AysheThe Ultimate Bellydance Fitness Workout, Temple of Jehan: Belly dance exercise, Open level belly dance classes

I am confident in myself and my body that once I master the initial moves...everrrrything else will fall off (weight) and into place (sculpturing my body).And yes...I am mixing BellyDancing with other types of Cardio sessions.You MUST believe in yourself. I am a beginner but I am a SEXY BEGINNER and while I am not exactly obese, I am what "Anthony Hamilton" calls 'Sista Big Bones'.As a 40 year old woman...I carry it well...but our bodies if left unattended (just like a man for example)...will leave us.BellyDancing is an art form in which the first rule that should be taught is 'self-esteem' (confidence). It is common sense from the moves alone that you must feel this.I am not calling anyone a dummy if this is not realized or a person does not 'own themselves'.What I am saying is, if you don't have this you will ultimately give up. I have never tried this b4--but I am and I will be good at it.DAMN GOOD for I feel beautiful as we all are.Now--while I haven't used this video yet...I ALWAYS sit and view instructional exercise DVD's first (at least 2wice) b4 I actually start performing them.For me this does a few things:1) Minimizes frustration. Frustration...is definitely a motivation killer.2) It gives ME somewhat of an 'imprint' in my memory of the whole routine so to minimize stumbling with the direction the body is going.3) I get an idea of level of difficulty so I an prepare myself mentally. Lets face it...other feedback is great but they are based on one's own experience. Some are fast learners and vice versa.Number 3--is most important because after viewing the DVD, my conclusion is: I am VERY,VERY excited about the 'WORKOUT' which will be good for me but only AFTER--I get an instructional video on the basics. In the case of bellydancing...trying to walk b4 you crawl...is not in your best interest here.The instruction format on the DVD is nicely laid out into sections with a different instructor for each. I am choosing a beginner course with "Neon" as the instructor because of this. I like the way she moves and she seems to enjoy it.The music is good but the 'set' is lacking and could be a little more 'decorated' I suppose for visual effect. That is minor though.I am very excited about learning this art and you will be too, if you follow the little bit of advice I offer as well as others.Good luck you sexy thang you!...Believe that.

As follows is the workout:Warm-upStrengthSensualityJoyPassionEnergyCool DownThe workout from warm-up to cool down is 44 minutes - (the warm-up is 9 min. and the cool down is 6 minutes).There is a pause between each section as they have a scene change so you have to wait a bit for the next one to start.I found it easy to do except for the layering a shimmy on other moves. I have been belly dancing for over a year now.For absolute beginners it would be difficult as there is no tutorial.I didn't do the warm-up I just clicked onto the first section, strength and the dvd doesn't keep playing you have to click onto eachsection individually, so then the next time I clicked on the warm-up and scene skipped then it played all the way through.They filmed up close to the instructors - sometimes I missed some moves because they zeroed in on the hips etc so I couldn't seethe feet.It was performed with a workout in mind ie, four steps to the left then clap then back the other way four steps the clap tochange direction - and the moves are done hard rather than flowing - I suppose to try and keep the heart rate up to get fit?It is all belly dance moves, which is good.I was a little bit disappointed with this dvd, I was hoping for a longer workout 40 to 45 minutes with more of a dance feel as it feltmore like a workout - I like to exercise in a way that doesn't feel like I'm exercising - I want to feel like I'm dancing.It's still a good dvd to have once you can already dance. So enjoy

