Bellydance: Beautiful Technique from Step One - The Beginner's Path to Flawless Artistry

 

 

Create your own review

This is a very informative instructional video for beginners. I have only done belly dancing through the aid of videos and I really wish I had gotten this one earlier because she explains all of the foundations of the basic moves and posture, but of course if you've been doing belly dance for a while, your mind can't focus on thorough instruction of a properly executed basic moves such as a hip drop and undulation. Even so, it is definitely worth it to go through these instructions anyway because it is informative and you can catch any mistakes you may have been unconsciously making.
She talks a lot in this dvd and there is so much information to absorb. She discusses proper arm positioning,leg positioning, posture, movement execution. Some of the sections are hip accents, shimmies (including the 3/4 shimmy) circles, figure eights and the twist and shift. Each section has a menu that allows you to pick out which move from the section you want an explanation for, as well as an overview so you can see what all the moves in a particular section before you go in for the explanation. So the first part with all the explanations is the theoretical part of the dvd but you still get the practice the moves. The theoretical explanation portion of the DVD is the longest and Autumn says it can be used as a reference guide. One thing I noticed is she does not go over different type of chest circles, or at least not that I recall. The circle section only covers lower body circular movements such as pelvic circles. From what I see she also does not cover umis, mayas, one legged circles. She covers the main building blocks and teaches you how to hold your body in perfect posture.
Once you are ready to move on you have the practice flow portion of the dvd where you practice and drill the moves into your muscle memory. It is a fairly slow-moderate pace flow and she covers all of the moves from the theoretical portion. What I really like is that this section includes practicing different arm positions and it's actually quite hard. My shoulders burn after all the arm work. By the way, it is not snake arms, it is ballet type arm positions and they are very graceful and make your dancing look more polished and professional. The practice flow runs at about 35 minutes and you have the option of voice instruction or music only.
Once you feel you've done that you can move on to the choreography and actually use your perfect belly dance techniques to dance! However, this section is only about 5 minutes long and also gives you the option of voice instruction or music only. Even though the section is short, it is clear enough to follow Autumn w/o any problems, probably because it is a basic choreography. It's a nice dance but I will warn you that the music for the choreography (and the entire DVD) is not the traditional middle eastern type of music, it reminds me of a mix of new age and far east type of music. It's not terrible but it doesn't give me the same inspiration such as the music from Luscious.
This dvd is just such a treasure for someone who is interested in belly dance but does not attend classes. It definitely may not be a substitute for an actual teacher but my goodness it comes closer than any other beginner's instruction dvd that I've seen!
If you are more of an experienced beginner who has taken courses I think that you may not like it because it is for establishing and perfecting the foundation and basics of belly dance. At a more advanced stage you hopefully do not need to turn to this DVD to make sure you have been executing the moves properly so I don't think this dvd is necessary for you.
As a long time beginner, as much as I need the practice I find my mind wandering off a bit in the theory portion because she explains so much and is so thorough in explaining the most basic of moves. But it's far more manageable if you take it section by section. However, the entire dvd is not like this, the practice and choreography move much faster (and are definitely shorter!). I want to stress that while the theory part can feel a bit exhaustive if you are already familiar with the moves, I think it is still worthwhile to practice along with her because she gives you important tips on executing the moves with perfect form. I think this is very important for new serious belly dancers.
Also, even if you are taking a class, this dvd provides you with the opportunity to practice the movements with perfect posture and execution at your own pace with a focus on what you need help with. Autumn Ward points out the necessity of practicing proper technique at a good pace because if you rush and sloppily go through the moves, that is what you ingrain into your muscle memory.
Overall, I highly recommend this dvd to beginning belly dance students, especially those without an instructor.

This video is very slow paced. The instructor is very calm and seems kind of bored. I learned a little from it, but this dvd has confirmed for me that a real life teacher would be so much more effective.

This is one of the most beginner friendly DVDs I've ever seen. I actually bought it before registering in any bellydance class and found Autumn's instructions very helpful whenever the explanation of my teacher left me confused. I especially love the fact that she points out exactly what muscle to focus on to achieve the different moves, the most common mistakes made by beginners and wich area to work on if you's having trouble achieving certain moves.

However, i would not suggest to buy this DVD if you're looking for a faster paced type of teaching or a practice companion that helps you drill your moves.
This item fills its promess though, it teaches you everything about the basic movements and building blocks and definitively provide you with a strong, precise technique. It is the DVD that comes closest to what you might experience in a beginner's class concerning the theory, and how to of moves.

Personnally, now that I've taken a couple of belly dance classes in my neibhor hood, I still enjoy revisiting this DVD to remind myself of precise techniques or to practice along with Autum during the warm up or flow practice section. At first though, i did lack the coordination to follow her in those sections and fount it a little fast for my comfort level. However if you pair this with a good Drills/workout type of belly dance DVD you're sure heading for success and graceful movements.

A plus: The menu is beautifuly designed and makes it super easy to choose exactly the move or combination you wanna work on.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 4 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Beginners
This is an excellent DVD for beginners and for those who want to practice and improve their form (she corrects typical bad habits). Read more

Published 6 months ago by Kathleen

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 4 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!