Thread: Belly By Sandra: Opinions?

Hi all! Dina was telling me about the Belly By Sandra isolations DVD, and I have to say I've had my eye on this since I first heard about it. I'm pretty much just starting with belly dance, and currently have the following (for those of you that haven't already seen my other thread):

-Jenna's Basics & Beyond
-Ayshe's Core Belly Dance (I need this for my abdominal separation issues)
-Luscious Workout
-Autumn Ward's Beautiful Technique
-Jenna's Heartbeat of Belly Dance

-I will also likely get the shimmy workout from WDNY coming out this year sometime.

I'm just wondering whether Sandra's DVD will be a good complement to what I have, or whether what I have is sufficient. I really want to avoid getting too many DVDs. I just want to have a small set that covers the basics and work with that until I've mastered it, then move on to new DVDs.

I've heard the Belly By Sandra has more drill than Jenna's, which would be nice, but as Dina mentioned, I could always stop Jenna's and drill to music. To sum it up, I'm just wondering if Sandra's is really different enough to warrant purchasing. Thanks so much for your thoughts!

hi alexadae, I'm addicted to BD dvds and I found that 'a small set that covers the basics'depends on where your at in your current level, style and what you want to focus on.

Could you tell us more about you, what are your dance goals this year and what do you need from your dvds to make it happen?

Originally Posted by mekyria

hi alexadae, I'm addicted to BD dvds and I found that 'a small set that covers the basics'depends on where your at in your current level, style and what you want to focus on.

Could you tell us more about you, what are your dance goals this year and what do you need from your dvds to make it happen?

That's a good question, really! I hadn't really fleshed out my goals yet, but they lie along these lines:

- Move from my instructor's beginner to intermediate class ASAP, just because I'm excited to make progress and get to that point.
- Master the basic moves so I can follow along with beginner choreographies comfortably (i.e. I don't want to have to think so much about the moves, but have them flow naturally)
- Be technically precise, not sloppy.
- Practice around 7 hours a week outside of my one-hour weekly class.

These goals are all related, and I honestly don't know how long it will take me to reach the first couple. I just started a few weeks ago, after all!

I took ballroom dance classes during my college years and was so surprised when during one of my final exams my teacher told me she thought I could go professional eventually. I always thought I stunk at dancing, because when I took ballet/tap/jazz as a child, I never made much progress. Looking back, it's because I never practiced! I don't pick things up easily, it takes LOTS of SLOW practice, which is the main reason I want a good DVD collection at home so I can stop, try it again, etc.

On the other hand, if I get too many DVDs, I won't be able to work with them very often, so how can I really make progress on any single one? You were right to ask about my goals, because I really only want DVDs that help me reach them!

Originally Posted by alexadae

.....
- Move from my instructor's beginner to intermediate class ASAP, just because I'm excited to make progress and get to that point.
- Master the basic moves so I can follow along with beginner choreographies comfortably (i.e. I don't want to have to think so much about the moves, but have them flow naturally)
- Be technically precise, not sloppy.
- Practice around 7 hours a week outside of my one-hour weekly class.
.....
I took ballroom dance classes during my college years and was so surprised when during one of my final exams my teacher told me she thought I could go professional eventually. ....which is the main reason I want a good DVD collection at home so I can stop, try it again, etc.
On the other hand, if I get too many DVDs, I won't be able to work with them very often, so how can I really make progress on any single one?....

(underline added)

1. for the money, Jenna's basics will serve you for a long time im sure you've noticed there is A LOT of technique on it!
2. don't concern yourself with how slowly or quickly you learn the moves, or the music, or the culture, etc. it will take years to become professional (with practicing regularly outside of class) so it's best to ENJOY THE RIDE!
3. sometimes i actually long for when i was a beginner and everything was so.... magical (usually i can just watch Aladdin when im in that mood ..l;,^_~). you don't want to burn out, im not saying don't push yourself, but don't push yourself to the point of breaking. (does that make sense?)
4. with a lot of practicing make sure you understand how to work your muscles so they have time to recover (don't work the same every day, etc) look up some body sculpting info and things about toning muscles so that you strengthen your body rather than tear it down.
5. have fun!