Thread: worst instructional DVD I have ever seen

What Was that Lauren????

Originally Posted by HOOKEDNOVICE

What Was that Lauren????

Well, it was Ishtar's instruction on floorwork. You can get to her other clips from that one...

And that's all I have to say about it.

*runs away*

Originally Posted by Lauren_

And that's all I have to say about it.

*runs away*

I´m speechless

What puzzles me is why people lie on the clips of her and say they are good (she will delete anything negative)...How was it even let onto the market?

Okay, just for kicks here, I'm gonna speak up in defense of Janine, since I know her personally and actually she was my first teacher. First off, let me say, that is one reason I am so anti-6-week-wonders teaching. It wasn't until I saw a truly skilled dancer that I realized that she was not teaching me what I really needed (and wanted) to learn. Luckily, I was able to find a very proficient teacher who spent 3 decades studying with Yousry, Bobby Farrah, etc... who was able to correct all the things I had learned incorrectly.

That said, I will say that she was very good at some things....She LOVED the history of the dance, and we were required to watch historical videos of folklore dances, I have no CLUE where she found these videos, must have been the Library of Congress or something, but they were fantastic. We also spent a long time understanding the debke dances, and the context of various dance styles.

So no, she couldn't dance at all, and her upper body carriage was terrible, but she truly loved the culture of the dance, and she tried very hard to teach us the culture, even if she never succeeded in teaching the dance, itself. On top of that, she had a heart of gold.

Originally Posted by jewelbellydance

I am so proud! Apparently Estelle is from Australia!!!

While searching her site out of curiosity, I came across the following classic paragraphs. I particularly like the bit about 'head cracking' in bellydance. What???

"The Beledi form of belly dance is divided into four basic classes: Abdomen (belly rolls and flutters); Lower abdomen (hip jerks, figure eights and circles); Isolations (rib cage movements and head cracking); and Poses (stance, arching, arm positions and turning). A dance sequence combines many different elements from these four classes. Each position or pose is an Egyptian archetype and must be kept pure in style and form. Arching or bending backwards is the most important ingredient. Although it takes time to learn, small degrees of arching are possible an the first attempt. Perhaps the most spectacular movement is the hip left, which is nearly always executed in pairs or triplets.
The basic movement is the hip circle and the hip figure-eight, both of which usually produce a mesmerising effect on those watching. A great belly-dancer will usually perform a floor mount towards the end of her dance. This is executed In two stages, starting from an arch, then leaning backwards to reach the floor. As an art-form, Beledi is technically described as 'Arabesque', from the French ballet meaning 'bent-legged position'. A belly-dancer will ride her heels at times, then mount her toes, but the back leg is nearly always hidden and/or bent, either in costume or 'Arabesque'. The hips are the centre of gravity, not the navel, and hip circles and figure-eights are made by tipping the body weight, using the outstretched arms for balance. More than any other dance form, Beledi uses weight manipulation - little muscle strength is required. "

Oh my GOD.

Originally Posted by weese17

Oh my GOD.

Wikipedia entry on Estelle:

Six weeks after starting belly dance classes she gained work as a dancer

[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estelle_Asmodelle]Estelle Asmodelle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

Originally Posted by Sonja2

Okay, just for kicks here, I'm gonna speak up in defense of Janine, since I know her personally and actually she was my first teacher.

Janine's video was my first teacher, although I've never met her personally. No, she wasn't a great dancer, and spots of her teaching left a lot to be desired. But yes, I did manage to figure out enough posture and basic moves from her video that my first 'live' teacher thought I'd already had some lessons. And Janine helped me fall in love with the dance.

At the time her video came out, it was tough to get a niche video onto bookstore shelves, and without her connections I don't know if anyone could have done it. So bravo to her for helping to crack open the market.

Her only competitor on those shelves for years was Dophina.

