Bellydance DVD Review: Zoe Jakes and Issam Drum Solo Choreography

Yeah another DVD done! Again to say warm, even with the heat on here - it is so cold!!

Ah, Zoe Jakes, a phenomenal dancer, many of our girl crushes. I finally decided to do this DVD. This is a tribal drum solo DVD with Issam, a phenomenal drummer. Now I will say this, there is no music you can buy for this choreography (unless correct me if I am wrong) so unless you have a drummer, performing may be a bit of a challenge.

The introduction is absolutely hilarious. Zoe introduces the DVD because you know, "she's seen you all over Youtube". Then there is a warm up with a voice over. My only critique of the warmup is she didn't do both sides on some of the moves. Then Issam introduces how he speaks about the drum beats.

Next, there are 8 sections where she breaks down the choreography with the different rhythm for that particular section. It was good b/c it helps me understand as a dancer the beats I need to accent. Then all sections are the total choreography, which she just makes me crack up. It is always good to laugh while someone really makes your head hurt.

So the critique of the DVD. These sections really need more drilling. Like a solid run through of each part. At times it is just like she just explains the choreo straight through. A review at the end would be really helpful in learning it. Also I got really confused with the direction and what side I was supposed to use. I really wish she would have just stayed facing the mirror and talked while she danced. I got soooo confused.

This is definitely a keeper. Recommend for the intermediate and advanced dancers. If I can master this DVD choreography, it would be awesome. Zoe Jakes has the knack for making my dance brain hurt.

Cheers,
Lauren

Bellydance DVD Review: meaning of movent

I finally got inspired to move, well let me rephrase that.... I was really cold one day and decided I needed to move in order to not freeze over. I decided to try out a dancer I have not personally seen or really heard of. This DVD is called meaning in movement by Alimah. A cheeky girls production, which I tend to like their DVDs as the sound is good, there are good mirrors, no crazy up close shots, just the dancer in a mirror following along to what the teacher is saying. I love that. Listen up other bellydance DVD producers- we don't need bells and whistles we just want good solid dancers and teaching!

Ok off my rant. So the DVD is nicely divided into sections. The concepts part was really interesting. Same with flow. She then teaches combos you can put together to make a choreography.

Definitely has a different style and I have seen things that I have never seen put together so I enjoyed that. She is very descriptive. However there were times where I felt as if I was in a drama/musical theater class. Her intonations in her voice reminded me of a drama teacher. She brought her violin. However, she does explain great concepts to add depth and texture to your dance choreography. Her dance vocabulary is very different than what I have been taught. You won't hear arabic 2 or anything of that such, so that was a bit different. She also does not break down the specific moves. This is not a technique driven sort of DVD, it is definitely a bit more conceptual. Her combos do not have counts to the music.

Now, I am by no means bashing this DVD by any means. Actually, I felt this was a bit of a fresh air compared to the other DVDs out there. It makes you think of moves differently and how to dance differently based on descriptions. I would actually recommend this to an advanced intermediate/advanced dancer looking to really be a better dancer. I have always felt the difference between a good and a great dancer is the emotional connection you have with the music and with the audience. That is how you increase your ability as a dancer. You have to have emotion as you dance, the DVD addresses that. She has a very signature music and dance style. Though I will say that there were other performances on the DVD and I felt as if they all began to look the same as it seemed as if she did the same thing but maybe in different ways. And if you ever wanted to see a rainbow zebra costume (oh yeah) check out the performances section. I did like the choreography. I feel it has potential for the future for me to adapt to a group choreography. And BTW I loved the outtakes on the DVD.

So this DVD is a keeper, for the advanced dancer, who doesn't need counts and already knows proper technique and moves.

Cheers,
Lauren

Bellydance Review: Jillina Entrance Choreography DVD

Happy Shimmy Saturday! Today's review is Jillina's next set of DVDs, first one of the 3 pack is the entrance choreography. Which I promise you I have seen before with the Superstars. I think this is a modified version of their choreography. I am just saying...

The DVD menu is much more expanded than her previous DVDs. And each section you can drill much longer. A definite a step up from the previous DVDs.

There is an intro, a warmup (which is longer than the other DVDs), technique, combos and then choreography.

She is in a different studio, that almost tricks you to think she is outside but she isn't. But it is a big full length mirror, which she honestly doesn't have enough room to dance in front of and stay within the limits of the mirror. Most of the DVD is her talking and explaining things.

Now she does explain well, as always, the moves and drills them. Each is its own chapter and you pick which one you want to drill. And you can redo just the drill part until you feel comfortable. Then it is the combo part which again you can practice for a long time. But again we got some weird camera shots. Is this necessary? It does not help my learning curve.

Next we put the combos together for a choreography. It is Entrance to the Stars song and a cropped version. In my first run of the DVD, the sound is not in sync with the moves. Overall pretty easy to learn. As with many of her choreography, there are lots of turns and undulations. LOL. I would call this a solid intermediate/intermediate advance choreo. A lot of it has to do with the quickness of the turns as the choreo is fast. Otherwise the moves are not super advanced. After the entire DVD, as always I feel like I have a good grasp of the choreography.

