Thread: Ranya Renee Baladi 2 dvd set!

Hmm another amazing WDNY release!
I picked up the 2 dvd-set this weekend - it had arrived earlier last week, and I was biting my nails not being home to see it ,r:;

I could not watch everything very close this weekend, let alone work with it.
The 1st dvd is 2 hours long, the second 3 hours - FIVE hours of instruction for less than 25$ and free international shipping from the WDNY site.
I am still amazed at this price policy and LOVE WDNY for it :)

To the contents - I would have paid 50$ for them if I had had to, I have been waiting for something like this ever since my first amazed watching of Egyptian dance, nightclub or baladi scenes by ladies in street dresses, in old black/white movies:
The first dvd starts with musical education, probably 30 min long, performances by Ranya in three costumes, probably 30min (do not nail me down on the duration of these sections, it s a rough estimate from my memory). Then a very very useful part:
Ranya breaks down sooo many pretty typically Egyptian bellydance movements (without music). It is similar to the tutorials in other WDNY dvds. GREAT section. Movements I've often been amazed with but never quite "got" to dance the same myself.
Dvd 2 consists of movement flows entirely:
Ranya improvises to looped sections of a baladi recording - the slow intro, faster midparts, the energetic finale, all separate and stretched out veeery long. She says "boredom" is essential in getting the baladi into one's body and mind - watching and listening it does not get boring I must say. Each section is probably half an hour of looped music - yet I could watch her forever. The same music will get boring dancing to I guess - but her hint sounds very meaningful. Repetition, repetition, repetition probably lets one enter a state of meditation while dancing I am guessing. There are 5 movement flows if I remember correctly, but I have not kept how these parts are called by musical experts, therefore my amateurish description (slow intro with accordeon, faster parts with mroe instruments, drum finale).
Ranya suggests one either follows her, starts improvising oneself somewhere in between, to come back moving with her. She reminds the viewer to not expect to be able to dance exactly like her after a couple of run-throughs.

This dvd is SO beautiful - it is actually great for anybody loving Egyptian style bellydancing - if like me you are just watching it for the first time it is a delight for everybody, man, woman, kids.. anybody who loves the Egyptian style. You see a woman in beautiful training clothes in a well-lit studio and will get to see the movements more clearly than ever.
Amazing to watch!

As for the difficulty level: Both in the tutorial and flow dvd, there are different levels of difficulty. Many movements can be done with only some experience (like I'd say a couple of months of basic classes, some experience with dvd's like Jenna's or Neon's which teach many basic movements), others are very intricate (tiny layered shimmies) and will take lots of practice.
I think this dvd is not a question of level of expertise, but for anyone who loves Egyptian style. For anybody who has ever been intrigued by Egyptian balady in a raks sharki dancer's show, to watch or to follow along, this is an essential dvd set.

Great work, Ranya and WDNY!!!

I got it just before going to my mum for the weekend, so I got up early and watched dvd one Sat and Sun am. That made me watch through including the movement tutorials without trying to join in - which turned out to be a god idea!!

Just got it too.

It's absolutely fantastic, can't wait for Renee's other dvds. She has really raised the bar.

I love this dvd set and can't wait for the other releases! I really like how she explains things. She's a very good dvd instructor.

Fully agreed upon!
And YES - can't wait for her other dvds either!!

Gah! You guys MADE me order this! Especially now that I've discovered how to use my husband's American Express card on Amazon. And I ordered a couple of other DVDs too, just to take advantage of the free shipping. I'm so thrifty!!!
:Ahappy:

Regards
Priscilla

Originally Posted by jessedan

Gah! You guys MADE me order this! Especially now that I've discovered how to use my husband's American Express card on Amazon. And I ordered a couple of other DVDs too, just to take advantage of the free shipping. I'm so thrifty!!!
:Ahappy:

Regards
Priscilla

haha poor guy might have surprisingly high amazon billings on the card in the future ("wait.. did I order books this month? Hmmm...") ..l;,

But this dvd is SO worth this *very* fair price (as a consumer I actually feel a tiny bit guilty - 5 hours for 25$, that s not much!).

I will save my pennies now for the Nesma dvd you once recommended to me :)

I just ordered this yesterday - now that I've read all these posts, I can't wait to get it in the mail! Thanks.

If you want the world between your legs....get this video.
If you don't know what I mean........get this video to find out!!

Originally Posted by Rosemarie

If you want the world between your legs....get this video.
If you don't know what I mean........get this video to find out!!

Excellent teaser!! ..l;,

well then. now I'm intrigued lol

Originally Posted by dinavienna

Dvd 2 consists of movement flows entirely:
Ranya improvises to looped sections of a baladi recording - the slow intro, faster midparts, the energetic finale, all separate and stretched out veeery long. She says "boredom" is essential in getting the baladi into one's body and mind - watching and listening it does not get boring I must say. Each section is probably half an hour of looped music - yet I could watch her forever. The same music will get boring dancing to I guess - but her hint sounds very meaningful. Repetition, repetition, repetition probably lets one enter a state of meditation while dancing I am guessing.

