Thread: best performance dvd "Temptation of Bellydance"

hi everybody!

wanted to start a thread on the best performance dvd you guys know.

Like I personally collected quite a couple of US performance dvds over the past year, and by all producers, also highly reputed ones like IAMED or HMC I must say I always found a couple of performances dull or really not my taste.

The price of pleasing everybody I thought.

Well there s this dvd Temptation of Bellydance, dancer-produced (Kaya). It has not got that many reviews on amazon, and it says it s not being produced anymore. ..cr.:

I had grown interested in it last spring when someone here or on tribe drew attention to the site www.temptationofbellydance.com with a 10minute trailer (fantastic work by the way).
I did not purchase then, and now I had trouble getting it, could only get it used.

WHAT A PITY!
This is the best US style performance dvd I have ever seen. Not one single performance that is boring or not well-made, technique AND artistic expression-wise!
I must say I am difficult to please, I mostly love watching the Arab classics, and I tend to find American or Russian dancers "lack" something in the emotion and feeling of the music, and oftentimes am left wanting "more" after watching US performances.
This dvd, while it clearly is US style, presents fantasies of folk dances (like the Gypsy dance, as great as it is, has little to do with actual Roma dances I ve seen over Eastern Europe and Turkey), but the skill and fantasy and captivating atmosphere that is created is outstanding.

I think it s a pity this dvd is not produced anymore, and would recommend everybody if you want to get one dvd of "Western" (American rather I guess) bellydancing get this.
This is likely to please Western audiences for its fusion of styles and "show" effects, while also being one of the few to potentially also satisfy Mideastern audiences for the "truthfulness" in expression and sheer savoir-faire by the ladies on this dvd.

I trully love this dvd and will be watching it extensively.
Isidora Bushkovski is fascinating, so are Layla and Viktoriya.. Sadie of course.. too many to name actually, honestly, not one performance that is not good :)

Would anyone like mine!?
I thought it was ermmmm eum....

Lizajuk
I would take that off your hands if I had some cash :P

I've seen a few Youtube trailers...and thought it looked ok...

I do have to admit, some of the performance DVDs on the market....they could certainly do with a lesson on camerawork....I get really dizzy watching DVDs by HMC...Exotic art of BD and Thats Hot!...they cut too fast between shots...and then another fast cut....enough to make your head spin...even some of the IAMED ones...some of the performances are just random/not bd related...and I cant see...why bother to include them...theres a thread somewhere here about when its not bd anymore...some of the IAMED performances...could be questioned...that said they do have lots of good ones

ya I agree many of the IAMED performances are not bellydance. Many are not so exciting to watch (quality wise) even if they are bellydance.
Guess it s difficult to come up with something great with that many dvds out already.

I like quite a few done by HMC - I do not like the disco lights though. And also on their performance dvds there s always a couple of performances that a. cannot keep up with the top ones quality wise b. are often not bellydance (on Evolution I really did not like the "Asian" performance which lasted about 10 min).

I do like the Temptation dvd LOTS quality wise.
Liza what did you find "eum" and what is "eum" to you in the 1st place? I m surprised coz I really loved that one - hence the thread :)

Originally Posted by dinavienna

ya I agree many of the IAMED performances are not bellydance. Many are not so exciting to watch (quality wise) even if they are bellydance.
Guess it s difficult to come up with something great with that many dvds out already.

I like quite a few done by HMC - I do not like the disco lights though. And also on their performance dvds there s always a couple of performances that a. cannot keep up with the top ones quality wise b. are often not bellydance (on Evolution I really did not like the "Asian" performance which lasted about 10 min).

I do like the Temptation dvd LOTS quality wise.
Liza what did you find "eum" and what is "eum" to you in the 1st place? I m surprised coz I really loved that one - hence the thread :)

I found it over-hyped, cheesy and only really enjoyed one or two performances. I hated the "sultan" snapping his fingers at the dancer at the beginning and that soured me all the way down. Imagine someone dnapping their fingers at Ffi Abdou to dance...she'd punch their lights out (figuratively speaking) Just not my scene. Nicely filmed though .

Originally Posted by lizajuk

Ihated the "sultan" snapping his fingers at the dancer at the beginning and that soured me all the way down. Imagine someone dnapping their fingers at Ffi Abdou to dance...she'd punch their lights out .