In the end, she performs it live and actually starts off with isis wings on and then takes them off. It is nice to see it live.

This is a keeper. Cute dance.

Cheers,
Lauren

Instructional Bellydance with Jillina Level 3

Ok last part of the Jillina 3 part series (no worries she actually has another 3 part series that I am reviewing). Again 2003, same sort of setup like all the previous DVDs. It is an advanced choreography to a Hakim song. Ahhh Hakim, I love Hakim.

Again stretching is small. Technique is clear. Combos lead to choreo. I had issues with these combos
4- gets vertical 8s mixed up again
9- hits were hard to understand which hip and it up, up or up, down, or down, down
(there are 10 total combos btw)

There are a lot of turning in this choreo. Drilling combo 10 may be hard for some people. Again way too much zooming. I just want to see the choreo. I need to see feet and direction I need to face. I really hate that. Stop zooming!!! You are not helping the choreography!!!

Definitely an int/adv dancer choreography. Lots of turns. Live performance at the end. But again some of the camera zooms on her abs/hips really is not what I want to see. I almost feel it is inappropriate.

She always has really great interaction with audience, she is truly an outstanding performer. Which with the zooms you miss. As a dancer I want to see all of her dance from head to toe. Because she truly performs head to toe.

Verdict: Keep. I never get tired of her choreography. :)

Cheers,
Lauren

Bellydance DVD Review: Queen of Flowers

Ok another Neon DVD, this one is the queen of flowers. All about tray dancing. Which she does with flowers on which is lovely.

This is the menu. A bit crazy. I'll explain in a bit. 

And WTF about the neon green mini skirt she danced in the entire time. 

Ok let me start from the beginning, I am done ranting about that mini-skirt. The majority of the DVD is about dancing with a tray on your head on top of a veil. I do not condone this, too dangerous and really it sort of creaped me out. I have yet to figure this one out why that creeped me out. Why can you not dance with a hip belt, yoga pants, and a sports bra like the rest of us?

The music is very general and not to a specific song. She teaches 2 choreographies: Queen of flowers and secret garden. it is 130 minutes. So buckle up this is a long DVD. Both honestly when I had issues with the menu I thought were the same. Tho after studying it is a different dance but that was only b/c I did the DVD. They both started out the same way.

Now don't get me wrong she has serious skills and technique with a tray. Much better than I have. And the graphics do help you learn as she teaches you step by step. But she talks to you so you have to mirror her. After a while my brain hurts. And that black background, but I understand why it is there for the diagrams, which help a lot. I still think her dancing is a bit choppy like with her reverse undulations. I would like to see more flow to her moves.

So the difference also between the 2 choreographies is how she looses the veil from the head underneath the tray. Now there is actually a 3rd dance but she doesn't not teach anything. She just performs to it. It is a bit of a more advanced dance. At the end she does give logisitics and pointers for trays, veils, flowers, lip makeup.

Verdict: Toss. I do not see a need for this in my future and I need the space. I say this is for intermediate and advance dancers just b/c of the technique that is required to dance with a tray on your head. Now if you want to learn how to do this I would recommend this for you. However, if it isn't your future I say save your money.

Cheers,
Lauren

Bellydance DVD Review: Bozenka

Happy Shimmy Saturday! I am so sad to be writing the DVD review. Since they were both so bad I combined them together. I am so disappointed in this, I spent decent money on something that was so paltry. I will say this I DO NOT RECOMMEND. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. Bozenka I expected more from you and as a former performer in the industry I can't believe you would put your name on this. Shame on you. Each DVD claimed that it was a choreography instruction. I had met Bonzenka and took workshops from her and I was eager to learn more from her. Sadly I was bitterly disappointed.

After spending over $30 on each DVD thsi is what I received in the mail. 2 DVDs in cases, no cover not artwork, nothing what I thought I was going to receive from the website. I did not get this. Then I got a CD written in sharpie with the 2 songs. Really? Really?

Even worse when I put the DVD into the player this is what I had. No talking. Just Bozenka dancing in her studio. She dances each 3X. No words no instruction, no explanation of the steps or moves. 

After that there is nothing else. Just dances it 3X. I am sorry, but if I am going to spend my hard earned money I am going to expect some level of professionalism. Some breakdown of moves. Do not bill your DVD as instructional when you DON'T EXPLAIN A SINGLE MOVE. DANCING IN FRONT OF A MIRROR IS NOT INSTRUCTIONAL. I can get the exact same experience watching your performance on youtube or another DVD and break down what you do and I can do it for free.

Such a shame b/c she is such a gorgeous dancers and I would love to have instruction and breakdown. She really has some great stuff. I feel slighted. I will never buy anything from her again. Never. Not worth the money. Do not do it, just watch a youtube video. you will have the same experience.

And that is all I have to say!
Lauren

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