Instant Bellydancer 1: A Crash Course in Belly Dance

A friend and I had been wanting to learn to Belly dance for quite a while so we researched just about every video out there. We decided on this one due to good ratings and because it was more for beginners. I have to say that the DVD is what it claims to be, it just wasn't exactly what WE thought it was going to be. Here are the pro and cons.PROS:-There are many basic moves that just about anyone can learn-There are 2D and 3D shapes on the screen so you can better understand and visualize the movements. Very helpful feature!-There are combinations repeatedly which helps with putting different moves together and form a routine/dance.-It is long, so you get lots for you money! :)CONS:-Some of the moves do not have enough explanation/visual time. The more complex moves get the same amount of introduction as the basic circles so you can't get the movement down in that little bit of exposure, even with rewinding it over and over again. A different camera angle or something may have helped.-Combinations presented before some dance moves were explained enough.-I was looking to find something FUN and something that I could add to my freestyle dance to mix things up a bit when I was out and this is a very slow type of belly dance; traditional perhaps? Nothing I could really use in freestyle unfortunately :(-The black background makes somethings hard to really see, and also makes some of the moves look totally computer generated.Overall, I would say it is an average instructional DVD. Nothing super spectacular but adequate. Better for someone looking for traditional belly dance moves and combinations.

When I purchased the DVD I expected it to be a little different. It has its ups and downs. It's a nice DVD for a complete beginner but it's still lacking in some ways.PROS of DVD / What to expect from it:1. Neon teaches some basic moves, her instructions are clear and you can actually see her muscles working (she's very muscular).2. There are traectories and pointers, a wonderful way to learn the concept of the moves.3. Everything could be seen very well.4. Neon is a very graceful dancer and she's very fluid in an inspiring kind of way.5. A great extract from Neon's performance DVD Stellar Body.CONS of this DVD / what NOT to expect from it:1. Title is misleading. It will NOT make you instantly a bellydancer. It shows you a bunch of moves to try out on your own and an idea how they are done gracefully but that's it. It does not give you a sense of completion (it didn't happen with me anyways). There is no choreography included, just a couple of combinations which are nice but far away from qualifying you as a bellydancer.2. It lacks a certain inspiring atmosphere; I saw other people complained about too. Neon's clothes are very close to the body and you can see every contraction or twist. However, I can understand how that could be a disappointment to anyone who expects hip scarves, fanning skirts or harem pants. The music background she uses is in a matching rhythm but I would have prefered more Mid-Eastern tunes. In other words, the setting lacks some authentic quality to it.3. There is no warmup at all. I would expect that a complete novice at bellydancing should be given a few suggestions how to prepare for dancing. (I don't care for those long head-tilting-toe-lifting types of warmup but a few words would have been nice).4. I haven't bought DVD lvl 2 and I'm sure more's shown there but I was stunned to see that Neon would teach full body undulations but nothing about hip drops/ hip bumps! In other words, what she teaches is thematically correct the way it's organized but probably not sequence-correct.If you enjoy dancing or want to learn to master a few moves at home, this would be a wonderful DVD for your collection. However, if you have lasting interest in learning bellydance, be prepared to spend more money on another set of instructions as well. When I ordered DVD I ordered in addition The Heartbeat of Bellydance, also available on amazon.com. It turned out to be a very good idea even though there is a gap in the levels taught. Only one DVD would have never been sufficient.

I'm a beginner to intermediate belly dance student, and have purchased at least a dozen DVD's and rented many more. I just did this one, and it's AMAZING! I'm so impressed! I had bypassed Neon, and shouldn't have. Her instruction for individual moves is very good, plus she combines previously taught moves into combinations, with transitions and traveling steps for the move. She is very thorough and this is a meaty DVD I will be using a lot. I struggle with hand and arm movements, and while she is demonstrating, she is doing beautiful and varied armwork. There are lengthy reviews, and 2 practice sets, which are great for me, lacking direction in that area. I'm taking lessons, but honestly learned more from her than from my teacher so far.For a complete beginner, this could be a little much, but worth the investment. If you are like me, knowing moves but not being able to string them into what could be called a dance, buy this and you won't be disappointed. Also, this DVD has moves I have seen and admired but have not been on any other DVD, beginner or intermediate, that I already own. And some combos that are so HOT! lol. My husband has already commented on the improvement I'm showing after just one day with this one. Yay Neon, you did a great job!

I absolutely Love, Love, Love this. I was looking for a great way to not only lose weight, but to learn something new while doing so. And let me tell you, this worked.I hate exercising so I wanted to find a fun way to lose the weight, and this was it. You will have so much fun learning how to belly dance. Plus its a skill your hubby will love that you learned. And you can just watch the weight peel off.

The instructor in this video has a knack for teaching. Her clear directions don't leave you with questions. Her demonstrations are visible and don't leave you tilting your head trying to figure out just what you missed. She is soft spoken and takes the time to let you watch how she does each step and repeats it for you to follow. Just wait until you get toward the end of the whole lesson. She mixes all the small lessons into a dance. Absolutely hypnotizing.

this is chalk a block full of info and shes an excellent example even though i find her to be a little oddlyrobotic somehow- shes got great technique

Outlines some basic steps and movements - movements are very large - i am more used to smaller ones but we are all different. Sometimes looks ungainly but helpful diagrams and repeats.I bought it to keep my body 'up to it' between classes and the practice sessions are useful for that as you can copy-cat.Very pretty dancer/costumes but not much passion but then this is for practice not appreciation!Use the instruction, for exercise and 'educating' your body - fine for that. No shimmies, hip-drops and such - mostly circles, figure eights and some very ugly 'hip' circles - American style.Useful but I'm glad I didn't try to learn belly dancing with this one! Useful but find a Class - now!!!

I bought this as a precurser to starting belly dancing classes, but i've found its been a lot more benificial. It is fairly quick paced, but i noticed an improvement in my stomach muscles after 15mins a day with this, working through slightly more each time. A fantastic DVD workout, plus a new skill :D

Instant Belly Dancer 1 - A Crash Course in BellydanceVery good DVD, I love it very much +++++++++++ A

図解入りの説明が、とてもわかりやすいですね。ひとつひとつのレッスンの時間が比較的長めですので、いちいち戻さなくていいのが良いですね。ただ「では、曲を踊って見ましょう」というのがなかったのが残念。