New Show on Fit tv channel: "Shimmy"

[sumayasaahir]

I think were talking about what they are wearing because most of us havent gotten the chance to actually see what the program is like, and from my point of view, most of us have posted so far have high hopes for it, and were crossing our fingers that the *obviously* decorated underwear wont be a foreshadow of what is to come.

[Zamira]

I'm watching it on DVD now. It looks pretty good for a beginner. As people have noted, the voiceover does keep giving reminders about posture, keeping the feet flat, etc. It's a little slow & boring for me. I'd rather just dance around to some wild Egyptian techno music, but it's probably about the right pace for someone with little or no belly dance experience.

The changing backgrounds are interesting, but some of them are a little weird. I found myself wondering, why is she dancing in an office building, or a warehouse, or a snow storm for heaven's sake?

[angelique2]

I also thought the changing backgrounds were interesting.

[Safiyah]

I saw this last week, I think. I thought it was good, hopefully it'll generate more interest in bellydance!

I honestly think that the average person likes to see fancy glittery costumes. Let's be honest, it's a big draw to the art. Women love pretty, shiny things. I don't like the costumes on this show; I think that there's a way to make your own costume and still have it look nicer than the ones they're wearing. I agree that a costume of poor quality will make me think "student". That's just how it is...

[ssipes]

On the website, the credits for costumes is indicated to be Tania Atkinson.

The dancers probably had no input into the costuming decisions. And Tania Atkinson probably has no clue about costuming standards for the dance.

Sedonia

[bdaddiction]

Haven't seen the show, but heard it was good on here. I will have to look it up.

On other dance instruction DVD's, I never really paid attention to what they were wearing, just what they were teaching me. I don't dance professionally so I really don't know what a dancer is wearing. Actually, I don't think I have seen anything bad at all. Costumes have this uniqueness about them.

But, I do like the warm up gear they wear.

[Lauren_]

Overall, I think a TV show like this has the power to drive a lot of interest and bring lots of bodies into our classes (and to our restaurant shows, for that matter). I hope it's beautifully done & becomes a big hit!

I can't TELL you how much interest I get in ballroom dance at my studio every time the ballroom shows come on TV.

[danidance]

Is the Manon on shimmytv the Manon that's on bhuz?
It's an unusual name in the BD world so maybe she's the same person.

The Joann's-fabric-trim-decorated bras do look amateurish. But, the little pictures of them in workout wear show that whoever is directing this effort wants a uniform look, so said person may have had them all do the decorated bras to get the same uniformity going but didn't have the budget to buy similar costumes and didn't want to ask the dancers to buy the same cossie.

[Shirin.]

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Why would the ladies at home be dancing in their underwear? I've never practiced in my underwear, not even when I first started out and was a video learner.

Well, there was that one time when the AC broke in my studio, and my rep group & I were practicing our little hearts out, and one girl decided to take her shirt off & dance in her bra and gypsy skirt. The rest of us followed suit. Just then a woman came in the door with her teenaged daughter who wanted to inquire about a yoga class.

We tried to explain, but I never saw those people again.

Ok, I'll admit it--I've been dancing in my underwear all summer! Just a bra and panties and hipscarf. I'm in the privacy of my own home so why not? Its been too hot to don workout gear unless I'm going outside. I don't want to put on too much since I just go upstairs to take a shower when I'm done anyway.

[luvnafctn]

Hey, does anyone know what kind of pants are they wearing? They are too cute!

[elljay]

I'm so proud of our Vancouver dancers!! This show was shot here in Vancouver Canada and features the best dancers in our area. Not only are these wonderful lovely ladies, they are AMAZING dancers. I've had the opportunity to dance with some of them and they truly are the best of the best. I could watch any given one of them for hours.

I'm glad the main criticism seems to be about the costuming. I don't have any information to explain the choices, all I can say is that when you make a TV show, some things you get to choose and some things are entirely out of your control.

