| | |  | BELLY DANCE | Home » » » Vashti's Gypsy Passion: Belly Dance Fusion Choreography With Skirt | | | | | | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Vashti | | Format:
| NTSC | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Cheeky Girls Productions | | Run Time:
| 118 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| March 17, 2008 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 13 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 13 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 found the following review helpful:
 View the TrailerMar 21, 2008
By M. J. Dance
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2YZLT08SVCM3X
16 of 17 found the following review helpful:
 Interesting....not quite what I expected thoughApr 16, 2008
By Serena Dances
"chickenlittle25"
I bought this video wanting to learn a cute skirtwork routine and that's what this video gives you. I think the "gypsy" fusion title is a bit of a misnomer -- it seems to me more of a Spanish or Flamenco fusion than gypsy and even Vashti herself refers to her dance style as "Spanish Fusion". Her terminology is mainly Spanish as is the music. It's not quite what I was looking for, however I did learn some interesting turns and skirtwork as well as some arm movements that I'll definitely be using again! The choreograhy is interesting without being too difficult. A beginner should be able to navigate through this with practice, and a more advanced dancer will have no trouble at all and may even want to add a little bit of their own stylization.
The dvd is broken down into sections so you can review steps that you'll need for the choreography or skip past things that you don't. The choreography itself is even broken into 3 sections.
Vashti is a good instructor with a pleasant demeanor and her teaching pace is good, not too much repetition, but she does go over things several times especially in the beginning when you're learning the skirtwork, footwork, and arm placement. I'd like to see her do more dvds, however I would definitely change the format a bit. The plus side is that she does a wonderful job of showing you the moves, you can see her legs and feet when you need to, she turns sideways when that's helpful, and she does a good job of explaining proper posture and some of the differences in the way that the arms are held as opposed to "traditional" bellydance. The downside is that when she shows you the footwork you'll need she does it facing you and when she says to "go right", she goes to HER right (your left). In some sections they have 1 of her assistants face away from you so you can follow her which is easier, however the extra girl is not in all of the scenes. In other instances Vashti shows you the steps facing you, and then again facing away so that you can follow along, but that wastes some time. After viewing the video a few times I don't want to have to watch every single time before giving it a go. I would prefer to have the instructor either mirror her movements to the audience so I can copy them properly or shoot in front of a mirror so I can see the front and back at the same time.
The production of the dvd is ok. There are a few times when the camera seems wobbly, and when she is using 2 helpers to show you the moves, the girl facing away from you dances right off camera, sometimes the camera pans over to catch up, kind of like the camera guy got bored and then realized the girls were going to dance out of view. Sometimes you just have to follow a section of her leg or guess what to do or try to follow Vashti or is doing things backwards to the way you need to do them. I do have to give them credit because for the most part the camera was focused where it should be (bellydance dvds seem to have improved a LOT in that area), and the sound quality is decent. The background is plain and doesn't distract from the instruction at all.
If you're interested in skirtwork and fusion styles of bellydance this is a good video to try.
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Warning its not Turkish Gypsy Style...Its very Flamenco StylizedApr 23, 2008
By Tori Bella
I wish I read Serena Dances "chickenlittle25" review (read her review before you buy cause she dose a good job on breaking it down) before I bought it, but I had already order the DVD before she posted it. When I hear Gypsy, I think Turkish style. Like Serena's review, this is not what I expected.
Don't get me wrong, if you like very heavy Flamenco Stylized Fusion Gypsy Dance, she teaches it wonderful. The routine is breath taking to watch but its really not my style of dance. I love the fact that you can watch the dance from the front and back view. What is really distracting is that she is dancing from the back view, the electric plug just stands out like a sore thumb in the background. The walls are this tan color, she is dressed in a lovely red outfit, which I would love to own, and you see this very white electric plug box floating in the background. Makes it sorta of amateurish.
Over all, I am very disappointed that its not Turkish Gypsy Style. I really wish Amazon had the Editorial Review on when I bought it. Then again that was the gamble I took, with no review and very little to no information on the DVD. Honesty if you like Flamenco, you will love this DVD. She teaches very beautiful routine. I'm not sure if I will buy Cheeky Girls Productions DVD again. This is the 2nd one that I've been very dissappointed with and the camera work at times aren't very smooth on both dvds, where your going how did this get passed editing or why didn't they just reshoot it?
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Discover your Gypsy Fire!May 10, 2008
By Farah
I LOVE this dvd! Gypsy inspired bellydance is a delight to learn and Vashti is an excellent teacher. The moves are powerful, graceful, firey, feminine and exciting. Spanish-Arab/Gypsy fusion bellydance is lovely combination Flamenco and Middle Eastern dance moves (with other dance tradition influences included as well) and is an interesting change from modern tribal fusion and traditional belly dance styles.
Since previous reviews go into the details of what is contained on this dvd I won't go over the same ground. I will say, however, that anyone wanting a belly dance basics dvd should look elsewhere since Vashti concentrates on the combinations that make up the dance and doesn't break down the individual moves. I highly recommend this dvd for any dancer who is interested in expanding their horizons.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Beautiful styleApr 24, 2008
By D.J.
"Dava Jay"
Vashti has a very lovely style. She says in the trailer that it is a fusion of belly dance, gypsy and spanish style dance. That is a very good description. Some of the other reviewers said they didn't think it was "gypsy enough" and that it had too much spainish style, but wasn't Spain on the Gypsy Trail? The gypsy dance style evolved with spanish influence so I thought the DVD was perfectly within the style.
About the product, the dance is to a beautiful piece of music and the choreography is elegant and challenging. Vashti breaks down each move then teaches the choreography in pieces both facing us and then facing away. This all takes about 2 hours. The chaptering of the DVD is like other Cheeky Girls DVDs, it is easy to navigate and the menu is a strong tool. She uses her skirt as a prop and teaches specific moves involving flipping the skirt and wrapping it around yourself. This was very fun, but I will need to buy a fuller skirt. You should be warned that you will also need a full skirt to do this piece. But it says "with skirt" on the DVD cover so it isn't as if they don't say so.
The production quality was good. The red costumes stand out against the background which makes the dancers' movements very easy to see. There were a few different dancers used to demonstrate and they represented a range of body types which I liked because moves can look different on different bodies. There were close ups sometimes on something being talked about but it was mostly a head to toe shot of the dancers. There was a complaint about the camera work in another review but I only counted 2 minor moments where it was even something I noticed. The DVD is full of good information for a reasonable price and the instruction is easy to understand and follow.
This would be good for someone looking for another style or prop to use in their dance. It would not be good for someone wanting beginner belly dancing technique.
See all 13 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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