Thread: 5 Layers From the Ground Up! with nadira

looks like a fantastic dvd.. im lookin for more information on the dvd
any one got it?? any reviews??

That's what I've found..

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5KNZLWoIf8]YouTube - 5 Layers with Nadira - DVD trailer[/ame]

available from
Belly Dance with Nadira

I'd like to order it but shipping is $14 (and the dvd is $20).
Seems excessive to me.

It's Dvd-R too, not a pressed dvd. Some of those die after a while.

Originally Posted by Rosemarie

available from
Belly Dance with Nadira

I'd like to order it but shipping is $14 (and the dvd is $20).
Seems excessive to me.

Try Amazon, shiping was only a few dollars!..g.:

Looks really nice! Amazon has free shipping but it's still a DVR. If you're worried about losing it due to format you could always rip it down to your hard drive for storage safety.

Originally Posted by ANISAHDANCER

Try Amazon, shiping was only a few dollars!..g.:

Thanks for the tip

That's an interesting discovery - I've never heard of that dancer before! But judging on her trailer I like her style - different but cool.

So, is anyone going to order this dvd? I would have if it wasn't dvd-r. Michelly Joyce I think started out with dvd-rs and it seems she produced this. Cheaper to start out this way, but I really hope it's not a trend.

I imagine I will in the near future.

I really don't mind the DVRs - it helps keeps costs down in a relatively small market. I copy all of my DVDs anyway to back them up. It's nice to not have to use pirating software to make a backup of the DVD I bought (as that's completely within my rights).

This DVD looks interesting, but I'm a DVD diet! I have plenty I don't use nearly enough.

If you buy the dvd through Amazon, do you have any guarantee or warranty on it?

And which of Michelle's other dvds were dvd-r ?

I was at a workshop that Nadira taught and it was really fantastic. She has a great way of explaining movements that made them stick with me.

That said, I haven't seen the DVD, but I bet it's great.

Looks like she has a really strong Suhaila influence. I like her demo.

I think just Michelle's first dvds were dvd-r. I'm assuming that here whole catalog is now dvd-r free. She would note that.

Michelle did a number of freelance projects:

Cheeky Girls Productions - Instructional and Performance Belly Dance DVDs

I think these are sold by the dancers directly or via amazon, but aren't in Cheekygirls regular catalogue...

Originally Posted by dancerose

I think just Michelle's first dvds were dvd-r. I'm assuming that here whole catalog is now dvd-r free. She would note that.

Hmm -- I have Pop Lock and Shimmy and that's the earliest one I can remember buying. If it IS a DVD-R I've never had a problem with it, and I've used it a lot.

Hi Everyone

Yes, I filmed and edited Nadira's DVD, she did a really nice job on it. While she does have a strong Suhaila influence (level 3 certified), she also adds her own style and has a new take on some old moves. It isn't technically a Cheeky Girls DVD since she hired me to do this as a freelancer, so she owns all the rights to it and had full artistic control.

It is a DVD-R, which really is the only choice for small producers who don't want to spend thousands of dollars printing out merchandise that they may not be able to sell. The DVD-Rs are made by a company called Create Space, which is owned by Amazon. They print the discs just a few as a time, as there is demand for them.

Yes, you can return defective DVDs to Amazon (or to anywhere), but the reality is that I have had very little trouble with DVD-Rs. Pop Lock and Shimmy is a DVD-R and out of the several thousand that have sold I only know of about a dozen people who had trouble playing it. The problem was never significant enough to transfer it to the DVD format. I also have Secrets of the Stage 1, Perfect Hips, Belly Dance Basics, Poi Spinning and Vashti's Gypsy Passion as DVD-Rs still.

If there is going to be a problem it will be on an old DVD player... all modern devices that I know of are built to play that format.

I wouldn't skip buying Nadira's DVD just because the name DVD-R scares you. I will personally give you a free DVD of your choice from the Cheeky Girls catalog if you have a problem with Nadira's DVD and can't get your money back from Amazon.

Ok, I give it a try. It really does look good.

The reason I was leary is because I bought some dvd-rs from dancers, popped them in, viewed them, and then promptly got distracted with other dvds. Then several months to a year (yeah get really distracted) later had problems viewing using the same players.

