[mekyria]

My dvd's arrived! I did shape up n'hip oiut and wrote a rather lengthy review of it in my personal blog. Here it is:

I love the chapters too. Even better: the music cd's with the music used in the dvd has the tracknames on th cd itself too. Perfect for those of us who drag a cdthingie with 'm to class but leave the cases at home.

Getting started
The warming up is very jillina like, some stretches and moves to gently warm up your legmuscles, spine and arms. Lots of dep breaths, which is continued in the rest of the dvd. The background consists out of draped fabric and I admire the persistence and effort that was obviously needed by creating this colorful and eyepleasing background. Oriental rugs on the floor and cushions and flowers finish the look. Sometimes the background of a dvd is too dark so the dancer disappears, or to bright and colorful so it's distracting from the dancers. This setting however is spot on. Jillina is leading five other dancers through the excercises. All five dancers look great and I liked how all of them have bare bellies. Why? Because they have 'normal sizes' (ranging from 10-14, I estimate) and it's really comforting to see that some moves create unflattering rolls and bulges. They are wearing pants, short tops and lovely hipscarfs in a peacock design, decorated with sequins. If the background was less colorfol, it might have been a bit too dark, but it works really well with this particular background.

Slow & smooth
The first workout is called slow and smooth, but you should not be deceived into thinking that this is a work-out for sultry, slow and sexy smooth moves. There's not much instruction to go on, so I'd recommend getting to learn the basics before starting this dvd. Several basic moves are given in short sequences, then put together into a longer sequence. There is some basic traveling involved (stepping sideways, forward or backwards) but nothing major.

Rhytm Hips
jillina pick's up the pace in this one, but it's still easy to dance along when you're beginner/intermediate. Combinations get a bit sassy, but besides the faster rhythm this is much like the slow and smooth part. It contains both round moves like camels and reversed camels and percussive moves like hipdrops.