Its about time these ladies got the "international" recognition they deserve and I hope this exposure springboards them to even bigger and better things.

I can't actually *see* the show 'cause I don't have satellite. Bummer. Hopefully it will air on cable here sometime soon!

Go Canada!

[Lesgemini_Zafirah]

Originally Posted by luvnafctn

Hey, does anyone know what kind of pants are they wearing? They are too cute!

They look like Melodias to me...
And nice ones, at that...!

[Melinda77]

Hmmm....looks interesting....nice website but I don't receive the channel so I can't check it out. I don't like the "costumes" they are wearing though for pretty much the same reasons everyone else gives.

[reina]

Originally Posted by ssipes

Well, this is going to sound petty, but why, given that they have such a beautiful website and have landed a TV series, are they wearing what looks like victoria secret underwear bras with hobby lobby home decor fringe sewed on?

Why not either nice pro costumes, or just chic workout gear?

Sedonia

Totally unprofessional, imo

[elisagamal]

yes, that is manon from seattle on the show: www.floreat.net
she's absolutely fantastic. one of the very, very best dancers in the northwest.
I saw the last half of the show the other night. yes, the costumes did make me furrow my brow for a minute. yes, the voiceover gal is annoying. yes, some of the backgrounds are wierd (the main part of the choreo appeared to be at the top landing of an escalator in an office building. eh???) but some are lovely (three dancers twirling veils on the beach backlit by the sunset; I also for some reason liked the one that was kind of industrial looking with fire poi spinners in the background). definitely geared toward beginners and non-bellydancers. the end part worried me, where they invite the viewer to cut loose and dance around - the dancers in the show were doing backbends and such, and I would never tell someone to whip out a spontaneous one in their living room with no prior assistance!
I'll watch it again if I happen to be in front of the tv (it was conveniently on the half hour before a program that I was waiting to watch was on), but mostly to see if I can spot my friend :).

[amity166]

I love the show. It is a good beginner moves refresher for me, new ways to re-learn them and practice. I hope they get more in depth...

As far as costuming, they look clean and comfortable, the girls still look good in them, and I am glad that the point of the show isnt about how good the dancers would look in expensive costumes. In my opinion, they are not in costumes... they are in practice dance clothes. (well aside for at the end, which I pretty much skip anyways) I want to learn/re-learn moves, and practice them. They get the point across. They could make a segment on costumes on a separate show, if that is what you all want to see. Though I'd watch that too!

[rachelw]

Since most of the posts are from people who haven't seen the show, and I just watched it, I thought I'd give a review.

Overall, I think it's a good show and a good resource for a beginner. They give frequent reminders about posture. They break the moves down fairly frequently and there's a lot of repetition. There are only about a half dozen moves per episode and then at the end they're combined into a little choreography.

One thing that got me was the terminology. They referred to things like ghawazee hands, ethnic shimmy, which I've never heard. I've seen the moves,just not heard them called that. They also talked about "The Dynamic Cabaret Shimmy!" which looked pretty much like a regular shimmy, except that I noticed some dancers were shimmying and some were actually vibrating. I wondered which we were supposed to be trying, but I'm guessing someone who knows nothing about the dance would miss the subtlety.

I thought it was good for someone who doesn't have any instructional videos or someone who's never tried BD and isn't sure whether they want to go to a class. If you're considering buying the DVDs and you have at least a minimal amount of dance experience, I would avoid it, though. There are other DVDs that have a lot more bang for the buck.

Added: To sum up, they presented the dance in a way that was positive and safe, and could attract newcomers and that's what really matters.

*I did think the backgrounds were interesting. However, I thought the one where they were bellydancing in about 3 inches of snow to be pretty funny.

[eshe]

If they are on TV they are probably not picking their own costumes. They 're wearing what a producer or director thinks looks good. They might have more input because it's a BD channel or show, but choices like that are usually left to the final word of someone else.