Thread: Advice on DVD's to study

Hello ladies and gentlemen:

I good friend of mine suggested I should start training with DVD's at home, which i don't really like too much, but I will do anything if that means improvement.

So, I though I'd ask you you:

What are your favorite DVD's? I'd like something for advanced dancers, very challenging and understandable at the same time. Also good DVD's for props!!!

Please help me on this!

Thank you

What style are you interested in? Do you want choreography or drills? Which props are you interested in? How long have you been studying? What kind of workshops do you enjoy?

I love Egyptian and Lebanese. I love workshops that focus more in combinations than in full choreographies. I have been dancing for 4 years and perform at least 3 times a week. I would love veil, cane, sword, fan veils. i enjoy people who explain about regions and styles, origins and rhythms.

I also love drum solos!

Thank you!

I'd do any of the IAMED DVDs, esp. Tamra-henna's rhythms DVD (combos for each rhythm) Dynamic Combinations with Ava Fleming is pretty good. For drum solos, I really like Jenna's DVD The Hearbeat of Bellydance. It has three different drum solos (beginiing, intermediate, advanced) I have Ansuya's finger cymbal DVD. It's pretty good for someone who has very little experience with zills (like myself).

I'm half asleep so I apologize if there are a bunch of spelling errors. I know there are more good ones but I can't think right now, I'm totally out of it!!!

Dahabiya, you might like Shareen el Safy's DVDs for Egyptian. Lots of combos, lots of chat.

I just bought Jenna's layering DVD and like it so far.

21 Shimmies and 1001 Variations is, for me at least, above and beyond any DVD I own - b/c it actually makes me want to practice to it! ;) i.e. it doesn't just lie, collecting dust. Worth every penny, if you ask me!

What don't you like about training with DVDs?

I don't train with them myself. Would you be better off practicing what you learned in class more frequently, taking multiple classes from different people, or investing in private lessons?

I get angry at the prices and poor quality sometimes, but I've sure gotten a lot out of Raqia Hassan's technique videos and Little Egypt's workshop videos (my faves have been Dina and Magdy el Leisy workshops). I watch, pluck out two or three combinations to work on, practice for a while, then go back and check myself against the video, practice some more.

I don't even try to learn the whole choreo because that's not how I roll. hee.

Originally Posted by indigostars

What don't you like about training with DVDs?

I don't train with them myself. Would you be better off practicing what you learned in class more frequently, taking multiple classes from different people, or investing in private lessons?

Well, I have, and I take as many workshops as I can, but most classes I have tried in Vegas are not that good. I have tried privates, but id miss even more my fellow dancers!!! I do take every single workshop in town...but they are totally not enough, and I want to benefit from people who will never make it here.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I get angry at the prices and poor quality sometimes, but I've sure gotten a lot out of Raqia Hassan's technique videos and Little Egypt's workshop videos (my faves have been Dina and Magdy el Leisy workshops). I watch, pluck out two or three combinations to work on, practice for a while, then go back and check myself against the video, practice some more.

I don't even try to learn the whole choreo because that's not how I roll. hee.

Me neither specially cause i always improvise at work, so that is why i am more interested in short combination i can plug in anytime, instead of forcing myself to learn a complicated rutine I will never use!

Michelle Joyce has great videos! I have them all! They cover the range from combos, choreography, to advanced level drills and performing!
Cheeky Girls Productions - Instructional and Performance Belly Dance DVDs
xoxo,
-NJ

I highly recommend the Arabesque Academy instructional series featuring Yasmina Ramzy. Other Arabesque DVDs include several choreographies, night club performance tips, as well as several performances by the internationally renowned Arabesque Dance Company.

Yasmina is a master technician, has lived and performed in the Middle East, and is a wonderful, generous, and ultra-positive teacher. In class, she will zoom in on what you need to improve on, and convey it in such a way (through explanation, tactile correction, analogy, and more) that you are uplifted as a dancer and as a person. The Arabesque DVDs reflect her precise technique and caring attitude as well. Yasmina is a true inspiration!

You will find more info on the series at Arabesque


Khalida

P.S. My studio is an affiliate of Arabesque International, but I do not receive any remuneration for promoting their DVDs.

Originally Posted by khalida777

I highly recommend the Arabesque Academy instructional series featuring Yasmina Ramzy. Other Arabesque DVDs include several choreographies, night club performance tips, as well as several performances by the internationally renowned Arabesque Dance Company.

Yasmina is a master technician, has lived and performed in the Middle East, and is a wonderful, generous, and ultra-positive teacher. In class, she will zoom in on what you need to improve on, and conveys it in such a way (through explanation, tactile correction, analogy, and more) that you are uplifted as a dancer and as a person. The Arabesque DVDs reflect her precise technique and caring attitude as well. Yasmina is a true inspiration!

You will find more info on the series at Arabesque



Khalida


P.S. My studio is an affiliate of Arabesque International, but I do not receive any remuneration for promoting their DVDs.