Dina, I appreciate your enthusiasm!

I just wanted to address this quote--you have got it exactly right with the idea of getting into a state of meditation. It's a kind of comfortable boredom that I'm alluding to here--not boring in a boring-to-watch way! :-D
It's about gently quieting the usual little conversations that come up in our minds while we are dancing (like, in this case, "oh, what i'm doing is boring! i should move on to a different step so people don't get bored!") so that we can settle more deeply into the moment and into our bodies while we are dancing. If we can resist the temptation to hurry up and go on to the next move, then we actually will create something much more interesting, by being more present. I have found it a helpful route towards self-acceptance and staying in the moment in the dance. This is applicable for both the music-repetition drills on the dvd as well as for dancing a full beledi or dancing any kind of improvisation.

And yes, to answer someone else's post, I'm glad the producer Neon was open to including the PG-13 rated demos in the Posture section of the dvds!

Thanks for your explanations Ranya! I trully love your dvd set :)
The best one I own, and I own waaay too many bellydance dvds.
May I ask what PG-13 means? I don't get it :)

Originally Posted by dinavienna

Thanks for your explanations Ranya! I trully love your dvd set :)
The best one I own, and I own waaay too many bellydance dvds.
May I ask what PG-13 means? I don't get it :)

pg-13 is one of the ratings we have for movies. it means it's not appropriate for audiences under the age of 13
we have G = general audience, PG = slight innappropriate-ness, PG-13, R = appropriate for adults age 18 and above and the i guess comes X = real inappropriate stuff? haha
oh and NR = not rated

This DVD sounds and based on clips also looks great but is it "Egyptian" as nit-picking European would understand that or Americanized version (like e.g. Jillina's or Amar Gamal's Egyptian styles)?

(Sorry, no intend to undervalue any style as I love also Americanized styles and my own dance style is heavily based on AmCab and "European fusion" but am bit careful with DVD titles and would really love to get DVD with genuine Egyptian baladi feeling)

I am not Egyptian, but grew up with the Egyptian black and white movies, and the movies of the 80s in shallow colour ;)
While it would be safest to ask Egyptians I can tell you from my understanding the presentation both in Ranya's performances and the movement flows comes closest to theclassical Egyptian dancers from those old movies than I have ever seen before on a contemporary well-lit instructional dvd :)
My judgment is: THIS is what I have been waiting for.
It's as close to the "real Egyptian thing" as one can get in an instructional I'd say.
I will show it to an Egyptian friend and ask her what she thinks of it. But like many Egyptian twens she HATES the baladi as old-fashioned, and does not understand why I (or even Americans) am so crazy about it. so I am not even sure her judgment will be so valid either ;)

PG-13 - haha! so Ranya s dvd is rated like Pulp Fiction I guess? :-D

Thanks Dina - I guess I am convinced and am already waiting to get this DVD-set ..l;,

Have fun with it as much as I do - I am watching it the second time now, yesterday evening and today evening.
My time estimations were not all wrong :)
It's even greater than the first time!
can't wait for her other dvds!!!!

I am so easily influenced... I just ordered the dvd set from Amazon. sigh.

I'm watching, it. LOVE her entertaining yet very informative way of explaining posture. Ranya, you're awesome! You have a way of breaking things down that doesn't put me to sleep. Now I'm working on keeping the world between my legs :P

I love the posture part!

Hi all! Thanks for the "props"! ;-D
I'm sorry I haven't been able to respond personally to each dancer who has written to me, but I just want you to know that I'm so happy you're enjoying the DVDs!

Please let your BD friends know that I'm reviving some of the special package deals on my website--for those who order directly from me (Bellydance New York City - Ranya Renee & Company - Belly Dance Classes and Peformances), you'll get a free teleconference for each DVD you order, plus a free performance DVD if you order 2 or more titles. You can also get a discount on the choreography CD for Modern Oriental--which will be ready in about a week or so (along with my remastered performance dvds)! Free shipping in the US, and $5 flat fee for international shipping.
The Baladi teleconferences will start next weekend! I'll post a list of times on my website on Monday March 16, as well as sending out an email about that. Please send email to me at ranya@ranya.net if you want to receive email about this.

cheerio,
rr

Got mine yesterday and watched both discs (takes awhile!). AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!!!!

Hi gang!
Info to sign up for my teleconferences about the Baladi and Modern Oriental is up at Bellydance New York City - Ranya Renee & Company - Belly Dance Classes and Peformances --click on "DVD Info" link and you will find details there. I'm looking forward to speaking to all you baladi addicts out there!

I'm really happy to see this DVD out! I've been one of Ranya's students for the past couple of years, and have had much of this material, including workshops with musicians, several times in the past. I've often thought it was a shame that this type of material and learning experience wasn't available to dancers everywhere. Frankly, very few teachers are able to break both music and movement down so thoroughly, and it's not usually presented so well. Ranya does a lot of research regarding musical structure and theory, and how the dance fits within it, a topic whose importance is often talked about, but seldom addressed in a concrete, use-it-right-now way.

