Customer Reviews

Kathy Smith: Flex Appeal

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a very easy to follow workout set in a beautiful Middle Eastern inspired background and the dancers are dressed in gorgeous belly dancer costumes. It is very pleasing to watch which helps to motivate you to keep coming back I find.
Overall, I feel this workout is great for beginners interested in belly dance but I think more experienced dancers will find this too basic. I find this workout is not too strenuous but will raise your heart rate somewhat. What I like is that while it is primarily a workout they also offer instruction so you can learn the basics AND exercise. However, the section for extra instruction was very very brief and does not give you adequate time to practice. Luckily, they have Ansuya and she explains things really well and when she does the demonstration you can clearly see how things should be done(unlike with Kathy).
I think some people may have like the fact that inexperienced belly dancer Kathy was at the front while the expert girs where at the back (and some were cut off by hanging drapes) but I found it to be a shame because it's harder to learn how to do the movement fluidly when all you have to go by is Kathy's stiffness.

I have attempted to learn bellydance through video and dvd for several years.I have no access to a teacher and have found this dvd very helpful. If you already have mastered the basics look elsewhere,but if like myself vertical figure eights and the camel being a hump in your road to success, you may like this.I tried to learn these moves from other videos and although they helped it is through Kathy's version that I can finally say I can do a very nice figure eight and am getting a little better at the camel.I enjoy her style and attitude. The slow sensual dance is beautiful and is not totally out of my league.

It was a great way to introduce myself to Belly Dancing. If you are just starting out in an excersize routine, you will certainly have fun and break a sweat. Kathy Smith doesn't take herself too seriously and has a 7 minute tutorial with Ansuya who taught Kathy what she needed to do this video. Kathy isn't perfect at Belly Dancing but breaks down the moves in a way that is easy to learn. This DVD gives you enough knowledge to move on to more difficult videos.

I have a lot of bellydance DVDs, and this remains one of my favourites. It's not a strenuous workout, so I save it for days when I am not feeling totally energetic. Still, it's a workout. Kathy isn't a wonderful bellydancer, but Ansuya is - so they're a good team. Watching Kathy is inspiring, because she's not so good you feel you can't compete! The music is fantastic, and I love the settings, and the dancers of various body shapes and sizes are encouraging. The moves are explained very well (except for shoulder shimmies, but they are my downfall anyway)and the dance routine itself is fun to do.

I bought the video and now I am going to buy the DVD since I no longer have VHS. I thought the video was great, I just had superficial problems with it. For example, Kathy's top isn't tight enough to see her arm movements, but that is okay because we can see the other dancers movements nicely. Now, this is a beginners/intermediate workout so don't expect to be burnt out unless you don't exercise regulrarly. Also, the other dancers don't have rock hard bodies or a model bodies. I thought it was better then the Veena and Nina and Rana videos. I also enjoyed te music and the stage setting.

I own alot of Kathy Smith's workout tapes- She is definitely one of the best fitness instructors out there!! However, don't be fooled just because it is Kathy Smith that you will get a good cardio workout - if you are intermediate or advanced you probably won't break a sweat. This tape is FUN if you are a beginner to exercise or if you just want to learn something new. It's also good for those 'off days' when you know you should exercise but aren't feeling quite up to a strenous workout.
Some advice: Wear a sash/scarf or something around your waist -you might feel silly but it DOES help with the hip movements
Note that even though the dancers are barefoot, I found that I needed the extra ankle support of my crosstrainers.

I am not really impressed with this workout at all and if I had my way I wouldn't even give it one star. I have other videos by her which are better than this and expected this to be a workout using belly dance technique. Therefore, I was severely disappointed as I didn't even break a sweat on either level of this video. I think you'd be better off with either the Neena/Veena or Jillina's tapes as they show you proper technique which I think is much more important as a dancer. I wouldn't even give this good marks as a workout video because I don't think it was worth the money for that. Maybe because of my previous ballet training (12 years) and now belly dancing (2 years) this is possibly why I am not recommending this tape.

I have tried a lot of bellydance dvds and by far, Kathy Smith: Flex Appeal - a bellydance workout is the absolute best out there. Although she has Superstar Ansuyu working with her, (a bellydancer since age 4), Kathy does the instruction for the video and breaks the moves down so that a basic to an advanced bellydancer can workout. You start with isolations at a very good pace, move to a slow and sensual follow-me dance, then Heat It Up with a 20 minute cardio bellydance session. You break into a sweat at the end but don't all out bead. You finish off with a cool down that incorporates yoga, stretching, and pilates. The music is upbeat and sticks in your head. In all, one amazing bellydance tape. Kathy Smith is an exercise guru for a reason and you get a full body workout. This dvd is definately worth every penny. I use it EVERY day and look forward to doing it each and every time! No more excuses to not exercise, this dvd is FUN! You'll fall in love with it and WANT to do it everyday! I did. And if that doesn't convince you, I've lost 9.5 lbs by it (along with diet) in 4 months. The absolute best buy for bellydance dvds out there.

I have a lot of bellydance DVDs and this is one of my favourites. It's a good workout, with great middle-Eastern music from Bellydance Superstars. The moves are mostly easy to follow. Kathy is encouraging because she's not a terrific bellydancer but good enough, and Ansuya and co. from Bellydance Superstars are there to show how great the dance can be if you keep trying.

I've tried Jillina, Veena & Neena and Kathy Smith and this one is the best I've got. It's clear and easy, but there are experts in the back that you can strive to dance like once you've got the basics down. She has a good cooldown as well. LOVE this video. I can't say enough good stuff about it.