What Belly Dance Instruction DVD would you recommend for beginners?
Question:
I’d really like to learn belly dancing, but know absolutely nothing about it. For those who do, which DVD’s would you say were your favourite? And what would you recommend for a beginner like me?
2 Responses to What Belly Dance Instruction DVD would you recommend for beginners?
I recommend Luscious – The Bellydance Workout for Beginners
. It’s divided into instructional and workout sections. The instruction section is excellent. These are professional dancers teaching the moves and they go thru them very slowly.
I would advise anyone who wants to really learn belly dance to take at least a few classes with an instructor. There is just so much that you can’t learn from a DVD or video clip on a website. There are so many cultural nuances between various Middle Eastern cultures that DVD’s won’t usually cover. Posture is very important in any style of dance. If your posture isn’t correct you could hurt yourself, or at least not be able to do the dance movements correctly. It’s definitely nice to have other dancers to learn with (and learn from). Sometimes they have a question about a movement or costuming that you wondered about, but just hadn’t thought to ask. It’s always good to have feedback about how you’re executing movements, so you know whether or not you’re doing them properly.
Once you have a good foundation, then working with DVD’s is a great way to supplement your dance practices.
You might want to check with a gym or recreation center in your area. Sometimes they have dance classes. You can look on Shira’s website.
http://www.shira.net/
http://www.shira.net/directory.htm#Listing
Middle Eastern Dance website
http://www.middleeasterndance.net/
http://www.middleeasterndance.net/DancerDirectory.html
Both of these sites have lots of great info about belly dance.
You can e-mail or call some of the dance instructors to find out more about their background, their style of instruction, what they expect from students, and fees they charge for classes. If you don’t find a teacher listed for your area, you might want to contact one from the websites and find out if they may know of an instructor who may live closer to you.
I hope you find a teacher that you like. If one teacher’s style doesn’t suit your learning style, try another. I’ve known some dancers to take awhile finding a setting that worked for them.
Many dancers find the videos by Veena and Neena to be good. Another great DVD is "Bellydance Basics and Beyond: Technique for a Solid Foundation (2006)" by Jenna.
Good luck!!