Thread: Bellydance Secrets ebook

Bellydance Secrets Revealed

Has anyone seen this? It's $37, which seems a lot for an e-book.
She has the webpage set up like an infomercial, lol. I may get it, as I love Nathalie's youtubes...... What do you guys think?

How many pages? I would think it would be 500 for that price! ..l;,

Guaranteed To improve your technique by 213% Without Taking Another Class!

Am I the only one who's curious what methodology was used to come up with such a specific percentage?

Originally Posted by laura 2

Am I the only one who's curious what methodology was used to come up with such a specific percentage?

It does sound questionable, doesn't it?

Originally Posted by Fotia

It does sound questionable, doesn't it?

Assigning a number value just seems so odd to me. I'm certainly used to tracking improvement in with both my students and myself. But I can't really see how I would gauge if someone's hip drop was 12% better than last week, or if my layering sucks 42% less than my last private lesson. ..l;,

wow. She might be the best dancer and instructor in the universe, but as a writer myself I just can't Get Past the Random Capitalization and the hyperbole.

Surely the 213% figure is meant to be tongue in cheek? That CAN'T be serious? Please?

The bizarre percentage, hyperbole and other stuff is standard online marketing hype - it's what you get when you hire an "online marketing expert" to market your product. Icky, isn't it? She almost certainly didn't write that copy, unless she's an online marketer in her own right - it's practically templated.

The pricing is fairly standard, too - I'll never understand why people will *still* pay twice as much for an ebook than a hardcopy, but they do - and they sell better at higher prices than lower.

You might contact her, introduce yourself as a dancer and fan, tell her you aren't connecting to the sales page at all, but would like to know more about what she's offering. See if she'll provide a table of contents, a sample chapter or at least a few pages of content so you can get an idea of her writing style and if it might be useful to you.

Hmm, every so often, there is a bellydance e-book advertised on the internet with these dramatic types of claims of what a fantastic dancer it will make you with a different title and a slightly different slant to the advertising.

The first one I saw was something about relasing your inner genie and claimed to use the same principles of quantum physics applied in that famous book "The Secret."

The second one I saw said something about being able to impress your friends and family with your dance skills without ever having to take lessons.

Are there really so many different bellydance e-books, or is the same one being remarketed, just with a higher price each time?

My first thought was that she stayed up one night watching infomercials and televangelist for ideas on how to market her e-book...! lol! Very cheesy, but I’m still intrigued… I wonder if someone could sell me their “used” copy, lol!

NO NO NO NO NO !!!!!!

I love Nathalie's dancing, but one of my students bought this. It's a 24 page pamphlet at best -- big print -- and most of it is diet plans, pictures, vitamin advice, 8 pages on why ballet technique is good for you, a page on ballet terminology, a couple of pages and pictures of basic Pilates exercises, and 3 pages of advertising her products.


My student was SO disappointed in it she called me crying. She showed it to me, and there was really NOTHING in it that we haven't discussed in depth on Bhuz. I can't really even recommend it as a $3 download. Heck I'm not even sure it's worth reading as a FREE download. There was nothing original or new in the material at all. Don't waste your money -- buy a performance dvd instead. You'll learn more.

(hate to be negative, but I believe in telling it as it is.)

Aziyade, thanks for this! I am so sorry about your student and I wish she could get her money back. But at least we can spread the word.

AWE sorry for your student!!!!!
If someone likes books for technique and practice - may I throw in Tamalyn Dallal's is SO good? nothing fancy, black and white, but really nice. To look at with beautiful pictures for inspiration I really like Belly Dancing Basics by Laura Cooper, photos by sarah Skinner if I am correct..

both at a fraction of that price, and so worth it..

A Top Secret Program to find out what they don't want you to know...

she makes it sound like all bellydance instructors in the world (apart from her, of course) are malicious selfish secretive crones who want to make the new bellydance generation FAIL MISERABLY [insert evil laugh here]
by the way, my lotus hands have improved by 51% this week...

I wonder if there are similar ebooks targeted at other social/fitness dance forms or activities? Yoga, pilates, salsa, zumba...

Aziyade, that is terrible! This is a total scam and rip-off!

Just curious, what was the diet? I bet it was reduced calories or something like that.

P.S. Just think! You'll never again suffer through the pain and hassle of starting with yet another bad instructor.

Hear that, Bhuz?!