I did not like that scene either.
Fifi punching someone snapping their fingers at her -

that sultan would be like:

I actually didn't like how the DVD was organized. It seemed difficult to just select one performance - you either had to select a dancer, or watch the whole thing.

My favorite performance dvds are By Dancers For Dancers. Last night I rediscovered #3 and it was as if I had never seen it before.

:Aohmy: I had a hard time getting through that dvd just once. I guess to each it's own. I like IAMED's 007, bellydance live, bdfd vol 3 (I just ordered vol 4!!!), but my favorite performance dvd's are usually those from local events that include my friends and favorite dancers like "Tribal Con 2008."

I thought Raya was horrible. She danced more like a pole dancer than a bellydancer, and her costumes didn't fit very well. I thought "the girls" were gonna fall out on more than one occasion! The rest of them were really, really great, especially Izzy.

I cant remember who Raya is - is she the one who did the rock fusion in this horribly revealing skirt/leggings combination?
i ll have to rewatch to see whether i liked her other dances, but yeah that one was pretty "much". i quite liked the innovation in it though. but yes, very much pole dance instead of refined bellydance movements.
I love Izzy.
Like many of the girls on this video I must say I do not think of them as oriental dancers, because they use the movements but the way they do it cannot be compared with arab dancers'. they re great in the movements, but their dance just would not look the same did they know the culture, language, music first hand.
still i found the dvd very creative, and very very enjoyable to watch. with so much variety!!

Just keep in mind that Raya's husband produced the show and the DVD.

That being said, overall, I do think it was a very good DVD. The camera work and lighting was a little hyper for my taste, but nowhere near the worst I've seen. Most of the dancers were fantastic. I liked the format of four numbers per dancers as it provided variety while allowing each dancer to show a range of her style.

Given the whole controversy around the finger snapping sultan scene in this video and the comments that Fifi would never stand for it, I thought this Youtube video was interesting.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trV0Hv348W0&NR=1]YouTube - Fifi Abdo, Queen of Dance[/ame]

*DROOL*

I so want that Assuit dress

Originally Posted by lizajuk

I found it over-hyped, cheesy and only really enjoyed one or two performances. I hated the "sultan" snapping his fingers at the dancer at the beginning and that soured me all the way down. Imagine someone dnapping their fingers at Ffi Abdou to dance...she'd punch their lights out (figuratively speaking) Just not my scene. Nicely filmed though .

I didn't dislike it but I was not impressed either.

Being on bhuz has given me a greater appreciation of American style dancing (as opposed to US dancers that do Egyptian style which was what I was primarily concerned with previously) And I can't say that 'Temptations' is the best representation of American dancing in my opinion as a foreign dancer.

I'm hard pressed to find any performance dvd on which I love all of the items but I do like the BDFD series, especially when they went to the live stage performance format. If I get a BDFD performance dvd I can trust it will have quality dancing, it will actually be bellydancing and it will have a good variety, in addition to good production quality. Can't ask for much more really. I have 1-3 and intend to keep my collection going.

I also like BDSS in monte carlo solo performances. I would like to see the Bozenka performance dvd but will wait till the dollar is better since it's more of a want than a need :-)

Originally Posted by Zamira

Given the whole controversy around the finger snapping sultan scene in this video and the comments that Fifi would never stand for it, I thought this Youtube video was interesting.

..l;,

Originally Posted by NandaDncer

And I can't say that 'Temptations' is the best representation of American dancing in my opinion as a foreign dancer.

I also like BDSS in monte carlo solo performances. I would like to see the Bozenka performance dvd but will wait till the dollar is better since it's more of a want than a need :-)

Of course I know very little about American style Egyptian inspired dancing
I must say while I really liked the 1st bellydance superstars studio video (from an American cabaret perspective, of course, not expecting Egyptian or other Arab style dancing), the Monte Carlo video was not for me.
I was very disappointed by the tribal performances which I found very dull and repetitive. Also the cabaret performances by Bozenka and Amar and Jillina I found disappointing. Saida and Sonia I found amazing though!

OH MY GOD thanks for this Fifi video!
It reminds me why even before Mona Said and Soheir Zaki she s probably my no 1 favourite EVER!!