I just finished my second go at this dvd. I got a great, heart-pumping, body-stretching workout.If you have never bellydanced before, this workout is not for you. Get Neena and Veena's 'Discover Bellydance' Series to learn basic moves, then move on to Jillina's 'Instructional Bellydance', then this dvd would be appropriate. A beginner/intermediate should do fine with this.The dvd begins with a warmup, then about 30 minutes of workout-dancing, then a cooldown.I loved the cute, creative costuming and the modern-based-on-tradition style of this dvd. There is no dance snobbery here. You feel welcome to continue to dance joyfully and enjoy your workout without feeling like you're preparing for a dance competition. The background music is fun and a little goofy at first, unless you are a Goddess worshipper, but you get used to it and it becomes part of the feminine "power" of your dancing.I really liked that there were other dancers and body-types in every part of the dvd. It gives you an appreciation as to what the same dance looks like on longer legs, curvier body, etc. (Every dancer is fit and slim, mind you). I also got a taste of other dancer's "vibes", for consideration into other dvd's. For example, I mis-judged Neon's flashiness on her dvd covers and never bought any, now i realize i was wrong, and can't wait to pick up some of her dvd's. (Never judge a dvd by it's cover...just like mom used to say:)Like pretty much every dance dvd I own, the only real problem here is the camera should have the legs and feet in pretty much every shot, and it is occasionally confusing as to what is happening below the thighs.This is only a very occasional issue. This is the only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5. Ultimately, a refreshing and fun workout. A great dvd for your collection.

In the early aughts I took belly dance lessons for a few years, and wanting to refresh what I learnt I bought this mess of a dvd. Let me start with the production values. The camera work couldn't be shoddier. More often than not you don't see the legs of the main dancer, let alone the feet, while a vertical lettering with the name of the workout takes up a third of the screen for no reason at all. The instruction is poorly timed (right on the warmup you'll be stretching non stop just because no one will tell you when to change positions and you won't be able to see the screen), and the rest of the routines basically are a sequence of people dancing you are supposed to copy (and good luck to you if you have no former belly dance instruction!) Pointers on form are sparse, lightning quick and confusing, and as for the wardrobe, it all looks like the b-takes of a Britney vidio circa 2001. Oh, and there's some unrelated and cliched goddess talk all along. I really wanted to like ths dvd, but it is an unmitigated disaster, both as a workout video and as an instruction one.

This is an upbeat pacey workout, which would be ideally suited to intermediate level bellydancers who want to work up a sweat and do some conditioning, using varied and energetic routines.There are times in this DVD where I am convinced it is having some kind of identity crisis.The level of the dance is improver and above, using travelling movements with little to no explanation. There is also no clear "easy" or "low impact" alternative given. There is also no information about posture, or cautions to avoid damage when stretching, doing head rolls etc. With this in mind I would say that this is not a DVD to approach without having at least 6 months of classes under your coin belt. The lack of repetition doesn't help this, it's great to have a routine that is varied, but I often find that by the time I had worked out what they are doing, had a go and started to get into it, they are halfway through the next bit. You have to do this a few times to get used to the choreography before you can really keep up.The look of the DVD is contrary to this, it seems that they are trying to pitch it to a more casual aerobics crowd, laying off the fancy costumes (btw who dances or exercises in jeans? seriously!) and pushing the workout perspective at times.There is also the spiritual goddess thing, which is referenced frequently, but with no context. Now am I supposed to be dancing, exercising or feeling the energy of the earth? Because I am not sure I can do more than 2 out of 3 at once, certainly not without a lot of practice.I did really like having the different sections with different moods, that was really good; and I also appreciated having a range of dancers with different styles.An interesting DVD, but not for the faint hearted!

Ok so it looks like one of the first dvds of the world dance bellydance where there is no stage no full bodies and these stars weren't stars yet. At first, I didn't like it because there is no explanation on the steps neither a practice, it is just the workout and one must know the bellydance steps ti follow this dvd. But, I have to confess that for the aspect of working out this one is great (one of the best dvds from World belly dance for the workout purpose). So, my advice is: if you are a complete beginner or are still learning the bellydancing steps, don't go for it since there is no explanation on the moves and you won't get what they are doing, but if you are intermediate level or knows the steps and are looking for something that really makes your body work, then go for it. As a workout dvd, there is just one dvd better than this one which is the Shimmy workout with Sarah Skinner.

I bought this product as a beginner and find it totally useless for me. I don't feel that the steps are expained enough, which may be ok if you have some dance experience. I don't and i wanted a dvd which would teach me how to do basic moves and then build them up slowely, which i don't feel this does.

Just what I was looking for. This DVD is interesting enough to do over and over again and I have been doing just that! I have bought several bellydance DVD`s since I had my little girl but this is by far the best.