[aziyade]

THE CHOREOS:

All the choreos are original, and the music for each one is on the CD "Bellydance with Jillina."


VOLUME 1
Volume one is an Entrance Choreography -- done to "Ancient Ruins," a song that sounds very similar in style to the "Entrance of the Stars" of the BDSS show. (Same composer).

This isn't your grandmother's entrance music.

This is HIGH POWER and BIG entrance music. This is BDSS style entrance. "Wham Bam Here I Am" kind of music. That's not a criticism because I like the piece. But it is high power and fast and has that underlying western sort of beat going on. If you can't stand that kind of music, or Paul Dinletir's music in general, then you probably won't like this piece.

The choreography is fast at times, and dramatic throughout. I like it, but it's VERY Jillina-style. That's not a bad thing, but if you're looking for laid-back and relaxed Egyptian styling, you won't find it here.

Personally I think Jillina leaves enough room in her choreographies for personalization -- and of course she tells you in the intro to make the dance your own. If you perform it exactly as she teaches it, it might look a bit flat. But there are MANY MANY places where a more advanced dancer could add some personal upper body expression. Jillina gives you a skeleton, and you add the flesh to it.


VOLUME 2
This one is advertised as a Lebanese pop choreography, done to Shady Sayegh's "Ya Hawa."

Disclaimer: I am NOT an expert on Lebanese STYLE belly dance. And I may be wrong in my assessment here.

I do not think this is a Lebanese STYLE choreography. (Correct me if I'm wrong, oh wise ones out there.) I think it is simply a regular choreography done to a Lebanese song.

In the intro, Jillina explains what the song is about, and asks you think about the emotional response to the song. She does not mention anything about Lebanese "STYLE" dancing, and how it differs from Modern Egyptian or Classical Egyptian, so that's why I'm assuming she didn't create this dvd as a crash course in Lebanese STYLE dancing.

If you're looking for an introduction to Lebanese STYLE dancing, you may want to look elsewhere.

This song is soulful and more relaxed than the entrance choreography. It's very easy to get into the feel of the music, and while I think the combinations and choreography would be difficult to execute properly in performance, they're not terribly difficult to learn. Less advanced dancers MIGHT want to start with this one, since the music is a bit slower.