I have a copy of P,L, & S and I haven't had a problem with it so far. Michelle's word works for me too.

Thanks, everyone, for all the info - this dvd has been added to my Amazon wishlist!

Well I'm game. I'll buy it and if I have issues, I'll report them, but I've not had any with ANY of Michelle's dvds so far. Maybe Createspace uses a higher quality medium than Saut Wa Soora and Raqia use.

Originally Posted by dancerose

The reason I was leary is because I bought some dvd-rs from dancers, popped them in, viewed them, and then promptly got distracted with other dvds. Then several months to a year (yeah get really distracted) later had problems viewing using the same players.

Yeah, I lost almost ALL my Saut Wa Soora performance dvds due to ... well, age I guess. Lucky for me most of the footage is on Youtube.

Does anyone know how many combos total are taught on the DVD?

finally got this dvd, watched it twice.. and here's the breakdown of the content. Hope this helps!

(1) INTRODUCTION
(2) WARM UP (4 minutes)
(3) POSTURE & BODY ALIGNMENT (4 minutes)
(4) MOVEMENT TECHNQUE (11 minutes)
Includes Ribcage movements (slides, up downs, squares and circles),Hip lifts ,Hip shimmy, Hip slides, Hip forward back, Internal and external Hip circles & Hip twists
(4) 5-LAYERS (40 minutes)
This has 8 sections. In each section the technique for the main movement is broken down in detail and layers added to them. And each section is followed by a practice.

- Alt Glute locks
-Arabesque Front
-Ooey Goey
-Cross step Interior Circle
-Step Step Down
-Shimmy 8’s
-Cork screw
-X Step

(5) COMBINATIONS ( 20 minutes)
There are 8 combinations. The movements taught in the the 5-layers are used here with a travel step or adding another movement. Each section is followed by a practice.

- Alt Glute travel
-Arabesque travel
- Cross step circle
- Step down up
- Walking shimmy
- Jeweled Cork screw
- X Step up
-Chase 8

(6)PERFORMANCES (10 minutes)
2 performances in costumes with a veil, wings and a drum solo.

* NOTE: THERE’S A MENU OPTION FOR EXTENDED PRACTICE. WHICH IS THE 8 ‘5-LAYER’ PRACTICE AND THE 8 ‘COMBINATIONS’ PRACTICE TO MUSIC .

ABOUT THE DVD:

THIS DVD IS EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS IT IS. THERE’S LOTS OF INFORMATION ON WHERE TO START, WHAT MUSCLES TO UTILIZE FOR EACH MOVEMENT AND LAYER, WEIGHT PLACEMENT ETC
AND THE PRODUCTION QUALITY IS EXCELLENT!!

I HAVE 2 PROBLEMS WITH MY DVD COPY. THE MENU OPTION ‘PLAY ALL’ ONLY PLAYS ABOUT ¾ OF THE DVD . AFTER THE CROSS STEP COMBINATION IT JUMPS BACK TO THE COMBINATION MENU. THE PRODUCT COVER SAYS IT HAS A COOL DOWN BUT IT’S NOT ON THE MENU.

NEVERTHELESS… NADIRA IS A FANTASTIC DANCER AND TEACHER.. I HOPE SHE PUTS MORE ADVANCED DVD’S OUT. PERHAPS A DRILL DVD :)

Sounds like a lot of content, thanks for the review.

Yeah, thanks for taking the time to give us all that detail. The DVD sounds pretty good.

I worked with this DVD for the first time today. I really like it as Nadira does a great job breaking down layers. Only a couple of the layers (ooey gooey and corkscrew) were layers I already felt really comfortable with, and the rest of the DVD presented a decent challenge.

I had the exact same problems with my DVD, though- after the Cross step combo it jumps back to the main menu (and again after every combo after that) and there is no cool down. I intend to mainly just use the extended practice flows, though, so the menu jumping won't be an issue for the most part.

Overall I'm really happy with this- I love the extended practice flows and the way she builds up the flows to get easy and then more difficult. I will keep this DVD in the rotation for a while!