Newbie from Texas

[JahairaNoor]

Hi all! I am new here, I have always admired bellydance. I have been interested for a few years, but I am just now getting into the dancing part. I live in a small town so there are no instructors, so I am looking for a good dvd or online class to take. I tried the neena and veena dvd's but found out that they were workout videos and not actual dance videos.

[Adishakti]

Hello there! Welcome aboard. :-)

Yep. Save your money for a more well-rounded instructional. (In my opinion).
Some of my favorite videos are:

Yasmina Ramzy's Foundation and Technique videos
Arabesque: Belly Dance is True Art

Hadia's four disc series
Belly Dancing -- Hadia's - Welcome to Hadia's Middle Eastern Dance -- Hadia's Belly Dancing

Jillina's three set series
Jillina, Bellydance Superstar

I haven't seen Hannan's new instructional, but it's probably worth looking into as well.
Belly Dancing Toronto - Belly Dance Classes - Belly Dancers for Shows - Belly Dancing Workshops - Belly Dance, Bellydancer! Belly dancer, Bellydancing! Toronto Ontario - Belly Dancer's Boutique - Belly Dancing Studio - Toronto, Canada


IAMED also has a great set of videos, but they are tailored to one topic at a time.

There are other good ones out there, but I haven't seen many of them. Shira has ratings on her website, plus she has TONS of useful information to browse through. Belly Dancing -- Art Of Middle Eastern Dance -- Bellydancing in Iowa City


As for online instruction... you can find a bit at Navel Gazing: Webisodes 1 to 3

[Taj]

Howdy!

In addition to Adishakti's excellent suggestions, do check out Shira's Yahoo group, Bellydancevideos:

bellydancevideos : Belly Dancing Videos

A ton of great information and friendly folks!

[gypsydanse]

hi, welcome to bhuz!