Bellydance for Beginners Dance

This is a two volume set of previous releases: Slow Moves and Fast Moves. Unfortunatley, nowhere in the description of this tape does it mention that fact, so if you have either of the other videos, this will be a duplicate.

If you're used to Dolphina or Neena and Veena and looking for the same type of workout, this isn't it. It is too instructional and doesn't provide a seamless flow from one segment to another so there is no way to keep the heart rate up. On the other hand it is very very basic instruction and you don't learn anything knew if you have experience with Dolphina and the like. the production quality seemed grainy and not up to snuff with other tapes.
Now for the good points. I have always had trouble with a belly roll, but this tape explained the technique of the move extremely well. Secondly, there are quite a few preformances of top belly dancers, So it's partly a preformance tape. The belly demonstration by Fatimin (?) is worth the price of the tape in my opinion. If I can ever control my belly like that I could cause accidents!:) I do think that it is a good tape for basic instruction but as a workout soley, save your money.

First off, if you have Atea's videos "Slow Moves" and "Fast Moves", DO NOT BUY THIS VIDEO. It is a combined video of those ones with a different colored cover. So don't waste money buying a repeat. If you have no experience with Belly Dance, then Atea's videos are for you. The first one, Belly Dance: Magical Motion is great if you have never danced a step in your life. The moves are very, very, basic and I love the fact that they use a lot of close up in the beginning to show how to do the first set of moves. The rest of the video is not too challenging and has some great dance sequences to watch by Dahlia, Fahteim, and other belly dance stars of the day. The "Slow Moves" and "Fast Moves", which is what this video is, is a little more challenging and builds on the first. I have to say, don't start out with this video if you have no experience because it can seem overwhelming and daunting. Buy the Magical Motion first and then after you have gotten thru it and can master the moves well, then buy this one. I often see complaints about how it is too old, too cheezy looking, etc. but come on, this video was made in the 80's when most people never even thought of belly dancing in their own homes, let alone go to a studio to learn. Atea's videos are a real breakout in that respect and I think that other dancers realized that there was an actual market of people wanting to learn after seeing how they took to her tapes. I like her videos because as a beginner, they are simple and basic enough not to frustrate and make you feel like you can't do it. With practice and patience, you can do it, too. I also like the fact that she and her dancers do not wear a lot of glitzy costumes in their routine, that you can's see the actual moves they are making so you can copy them. I love the dance sequences in between and the dancing of all the dancers at the end, all dressed up in beautiful costumes. That said, the backgrounds are lacking, Atea sounds stilted, you can tell she is reading off cue cards in one video, its not pretty and its old as dirt. But let me tell you, many, many people came to learn of Belly Dance and decided to do it because of her and the videos have been selling like gangbusters since they have been out. Not bad for an old, cheezy, "too instructional" video. Atea has a legacy to be proud of: she brought Belly Dance into the home of average women who wanted to learn how to belly dance but could not afford or were afraid to try in a studio with other women. A lot of these dancers who have videos out, know of or personally know Atea and give their students her videos to practice at home between classes. If you want to learn to Belly Dance but not be overwhelmed by a class or having people see you at first and still get authentic moves, then these tapes are perfect. Ultimately, when you feel a bit more secure or hungry for more, the best thing is to go to an actual belly dance studio to learn because nothing, even videos, substitute for a real teacher who can correct, give instruction and who can ask questions of. It is very "in" right now, so instructors abound by the thousands and the prices are not that bad. But for first instruction, these are great and do not disappoint no matter what sour grape reviews you see here! Try it, you'll like it!

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