I agree with Khalida 100%. I have her Nightclub Performance DVD and it's fabulous. I've also taken a workshop with her and I learned so much!

Originally Posted by Dahabiya

Well, I have, and I take as many workshops as I can, but most classes I have tried in Vegas are not that good. I have tried privates, but id miss even more my fellow dancers!!! I do take every single workshop in town...but they are totally not enough, and I want to benefit from people who will never make it here.

well...to be fair, there are a lot of amazing instructors in Vegas, but my guess is that you are at a point in your dancing that you need more than what the average class offers. Private lessons are a great way for you to go. I suggest you might contact Leyla Amir. I'm assuming you already work with Aradia.

(And thanks for being such a great community supporter by attending all the workshops. I know that Tori and I both appreciate it!!)

Dahabiya, a lot depends on what you hope the videos will do for you. Ie, if you want to polish your technique, private coaching may be your best bet, but if you're looking for new ideas and inspirations, videos might indeed be good.

Here are some thoughts...

If you're looking for combinations, you might consider Keti Sharif's two A-Z videos. Each has 26 step combinations in the Egyptian style, each 16 counts in length. Her first one, A-Z Bellydance, is reviewed on my web site at Belly Dancing: Shira's Reviews of Instructional Videos, Alphabetical List . The short version: I really liked it. Since you like Egptian style, A-Z is compatible with that. It's a bit expensive, but it teaches a lot more combinations than other combos videos do so you get good value for your money. I haven't reviewed her Advanced A-Z yet, but it's on my list!

Shareen el-Safy's videos teach choreography, but you could use the choreo as just a framework for learning combinations. The nice thing about Shareen's videos is that for each move she explains exactly where she got it from. Since you said you like knowing origins stuff, her teaching style would be very compatible with that. Some people don't like them because they're took talky, but I personally like the fact that they're content-rich. Her production quality is pretty primitive on some of them. I'd suggest starting with either Weadirt Tohgor or El Hob Kulu, because those two have "good enough" production quality. I'd suggest that you avoid "Baladi Drum Solo" and "Exploring the Drum Solo" for production quality reasons, at least until you decide from trying her other videos whether you like her teaching style enough to get more of them.

Originally Posted by khalida777

I highly recommend the Arabesque Academy instructional series featuring Yasmina Ramzy. Other Arabesque DVDs include several choreographies, night club performance tips, as well as several performances by the internationally renowned Arabesque Dance Company.

Yasmina is a master technician, has lived and performed in the Middle East, and is a wonderful, generous, and ultra-positive teacher. In class, she will zoom in on what you need to improve on, and conveys it in such a way (through explanation, tactile correction, analogy, and more) that you are uplifted as a dancer and as a person. The Arabesque DVDs reflect her precise technique and caring attitude as well. Yasmina is a true inspiration!

You will find more info on the series at Arabesque


Khalida

P.S. My studio is an affiliate of Arabesque International, but I do not receive any remuneration for promoting their DVDs.

Thank you for this! I just inquired for about half of those DVDs.

THAAAAAAAANK YOU!!!!! It sounds like, thanks to you you i'll get an awsome collection:)
Keep the list growing!!

And I agree there are many amazing instructors and dancers in general in vegas!!! But they normally teach while I am working :( my schedule always gets in the way of most things... i am contacting some of them for privates though! Thanks!

hola!!! nena.. te dire k no te dan mucho de donde escojer... pero los de las yasmin son muy buenos ya me los heche los 3 ...
los de la eva .. son muy buenos pero igual ve si te gusta su wokshop primero
el de michel no se... pero baila "bien" nada del otro mundo igual si servirian de algo... personalmente el de tamara henna no creo k te guste su estilo... asi ansuya es mas tu linea!!!

The only real problem I have with studying from DVD's is lack of floor space which is particulalry annoying when using veils and other props.
Anyway my two favourites are: Tamra Henna and Amir Sofi Arab Rhythms & Combinations and Zahra Zuhair Magnificent Moves (Egyptian Technique, Combinations and Styling).
There are also instructionals from Raqia Hassan and a Nadia Gamal Worshop avaliable on DVD although I'm not sure how good they are.

Anousheh

I second Michelle Joyces's DVD's and the 21 Shimmies. I also like for drum solo's "The Art of the Drum Solo" with Sonia from BDSS (goes over rhythm's) and does combo's and choreo, and Sadie's Drum Solo one.

I use DVD's at home as a at home practice thing. I go over the stuff in class but sometimes I want a change from what I am doing in class and that helps. I too don't have a lot of floor space at home. Sometimes all the furniture moving before doing a DVD is a workout in and of itself!

Among others, I enjoy Sadie's drum solo DVD. For me, who has been studying for a couple of years now, the moves and combinations are challenging and you can use some of them for non-drum-solo pieces as well. Through this DVD, I work on combinations of isolations that we don't necessarily do in class.