Bellydance For Body Shaping: Abs - Belly Dance Fitness Workout Review

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(More customer reviews)Who this DVD is for:
-a student of belly dance who wants to get more strength and tone in her abs, make her belly dance movements stronger, or wants a great abdominal workout, or
-a follower of the bellydance aerobic fitness trend who wants an intense workout, or
-someone who owns both of Neon's instructional DVD's and is comfortable with the moves taught there, or
-someone with previous dance experience who is good with "monkey see, monkey do" style learning
Who this DVD is not for (yet):
-if you want a video to LEARN belly dance
-if you are new to belly dance and don't yet have a grasp of the basic movements.
-if you don't want to get a great abs workout. (No kidding around here!)
Before beginning this workout it's important to keep in mind what it is -- a workout. Although you will practice bellydance, as all of the sections are completely comprised of bellydance moves, don't expect to buy this DVD and have it be your one-stop shopping for instruction and workout. They haven't made anything like that yet. The pacing required for instruction is way too slow to get your heart rate up for a cardiovascular or fat burning workout. Stopping to explain the movements would disrupt the flow of the workout and would keep it from being nearly as good. In order to work the abdominals, one must drill them without taking breaks for explanation. Neon is an excellent Bellydance instructor but the purpose of this DVD to get your abs in shape, not to learn how to dance.
There is absolutely no bellydance instruction on "Belly Dance for Body Shaping: Abs." This workout was designed for someone who already knows bellydance and wants to be lead through a great workout; it's difficulty would be considered at the Intermediate level. The movements are all done quickly in succession leaving no time for instruction. Although instruction is beyond the scope of this video, Neon does give pointers as to what muscles to be contracting for the different movements -- more like good reminders than instruction.
Andy Troy, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, pops in throughout the workout with helpful, real-time tips for getting the safest and most conformable workout. This is important so you don't strain your knees or lower back.
Two sphere shaped diagrams representing the ribcage and the pelvis are always on the left side of the screen to show how each movement relates to the muscle groups in the area. Although they will help you understand what move you are doing at any given time, they will by no means help explain. A basic knowledge and competency with belly dance are required here. You don't have to be the star attraction at the local Mediterranean restaurant here, you just need to have a basic working knowledge of belly dance.
A progress bar counts the number of moves you have done so far and shows you how many left till the next change. This is helpful for both cueing and motivational purposes.
If you already know what you're doing, bellydance wise, this is as good of a practice session as it is a workout -- excellent overall.

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Three 15-min. workouts built entirely on abs-toning, abs-sculpting exotic belly dance moves!As a system of movement, belly dance is the ideal, natural method for abs toning and shaping.Learn and practice belly dance steps during the workout, then follow Neon as she demonstrates a real choreographed 2-min. dance!The dance can be accessed separately for review before leaving for a dance club or party. First fitness product to offer continuous 3-D geometric rendering of exercise movements throughout the program, plus a progress bar for counting reps.Throughout the program personal trainer Andy Troy CSCS offers exercise safety tips.Each 15-min. workout includes: * 3-min. warmup, * 9-min. exercise session, * 2-min. dance sequence (2-3 reps of each move from the exercise session arranged into an attractive choreography), * 1-min. cooldown.

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Bellydance for Core Fitness - A Belly Dance Workout Review

