moves can be used in a workout but that is not how this dvd is put together.
See all 23 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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