Customer Reviews

Bellydance Fitness for Beginne

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Being an experienced belly dancer, as well as having training in other forms of dance, I was looking for a work out that suited my interests, since I have been having trouble getting myself to the gym and pedaling on a bike for 20 minutes straight. (boooring) I found what I was looking for on this DVD...
however I would like to say that this work out is NOT for anyone who has never belly danced before, or any dance for that matter. The movements are not explained, and you are expected to know what they are just by watching the twins do them, and I know for a fact that is not the best way to learn new movements, unless you are an experienced dancer.
The twins use many arabic folklore steps through out the workout which involves lots of hops and jumps in barefeet. There are movements in this workout that could possibly injure someone who has never done this before, and the fact that the technique of these movements aren't explained clearly, the risk of injury could be worse.
For anyone who does have sufficient experience in belly dance, including arabic folklore, then this DVD is a great option for you, especially if you're trying to fit belly dancing into your exercise program. Although you might find the twin's cheesy fake smiles throughout the ENTIRE workout a little annoying, which is why i try not to look at the TV, until i need to know what the next step is.
And finally, this DVD is NOT designed to teach you how to belly dance...its a workout, and there is a big difference, and I find it funny that people who have written reviews in the past for these workouts would think otherwise. So if you are looking for something like that in this program, I would suggest taking an actual class, nothing works better than learning to dance in a live, intimate, and personal "IN CLASS" atmosphere, with your teacher available to assist you with steps in person, rather than from a TV.

I love that DVD. Around 45 minutes and try for a month and it will make you to slim down for sure. It isn't a dance DVD, it
is for fitness. I have a couple other bellydance DVD but for me
it works the best.

This is the best workout video I have ever purchased or rented. This is not a "learn to belly dance" DVD, it is a workout. If you want to learn the dance you have to buy their instructional series. But boy! In three months, doing the workout every day, I lost 20 pounds (the most stubborn 20 pounds that did not come off with any other exercise) and I have the firmest legs I have ever had. It was easy to stick with it because it is so much fun. It is high intensity and, of course, that's the only thing that really burns the fat. It also makes you feel beautiful and graceful, and which other fitness video can say that!

I've heard great things about this video, but my goal is really to learn to bellydance and this video is just a workout that uses a lot of bounces and hip drops. It's not a choreographed dance that you can learn to do. It's just a workout. Don't get me wrong... it's a good workout. I might do this before another tape or something to warm up and get the blood flowing :)

This is indeed a fun workout. The only recommendation I would make would be to learn the bellydance moves first from their Discover Bellydance series(Basic moves, Beyond Basic Dance, Mystic Dance). I found it a bit difficult to keep up with them because I didn't know the moves very well...so I went back to the Discover Bellydance videos to learn them. But once you know them, Veena and Neena will put those lessons to work on your body in an upbeat workout! And, yes, I do agree with a previous reviewer...a sports bra is definitely helpful for the well-endowed as you will be shimmying and bouncing quite a bit.

I love this DVD! It does give you a workout. I have the Twins Basic Dance Video so I knew how to do some of the moves. The moves are easy enough so that someone who has never done bellydance before can catch on. The sound is great, video quality is really good. It even has some footage of Marina dancing. She is not as good as the twins but it helps you to see dancing in action. The twins have done a great job. They are both very beautiful & elegant.

Ok, so I was skeptical as to whether or not I would like this workout DVD. I was pleasantly suprised. It was so different from my usual work outs that I found myself having fun (mostly laughing at myself). The steps are simple, though for the coordination-deficients out there (me), you may have to pause the video once in a while to practice the move before continuing.

Sometimes the camera does closeups at inopportune moments -- this causes you to see only the hip movements, but not the foot placement, for example. That can get annoying.

I was a little dissapointed that the "trailers" did not have videos from Neena and Veena's series. Instead it was for some other woman. Also, they weren't really trailers but segments from those workouts. This was sort of nice because it gives you an idea what the "flavor" of the workout will be, I assume.

In short, after trying this video, I definately intend on buying other Neena and Veena workouts to spice up my usual work out home routine!

By the way... I don't mean to be crass, but I suggest wearing a heavy duty sports bra for the well endowed. The workout requires a lot of bouncing.

This is a great workout, but they leave out the disclaimer every bellydance teacher should give about posture. When bellydanceing it's a good idea to keep your hips tucked and knees soft or you'll hurt your back. However, to all the people who talk about not wearing shoes: get over it. People in around the world walk long distances over tough terrain barefoot, so why do Americans need house slippers?

All that aside, its a great cardio workout with a fair amount of toning.

This is a great aerobic workout, and it beautifully incorporates traditional bellydance moves. However, it is not perfect for someone who is looking to simply learn the dance. I liked it because in addition to giving me a great workout, it gave me a chance to isolate certain moves (like traveling steps) and perfect them. The voice-over can be a bit annoying, so when you're familiar with the routine, you may want to try working out without instruction.

I used to be a competitive runner, but over the past few years I've grown less active, and am kept quite busy with work. So I picked up this video to keep me motivated to work out when I'm at home and don't have that much time. It definitely made me break a sweat (and I'm still in decently good shape), and the rhythm and music made the workout a lot more fun than tae bo and other workout videos I have in my collection-- I actually did this work out for a few days in a row without having to cycle it with other routines because it was fun to do. So I give it four stars. I would not give it five stars, however, because I felt it was rather short (around twenty minutes) and I did not find it as strenuous as I had hoped-- and since I don't have much time to spend on working out, I think every minute counts! This dance would be challenging for someone who is just starting to get back into shape, or someone who is in decent shape, but I would not recommend it for athletes or those who are experienced exercisers (I suppose that's why it says bellydance fitness for beginners), because it's moderately difficult but nowhere near as strenuous as tae bo advanced or even a quick jog around the park.