I actually believe this Fifi video is a "bellydance Shahrazad" story.
She dances, the ruler orders her death, she asks for another chance to dance, he grants it, she begins again etc.
like Shahrazads storytelling I think.

Great clip!!!

Originally Posted by NandaDncer

I didn't dislike it but I was not impressed either.

Being on bhuz has given me a greater appreciation of American style dancing (as opposed to US dancers that do Egyptian style which was what I was primarily concerned with previously) And I can't say that 'Temptations' is the best representation of American dancing in my opinion as a foreign dancer.

I'm hard pressed to find any performance dvd on which I love all of the items but I do like the BDFD series, especially when they went to the live stage performance format. If I get a BDFD performance dvd I can trust it will have quality dancing, it will actually be bellydancing and it will have a good variety, in addition to good production quality. Can't ask for much more really. I have 1-3 and intend to keep my collection going.

I also like BDSS in monte carlo solo performances. I would like to see the Bozenka performance dvd but will wait till the dollar is better since it's more of a want than a need :-)

I had to rewatch my BDFD Vol 2 after you praised them so much.
Got it one year ago, and rmmbr I could not fully enjoy it back then - I was new to the American style, loved some performances, found others only ok (turning too much with a veil tended to bore me a bit).
Well rewatching it after about one year continuous American style watching, and having loved the temptation dvd this thread is about - I agree!!
I ve come to really really appreciate the BDFD now. Need to get Vol 3 and 4 too!
It s the best American style for me now, I correct my initial opinion ..l;,

(I do not pretend I know much about this style, though, please keep this caveat in mind :) )

The Fifi video is only something she could get away with ..l;, I too am not too impressed with the IAMED videos even though the dancers are praised internationally. Except for Raya, I thought Temptation of Bellydance was terrific. I too did not care for the Bellydance Superstars Monte Carlo DVD but I did like the Folies Bergiere tremendously.

I have been wanting to order Soraya's bellydance videos from NJ Belly Dance By Soraya: NJ, PA Belly Dancing Professional Middle Eastern Wedding Belly Dancer Event Entertainment New Jersey, Philadelphia because she is an internationally known bellydancer whos is also an American born Arab who does dance like an Arab - and I'm straight so I'm not making a play for her ..l;,

Originally Posted by bonnywhiteford

I too am not too impressed with the IAMED videos even though the dancers are praised internationally. Except for Raya, I thought Temptation of Bellydance was terrific. I too did not care for the Bellydance Superstars Monte Carlo DVD but I did like the Folies Bergiere tremendously.

I have been wanting to order Soraya's bellydance videos from NJ Belly Dance By Soraya: NJ, PA Belly Dancing Professional Middle Eastern Wedding Belly Dancer Event Entertainment New Jersey, Philadelphia because she is an internationally known bellydancer whos is also an American born Arab who does dance like an Arab - and I'm straight so I'm not making a play for her ..l;,

Same taste here!!!! :) agree with everything you said.
I need to check out Soraya!! Do you know if she has anything online, youtube or something? Guess I can trust your taste a lot

Originally Posted by dinavienna

Same taste here!!!! :) agree with everything you said.
I need to check out Soraya!! Do you know if she has anything online, youtube or something? Guess I can trust your taste a lot

She's not on YouTube but hopefully someday she will be. Check out this site; its mixes all of her videos into one performance and it's hot. Just click on the title. And if you contact her, tell her Fotia sent you!!

MySpace Video - *New Jersey Belly Dance Star Soraya's Video Channel & Video Clips

Originally Posted by NandaDncer

I'm hard pressed to find any performance dvd on which I love all of the items but I do like the BDFD series, especially when they went to the live stage performance format. If I get a BDFD performance dvd I can trust it will have quality dancing, it will actually be bellydancing and it will have a good variety, in addition to good production quality. Can't ask for much more really. I have 1-3 and intend to keep my collection going.

:-)

Did you see, the cover for BDFD vol 4 is up on cheekygirlsproductions com already!!
looks gorgeous.
for the lucky ones in california, you might be able to attend the performances live! Wish I could go :)

I like the BDFD series a lot because the dancers come in all sizes and shapes and styles. This reminds me to catch up and get them all.