Bellydance DVD Review: Istanbul Nights by Ansuya

Yay for having some time to do a DVD on my shelf. Actually this choreography taught in the video I am teaching to my troupe. Of course with staging and modifications for a group.

If you are not familiar with Ansuya and maybe been living in a cave, she is a second generation bellydancer who traveled with the Bellydance Superstars from their inception. I have actually have the privilege when I first was learning how to dance to take a seminar with her. She is great and I was excited to get one of her DVDs later on because I enjoyed her seminar many years back. You can find more about Ansuya on her website here. Like many dancers-she is moving to online teaching. Tho I prefer a good DVD, in case I have issues with buffering, etc with the internet here.

Now on to the critique!

Yup sorry for the picture with my camera, I did not find any screen shots online. So we have a great breakdown of the menu. Which I love, I like to choose what I want to do, if I am getting ready for learning a choreography.

And each combination has its own chapter! Thank you Ansuya! There are a total of 9 combos to the song. Including a warm up-which was a really good warm up. She also speaks the combos and explains things while she dances (so not dubbed over a silent person dancing). I really like that b/c you get to see her personality. A few minor flubs while speaking but nothing major. It is just like you are in class.

The production quality is very good- good lighting and it is like you are in a class setting with a mirror and you can follow her butt, which all of us dancers love.

She does give counts with the moves, which is helpful. But her and I count differently, her 8 is my 4 but really it is fine. She has a really great breakdown in my opinion on how to do lotus hands/hand floreos while your arms are in 5th. Probably one of the best I have seen broken down, honestly. She is really good with breaking down and explaining the moves. And for me, a seasoned dancer- there was at least 2x where I said hmmm now that is a good way to explain this! Never thought of it like that! So always good.

There are lots of turns so if you are not a turner you can modify the dance. Also the option to dance the choreography with finger cymbals. Which is the basic triplet, longa, or what she referred to as ayoub pattern. There is also a cool down which is nice b/c not all DVDs have that.

The choreography is performed in a studio and not in front of a live audience. She does 2 versions- the one she taught and then one she improvise dances.

Overall I would rate this DVD as an intermediate level. The choreography is cute. The song is Istanbul Nights by Bodyshock. It could be performed at different venues, which is a plus. I do like this DVD a lot. I would recommend purchasing if you need something different in your collection and you need a choreography. And you can make a bunch of modifications for staging with the choreography for a group, which I am doing. I am glad I purchased this DVD.

Also on another note... what was equally impressive was her ability to dance with this jewelry on the entire time! Those earrings are big! I give her mad props, I only like to wear jewelry when I perform

Cheers,
Lauren