What is so frightening about this is the way she describes the movements is that someone can really, really hurt themselves. I wonder if anyone has sued her yet. . .sorry, I can't help it but I've been in the legal field way too long not to go in that direction.

ok, so i was stuck on "head cracking", and up pops the yanni thing..THANK YOU
had not seen it in to long!

rabbit woman.so, when teaching snake arms i say,"elbow on top, big ball under your arm, big ball on top".
so, rabbit say, "make them square, like a PACKAGE".i still see that over and over in my mind....and that fast as hell rendition of gamel gamal

Yes, well, admittedly she did not have good form, particularly in her arms, and, thankfully, she was never sued for dance...she (also thankfully, perhaps) did not teach for very long.

In fact, she was the only teacher in our area at all when I first took lessons, so I had no one to compare against until I went with her to a workshop and saw some "real" dancers.

Like I said, that's why I am against 6-week wonders teaching. But, she did truly inspire me to love the culture and the history...and that's the basis behind the art form, so for that I'll be eternally grateful to her.

Sonja -- I *think* Fotia's comments about lawsuits were directed toward Estelle, not Janine.

Originally Posted by ANA_bellydancer

Oh, Lotus, I'm so sorry for your money...

haha hahahaa. my money appreciates your condolences!

actually, when you think about the avalanche of videos on the market these days, the majority of dvds are really pretty good -- I guess I have just gotten spoiled over the years between Neon, Michelle, and IAMED.

Oh dear. I wonder what THAT looks like.


"...A great belly-dancer will usually perform a floor mount towards the end of her dance...."

Regards
Priscilla

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Sonja -- I *think* Fotia's comments about lawsuits were directed toward Estelle, not Janine.

Oh, oops Well, truth be told, they could apply to either. Janine's form wasn't too safe, either. Ah well. Thankfully new students have much better access to good resources today, with the internet and all!!!

Not that I'm old enough to remember life without Google *cough cough* .w.:

stuck on "floor mount"

Originally Posted by zamora

stuck on "floor mount"

Me. too. .w.:

Originally Posted by lizajuk

Then again I have another priceless UK DVD which you're not getting. Wiggle will back me up on this one ...where are you Hin?????????

Cheezus H Crisp, I'll second that recommendation. I think I mentioned this one to Shira as worthy of her collection when we met in Cairo - dude, you should be sending it out as a warning to everyone.

Is it wrong that I'm really wanting to get these Denise ones for my collection?! I think Shira has corrupted us all...

will someone please post a janine link? I am dying to see!!!!

That's the ICMED conference dvd with Nagwa and Mohammed Khalil, her choreographer. It has its value, especially if you CAN watch all of it. Did you try copying the DVD? That has helped me save some of my Saut Wa Soora dvds.

Originally Posted by jessedan

Hmmm. I wonder if there's a curse on Nagwa Fouad's videos? I have one, a DVD. I paid a whopping 40 something dollars for it several years ago, and it never got past the first 15 minutes. It's taped in a classroom as well, but curiously there's a man in a windbreaker doing the teaching. Nagwa is just following along up onstage. Then it just freezes. It won't play on anybody's DVD player or computer. So I have no idea what's on the rest of the DVD. Apparently, alot of people had this problem with this particular DVD.

Regards
Priscilla

As far as I'm concerned, this:

Sensuality Through Movement - Tai Chi and Bellydance: What Shira.net Users Think

is the single worst instructional video on ANY subject I've ever seen, let alone belly dance. And the retail price on this dog was like $70 when I watched it (from the library, thank heavens.)

I have the Janine video in VHS. Now looking for cheapies of Estelle. I noted that wikipedia now mentions that she is "Australia's first registered transsexual", so I guess she DID purchase her assets. Not on youtube yet?
Someone, a link?

NANCY

Originally Posted by katlady

I have the Janine video in VHS. Now looking for cheapies of Estelle. I noted that wikipedia now mentions that she is "Australia's first registered transsexual", so I guess she DID purchase her assets. Not on youtube yet?
Someone, a link?

NANCY

It's being re-released as a DVD according to the website. You can join the mailing list there to be notified when/if that release happens.

Belly Dance Video