Thread: Turn it Up - Mastering Spins and Turn by Summer Sahar

Looks interesting!
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxUaIdzRQUs&feature=player_embedded]YouTube - Turn it Up - Mastering Spins and Turns (DVD trailer)[/ame]

I agree!

Looks cool! And I love her practice outfits in the trailer! :-)

Fall 2010...I want to order it *now*

Originally Posted by eshe

Fall 2010...I want to order it *now*

same here!

Like it!..g.:

Oh, I NEED this!

What a useful tool to have in the arsenal...I WANT. Imagine how dynamic a veil dance could be with this info!

Looks amazing! I also want!..g.: I love the purple practice outfit, would love that in long pants.

Originally Posted by Mosaika

Looks amazing! I also want!..g.: I love the purple practice outfit, would love that in long pants.

Actually, all of those pants are flair bottoms, but I made her tie them up at the knee so that we could see her feet. Super cute outfits!!

How cool is this! First, Totally Turkish, now this one. I'll be vigorously stalking Bhuz for updates ..g.:

Originally Posted by michellejoyce

Actually, all of those pants are flair bottoms, but I made her tie them up at the knee so that we could see her feet. Super cute outfits!!

thank you!

Originally Posted by michellejoyce

Actually, all of those pants are flair bottoms, but I made her tie them up at the knee so that we could see her feet. Super cute outfits!!

Thanks for letting me know Michelle, the outfits are great! Does anyone know where they come from?

website for the outfits:
Wábella

Originally Posted by michellejoyce

website for the outfits:
Wábella

Thank you - this is anew one to me

I need this NOW.

Can't wait to get this one... my turns are pretty sloppy.

Want!!!

My review for Amazon:

This dvd covers several turns (not really spins) that you won't find on other belly dance dvd's. There is some minor overlap to turns taught by Jenna if you happen to have "The Next Level", but "Turn It Up" goes into much more depth. I do feel however that there are a couple of important turns missing here, the pivot (maybe Summer felt it too simple to include?) and hip circle (the one where your body turns in the opposite direction of the hip circle, Shoshanna calls it the "inside out" turn).

The technique section gives good explanations of body, weight and arm placement for executing the turns, with reminders throughout the dvd. She also gives examples of issues to watch out for to aid in self correction.

The next section includes several exercises for balance and strengthening. Summer explains that this is not a drills dvd as everyone may be at different fitness levels, you will need to do those exercises on your own (or use the rewind button a lot).

The turns themselves range from basic to complicated, with detailed breakdown and variations for each one. Again, these are not drilled until put into combinations, so have the remote handy for rewinding.

The combinations are intermediate to advanced, and they are not skimpy! Many of them are four 8-counts long. She breaks them down to the individual moves, but thankfully assumes you already know how to bellydance if you're doing this dvd. The combos are where you will get the turn practice, but I would suggest mastering the turn by itself first. At the beginning of each combo she tells you what the focus will be, which turns, etc. I like this feature, so you can review the turns individually as needed. The combos are very turn oriented, and you wouldn't likely perform them as is. But I did pick up several pieces that I intend to add to my own performances. As a bonus to the turns, I felt that the combos were a great practice for footwork and travelling as well.

The performances are tagged as 1. spins, 2. commentary, and 3. drum solo. The first one is from the Bellydance Extravaganza 2010 show, which was a very nice surprise as I was in the audience that night! Couldn't quite pick myself out on the video though. The second is from Secrets of the Stage series, and third is from By Dancers For Dancers series.

Bottom line is I would recommend this dvd for those looking for cross training in jazz/ballet styling, or simply just for the fantastic combos!

Thank you for the review!

Thanks for the review, Michelle_A. This is one I've been wanting since before it was available to buy. :)