Although there are some really excellent instructional DVDs out there, I believe this one will raise the bar to a new high. I'm looking forward to the next ones.

Hurrah, Ranya!

Rayna - I saw your trailer linked here on Bhuz and I was intreagued... I was really impressed by how you seem to command Egyptian style, expression, music theory, musicality and then at the end you dedicated the DVDs to your teacher - Yousri Sharif....

First of all, you're amazing. I havent even bought the DVDs yet, but just from the trailer I'm going to toot your horn for you :) CAN NOT wait to purchase your DVDs.

Second of all, how beautiful is it that you show such great respect for your teacher and mentor as to not only dedicate to him - but also word it as "he made me a dancer"... I'm truely touched by your integrity as a person, dancer, educator and representative. You make me feel pride in what I do - and I, as I said, havent even gotten the DVDs yet.

Just some props from Southern California here.

Well said, David, I thought the same when watching the trailer and subsequently the entire dvd!!

Here's my review:
My favorite new DVD has got to be Ranya Renee’s first in a series of three DVDs on Egyptian Dance, this one on Baladi. I have longed for a video or workshop about baladi, not just a choreography demonstration, but something that explained the essence of baladi. Baladi, in terms of this DVD and Egyptian dance, is a specifically Egyptian dance performed to their baladi (or country) music. Ranya explained that baladi can mean other things in the surrounding Arabic countries. It is commonly done at weddings and parties, by both men and women, but Raks Sharki performers will often do a baladi section to their full routine. The DVD is all I hoped for, and then some. It is actually a two DVD set, containing 3 hours of material.
The first DVD focuses on the baladi music, and movements stylized for baladi. She spends the first 30 minutes explaining the music, with live musicians, one of whom grew up on Mohammed Ali Street in Cairo. He demonstrates on the accordion how the baladi is different in Alexandria, Upper Egypt, at a street wedding, or a nightclub. Ranya Renee also had the drummers demonstrate the different rhythms you will hear in the progression, and how they play off the accordion. She demonstrated the differences between a women's street baladi, men's street baladi, and a nightclub baladi. Then, she demonstrates each style, in costume.
On the second half of the first DVD, she teaches techniques for each section of the baladi and demonstrates how to make them more "baladi" style. The drills are separated into movements for each musical section, the taqsim (musical improvisation) that starts each baladi, then the call & response section, the maqsoum rhythm – slow and fast – and the 2-beat Ingerara. The ingerara section (the fast section at the end of a baladi progression) was a challenge in the past for me. I always felt like I couldn’t dance that fast and didn’t have enough “fast moves” to fill the time. I would look for baladi progressions with a very short Ingerara. With Ranya Renee’s DVD, I am no longer limited, except my own endurance!
The technique section begins with posture and even an advanced dancer should not skip over it. First, it is taught in a most charming way using props to demonstrate. The use of the amusing props, such as a miniskirt to show how your muscles are tight but fluid around that area, or the zipper up the pelvis to show how you are “zipped up” through those muscles, brought the points home to me in a new way. I have talked to several others about this DVD and all have remarked on this section, how it made them feel very different. Given these postural changes – and understanding the muscle mechanics – I feel I am getting a juicier look to my abdominal isolations.

continued...
With all this in mind, she talked about framing. She demonstrated the hows and more importantly the whys. I was thrilled that Ranya showed that you can in fact use your arms in baladi to express the music. I had a private lesson where I was taught not to use them as much, and I found it a little restrictive. It is just a matter of understanding how to use the arms. The abdominal core and hips are still the main focus of musical expression in the body. Ranya also talked about making it personal, letting the music sing through your body. As this music has always moved me to dance, I felt freer hearing this – I had let other people’s hang-ups about what you should and shouldn’t do creep into my mind until I became insecure dancing baladi. I loved the way she described this dance as one where you feel confident in yourself, your body – proud and strong.

While the movements she teaches in the instructional section will all be very familiar – aside from a new type of “jewel” that I had not seen before – the student may find they feel entirely different when engaging the muscles as instructed in the postural section. The fluid taqsim moves were quite delicious with that sense of holding and fluid tension in the core! The ingerara section could serve as a workout in itself – Ranya has endless energy.
The second DVD focuses on improvisation, as baladi is an improvisational dance. Ranya talks in general about improvisation in baladi, and then leads the student into drills. There are three baladi progressions on the DVD for improvisations. For each one, she discusses the music, danced through it twice, and then goes into the drills. It was not clear to me if the dancing section was intended for the student to watch, follow along, or dance alone to the music. In the drills, Ranya loops sections of the music over and over and you can follow along with her, although there is no voice instruction. You also have the option to flow into the music and dance your own improvisation. However, I found it instructive to “follow the bouncing butt” so to speak, and follow what Ranya chose to do – to try to capture the essence of it into my own body.
In summary, this DVD is extremely economical for everything you receive with it. I am looking forward to the next in the series – on Modern Cairo style.