Bellydance Divas: Amazon.ca: David Nakahara, Marina i Petya Soldatenkovy, Rania, Louchia, Sohailia: DVD

Product Description

Video Details

Bellydance is over five thousand years old, with roots extending out through many of the ancient cultures: India, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Persia, and the mid-East. These dances have origin in ritual/tribal dances, temple dances, social dances, exercises to prepare women for childbirth, and dances of victory. Throughout the many countries, cities, towns and villages that have the dance as part of their culture, one can see stylistic nuances in both the dance and costuming that mark the style of that region. This why we chose to present you with several different styles of bellydance in this program: Egyptian Dance, Traditional Cabaret Style, Persian Dance, and Persian Banderi Dance. We have additionally added some modern versions of the dance, which are non-traditional, yet quite popular. Bellydance movements are natural to a women's muscle and skeletal structure, and even the leg and foot movements are predominantly low-impact. Many people believe that this dance is the first and purest form of dance, since it naturally evolved with civilization, and can be performed by anyone, regardless of their age or body type. This is also why bellydance is so popular as an exercise form. Many of the movements involve isolating different areas of the body, and moving them sinuously in opposition to each other. Other important qualities of bellydance movement involve percussive hip accents, and fast, vibrating movements called Shimmies.

On the DVD

Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Interactive full motion menus
Photo galleries
Trailers

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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

3.4 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Another producer smitten with Rania..., Jun 2 2004

By A Customer

This is a decent DVD, nothing too great or get excited about. The dancers are talented, some more than others, the production has good quality so that was a bonus. Overall this is a good dvd to get if you are a fan of one of the dancers featured.

Louchia: One of my favorites, unfortunately she only performs twice in this dvd which is a shame because she's such a wonderful dancer. Her interpretation of the Persian dances are very beautiful and full of life, I really enjoyed them.

Rania: Well, I think she's very beautiful, an amazing fitness instructor and businesswoman, but her dancing technique is just... in my personal opinion, not there. She just doesn't flow with the music, her music interpretation is just not strong at all. But I guess beauty and knowing the right people is something she seems to have on her side. This dvd features several of her performances.

Sohaila: Amazing dancer, my favorite!. She can flow with the music like if they were one, she doesn't overdo the movements but she doesn't minimizes them either, classic Egyptian style at its best, excellent music interpretation combined with her beauty and gorgeous costumes led her to amazing perfomances. It is a shame she doesn't get the recognition she deserves.

Marina: Very flexible and talented, good music interpretation, but sometimes bit too dramatic. I think sometimes she over-emphasizes the dance movements to the point they just don't look natural, she also spends too much time playing with her hair, distracting if you ask me. Her drum solo was fun to watch, but she seems to lose a bit of control here and there. All in all, she's a decent dancer.

I'm glad to see that we at least get a break from Jillina (a highly skilled dancer), and Ansuya (an overhyped dancer with no rhythm/talent whatsoever) and got Sohaila, Louchia and Marina instead. I personally think this could have been a better dvd if the amazing and talented Aziza (from Portland, OR) was also featured in it.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Two out of Four, May 29 2004

By	Donna Angelillo "beachbabe2519" (Boca Raton, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I adored watching two of the bellydance Divas.....Rania and Marina. Rania is an extremely talented performer, and Marina, who is also talented, has a fabulous energy about her, I could watch her for hours! However, I was not impressed with the other two dancers, Louchia and Sohaila. Of course, that's just my opinion. I actually do recommend this video because Rania's and Marina's performances were so enjoyable that they make the video worth it! However, I would have preferred more of them and none of Louchia and Sohaila. In any event, it was interesting to see the different styles. Now, I certainly know which ones I prefer. I've seen the DVD in its entirety twice. Now, when I view it, I only go to Rania's and Marina's dances.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Good....B-, April 7 2004

By	Maura Williams (Normal, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This performance video was ok. Some of the performances were boring and no creative. The faces of some of the dancers were scary sometime (Rania and Marina). I am not a professional dancer, but I was looking for something difficult to learn. So I bought this video because I was looking for ideas to make a coreography piece, but I was upset after I watched the whole thing. By the way, the costumes were nice. I would suggest to buy another video instead!!!!

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it!
I hold a Masters Degree in Dance, and I loved every performance on this video. The cultural interpretations, music and costumes were right-on (except for perhaps Marina's cane... Read more

Published on Mar 13 2004

1.0 out of 5 stars Important Notice to Owners of Other Bellydance Videos!
Read other reviews to find out what people think of this video but if you own any of the "Bellydance for Fitness and Weight loss" videos by the bellydancer Rania or... Read more

Published on Mar 6 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Divas Rocks!
I have been bellydancing for 12 years. I am amazed that finally a video of this quality has made it to the general public. I am overjoyed. Read more

Published on Mar 4 2004

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 Stars
I have this and a few of Rainia's videos. To be honest, I don't really look at them that much. What I enjoyed most about the video was the sound track. Read more

Published on Feb 25 2004