If you are a belly dancer wanna-be and can’t find belly dancing lessons in your area, or if you are shy about taking belly dancing lessons without having any idea of what to expect, a belly dance DVD is the perfect solution for you. Choosing the best belly dance DVD can be daunting, however. There are many to choose from and the newest belly dance DVD isn’t always the best.
Belly Dance Lesson DVD or Belly Dance Fitness DVD?
When looking for a belly dance DVD you must decide whether you want a belly dance lesson DVD or a belly dance fitness workout DVD. There IS a difference. A belly dance lesson DVD will teach you different belly dance steps, isolations, movements, etc. that you will practice slowly and methodically for several repetitions. A belly dance lesson DVD usually does not include a combination of steps long enough to give you a belly dance fitness workout. Regardless, the purpose of a good instructional belly dance DVD is to improve your belly dancing steps, not your cardio fitness. So, be clear about your goals when searching for a belly dance DVD.
Here are five belly dance DVDs that will start you on your way to learning belly dancing steps and movements.
The Best
Amira’s Belly Dance 101 DVD, a 5-Star Instructional Video of Belly Dancing Basics for Beginners (2005)
When anyone requests a belly dance DVD for beginners, this DVD is the one that everyone mentions first. Amira is a wonderful belly dance teacher and her belly dance DVD keys in on the fundamental steps of belly dancing for the beginning belly dancer. This belly dance DVD is 80 minutes long and covers 30 fundamental belly dancing steps and isolations. Throughout the belly dance DVD Amira reminds you of the correct belly dance posture. This may sound annoying to the newbie, but if you continue with belly dancing lessons, you will realize how important this reminder is to your success.
This belly dance DVD is a clear, concise study of the fundamental belly dancing steps. It also includes some belly dance combinations near the end of the belly dance DVD so you are left wanting to learn more. Unlike many DVDs, the camera angles in this belly dance dvd enhance the belly dancing lessons and let you know exactly what your body should be doing.
This belly dance DVD is also exceptional due to Amira herself. Amira is proof that you don’t have to be tiny to be an exquisite belly dancer. She isn’t. And you don’t have to be, either.
You can get a look at Amira’s Belly Dance 101 DVD and purchase it at her web site. Here’s a shorter clip of her belly dance DVD from YouTube .
Bellydance Basics and Beyond: Technique for a Solid Foundation (2006)
This belly dance DVD is by Jenna and, at 140 minutes in length, offers more belly dance steps for the money than you can find anywhere else. If your belly dance class or other belly dance DVDs seem to be lacking, this Bellydance Basics DVD will fill in the blanks for you.
The menu on this belly dance DVD is very organized and allows you to work on upper body and lower body separately. While this belly dance DVD doesn’t have all the camera angles and overall quality found on Amira’s belly dance DVD, it usually can be found for several dollars cheaper than Amira’s DVD. Bellydance Basics also includes traveling steps and layering. These are more advanced techniques that you will want to learn about as soon as you have conquered the basics.
View a portion of the Bellydance DVD here and another clip here.
Sensual Bellydance (2007)
The Sensual Bellydance DVD is a great DVD to purchase in addition to the Amira’s Bellydance 101 and the Bellydance Basics DVDs. Blanca is the featured dancer in this 120-minute belly dance lesson dvd. Blanca spends a little less time on the basics, which is why this dvd is more suited to a belly dance beginner who has already had a few weeks of belly dance class or who already owns a more thorough belly dance basics DVD.
This belly dance DVD helps the beginner begin to put it all together. With the Sensual Bellydance DVD, you will see how to add the fluidity and flow of motion that is always lacking when you are a beginner just trying to get the belly dance steps down for the first few times. As you practice belly dance steps and drills at your belly dance classes, this belly dance DVD will provide an understanding of how a belly dancer brings all of the belly dancing steps together to tell a story.
You can visit the Sensual Belly dance web site or watch a clip from the Sensual Belly dance DVD here and here.
The Rest
The following belly dance DVDs are included because many people really like them. I do not like them as much as the first three belly dance DVDs I listed above. Everyone learns differently, however, so you be the judge.
Belly Dance Basics: A Complete Lesson with Choreography for Beginners (2007)
One of the newest belly dance DVDs is this one by Michelle. It is included in “the rest” category because it is shorter and priced higher for the amount of instruction you receive on the dvd. As with most instructional belly dance DVDs, it includes a warm up & cool down, lessons on hip movements, some combination sections, a little belly dance choreography, and two performances at the end of the DVD.
You will like this belly dance DVD if you are having trouble understanding the instructions in class or on other beginner belly dance DVDs. Michelle’s instructions are very complete and very clear. If you are doing fine with your other belly dance DVDs, however, you probably won’t need this one. And, if you buy this one, you’ll probably want to add either Amira’s or Jenna’s belly dance DVD, too.
Here’s a portion of the Belly Dance Basics DVD by Michelle.
Instant Bellydancer 1: A Crash Course in Belly Dance (2005)
Neon is the instructor in this belly dance DVD. Neon has done several bellydance DVDs and this one includes what she calls her “fast-track” learning system. There are a lot of on-screen graphics superimposed over Neon to demonstrate the movements of her hips and to try to illustrate the move in a 3-dimensional manner.
In this belly dance DVD, Neon is not dressed in typical belly dance costume. Her clothes are close fitting, which make it easy to follow the moves, but if you were expecting a traditional dance costume and a harem setting, this is not the video for you. In addition, the music she uses is not middle eastern but more techno-oriented. Some people find the lack of belly dancing props to be less distracting making it easier to concentrate on the belly dancing steps. Others don’t.
Be sure to view a portion of this belly dance DVD before you purchase it.
No matter which DVD you choose, you will find that practicing with a belly dance DVD or two will greatly increase your dancing skills.