Originally Posted by Athenaserpent

A Top Secret Program to find out what they don't want you to know...

she makes it sound like all bellydance instructors in the world (apart from her, of course) are malicious selfish secretive crones who want to make the new bellydance generation FAIL MISERABLY [insert evil laugh here]
by the way, my lotus hands have improved by 51% this week...

..l;,..l;,..l;,

Oh, yes..we are a lot of selfish biatches up in here!!! I have really noticed the total lack of sharing and compasion on this site!!!

Originally Posted by vron

Just curious, what was the diet? I bet it was reduced calories or something like that.

It's a 7-day meal plan with "high carb" and "low carb" options. Basically it reads like Weight Watcher's old Quickstart program, but you eat 6 small meals a day. No calorie counts listed.

Originally Posted by aziyade

It's a 7-day meal plan with "high carb" and "low carb" options. Basically it reads like Weight Watcher's old Quickstart program, but you eat 6 small meals a day. No calorie counts listed.

I think that idea has been touted plenty. Nothing new and exciting here and nothing at least 215% interesting either.

I'm deleting this because it really is hearsay. I have emailed my student this thread so she can contact Nathalie directly. I stand by the review, but anything else should have been between the two parties involved, and I apologize for that.

I suggest to cross-post this entire issue on the bellydance boycott thread.. it seems a major rip-off judging from the description of content (which is not met at all from what you tell) and that "guarantee" - and all that considering the high price.

I was also considering getting this e-book but I am 100% glad that I didn't and have 0% regrets. Now I can spend 40% of that $37 on a WDNY dvd and the other 60% on a Cheeky Girls dvd instead !

..l;,

Originally Posted by Antigone

I was also considering getting this e-book but I am 100% glad that I didn't and have 0% regrets. Now I can spend 40% of that $37 on a WDNY dvd and the other 60% on a Cheeky Girls dvd instead !

Lol! You girls crack me up! ..l;,

I have a headache from all of these numbers. I enjoy Nathalie's live performances. She's definitely good at marketing - look at the MBC go! But this book seemed completely out of touch. Maybe it's one of those things where someone thought up a great idea and brought it to her, said you just have to sign and date here, and you'll see the money in your bank. Weird...

I was totally put off by the marketing. Esp it doesn't cost you $1,000 for a workshop - so that doesn't have any relevance to the prioce you pay. Also, I'm curiou some of you say you know her dancing. Is she in that price league?

By the way, I have the Tamalyn book and a couple of others, and IMO there is NO book that can do that much for you to improve in a visual movement art

True. They can at best be a supplement - there are people who love to work with written explanations. After all, you have to know what it has to look like at best from live classes, and then work through the book in front of a mirror..
it could be good for a lonely beach :)

Hello Everyone,

Nathalie here. I honestly have to say that I am a bit in shock to find this in the internet, specially to see the way some of “my fellow dance sisters” are talking about another instructor of this art form.
I have to really respond to this forum because I feel that somehow some of the content in here is completely untrue!!

First of all, let me start by saying that I do NOT THINK the price of my ebook is too high, and the reason I say this is because I have paid even higher prices on dance books, and E-books myself. My goal was always to LEARN AS MUCH AS I CAN…and the true is that as a dancer I don’t look for the cheapest product… I look for quality.
How many of us have gone to a workshop and paid $65.00 to $120.00 and just get ONE OR TWO things out of that class? How many of us have spent fortune in bellydance classes and feel stuck in the same level for years? Well, I know I DID ….I do think that if you learn one or two things from every belly dance product you own …then you are lucky and moving towards becoming a better dancer.

I have to say that I am surprised to see how all of us, women and sisters in dance, critic another fellow dancer. My goal has never being to rip people off in any way, and everyone who passed through my classroom and know me personally, knows that….

I have to respond to Aziyade, I have never received one e-mail from anyone telling me that the e-book was not what they expected and that they wanted the money back. Otherwise, I can guarantee you that I would have taken care of the situation with not a second thought in my head. All e-mails I have received, have been positive feedbacks about the e-book. I find your comments a bit disrespectful. I am known for responding to ALL my e-mails very quickly, even when I’m not in my office I reply from my mobile, so I am sorry to say that ALL COMMENTS YOU HAVE WRITTEN IN HERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE!!

However, my business, my students, and my costumers are the most valuable thing I have, therefore please go ahead and have your student e-mailing me directly at dreams@nathaliebellydance.com or call my office ( my number is all over the internet) and I will give her the money back and she can also keep the e-book!!