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(More customer reviews)I pre-ordered this DVD, so naturally I did not have a review to fall back on. I expected to see an energizing, fast-paced routine, a DVD I could put in my drive and get some sweat - after all that's what a workout is! The description made me believe that the excercises will be targeted at specific areas in the body. Eg, if you want to work on your abs, do crunches, etc.
I was more than surprised when upon receiving the DVD on the back cover I saw that the total run was 170 min (almost TWO HOURS AND A HALF!). This already looked unusual for a workout. Once I ran the DVD I understood why.
The DVD comprises of two main parts, Tutorial and Workout. The Tutorial is more than 1.5 straight hours long!
When you play the Tutorial, you see Ayshe alone at first (she is later joined by two of her students). She's probably past her middle ages but an amazing dancer with an impressive technique. Ayshe speaks directly to the camera and explains everything in great detail, which gives you the feeling you're right there with her in the studio. The studio itself is nothing too fancy but the lights are great and everything can be seen very clearly.
Ayshe starts by reviewing the body posture. This is by far the longest and most comprehensive review of the body posture I have ever seen. Ayshe takes her time explaining which body posture is correct and why; how it should feel and how it shouldn't. It's good to remember that Ayshe has a degree in this field, so she is INDEED an expert. There are also pictures shown of the spinal column and the pertinent muscles used. This is truly amazing! Suddenly all becomes clear AND logical. [A lot of teachers can show you how stuff is done but they can't explain why it works]. To put a disclaimer here though, let me say I am licensed as a massage therapist and a part of the training is taking 100 hours of more hours of anatomy and physiology, thus I was aware of the body structures she addressed. In relation to this I do not think she mentioned a very important part of the body posture - keep your shoulders down! Horizontally it's clear where they go but trying your best to do it right, one can bring her shoulders closer to the ears which would compromise the levator scapula and the infraspinatus and lead to stress in the shoulders. So, your chest up and shoulders down. :-)
Ayshe continues with a few excercises to help strenghten the muscles. The issue of safety is addressed at ALL times. Ayshe, aided by her students, shows slowly and meticulously, giving plenty of repetition but don't expect sweating. The tutorial includes more excercises which teach how to fully isolate particular muscles and work on these only. The Psoas is paid a lot of attention in particular. I have to remark here that by the way Ayshe explains it, it looks like the psoas is an anterior (of the front) muscle just like Rectus Abdominis or the obliques but it isn't. At least I got this impression. The excercise she shows is very effective - if done right.
Her whole program actually is like that - you have to listen carefully to her explanations and take your time soaking in the information and exploring. I found using a mirror a very good way to take advantage of her "don't do that" tips. Also, seeing three different body types works great. At the end Ayshe demonstrates pelvic locks/thrusts which are very funny to look at but I can't think of a better way to strenghten the muscles of your lower abs.
The Workout: Ayshe demonstrates a warmup, dance combinations and a full dance followed by a cooldown. As a basis she uses the steps and excercises demonstrated in the Tutorial. This is great because this gives you an opportunity to focus only on isolations first, then to incorporate them all together in a string - in a whole dance.
Do not expect endless shimmies. You will be disappointed. If you need a "buckets of sweat" DVD, try the other one with Ayshe and Blanca - Ultimate workout. THAT one is really vigorous and truly a "workout". This DVD trains precision and safety of movement, thus is quite dissected and you could say, slow.
YOU MAY NOT LIKE THIS DVD IF:
1. You don't care for anatomy or kinesiology.
You don't need to understand how an engine works inside to be able to drive a car. To say figuratively, there are a lot of explanations about the "engine" of the body to utilize its "performance".
2. You want to go down to business without listening to too much explanation.
Ayshe does a lot of speaking. The tuturial, the bigger part of the DVD, feels more like a lecture at times.
3. If you don't have a lasting interest in bellydance or movement anyways.
This DVD is recommended to eveyone else, especially those who:
1. Have a lasting interest in isolations and dance in general.
2. Rely on videos to learn bellydance
3. Experience back pain, while dancing or otherwise.
4. Would like to learn more about the body mechanisms
This DVD is really difference and truly one of a kind. It taught me more about body posture and the mechanism of body isolations than all of my other over 15 DVDs together.
Practical tips: If you're working for a real "drill", you may want to check the Ultimate workout (directed by Jehan)
Sadie has a wonderful Drum Solo DVD and the first part of it is a section with excercises for muscle strenght. Her pelvic locks are absolutely fabulous - the right workout to go with after Ayshe's explanations.
To sum it up - a must-have in every 'serious' bellydancer's collection!

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Bellydance is an amazing art and one of the world's oldestfitness disciplines. Bellydance emphasizes movements of the abdomen andpelvis, and is an ideal way to develop deep abdominal core strength. Passed down from mother to daughter, this ancient celebratory dance becamethe traditional method for imparting body awareness, techniques of postureand movement, both natural and beneficial to the female body, as well aspreparation for and recovery from childbirth.In our age of sedentary lifestyles and stress-induced back pain, thebellydance fitness program developed by New York dancer and dance movementresearcher, Ayshe, will help you regain and maintain abdominal coreawareness and strength, an important step toward healthy and gracefulposture, back pain relief, and safer ways to move your body.Bellydance Core Fitness Workout flows from a warmup and isolations thatengage your core muscles, to dance combinations and a beautiful danceroutine.Every movement in the workout has a name that can be referenced in thetutorial section, where each is carefully explained. The tutorial sectioncontains a 1 hour 40 min. in-depth presentation by Ayshe, explaining theroles of the core muscles in the anatomy of dance movement, and theirimpact on our health and postural habits.In this program we focus on the abdominal core muscles that span the lowerspine, pelvis, and legs. Of main importance are the psoas and iliacus(iliopsoas), the key muscles for structural balance in the human body. The balanced fully-functional psoas is crucial for women's health. If thepsoas is in a state of contraction or atrophy it will affect thereproductive system by restricting blood supply and disrupting thepositioning of the organs within the pelvis. Menstrual cramping is oftencaused by the psoas exerting pressure on the reproductive organs when theyare in a state of tenderness. A healthy, released psoas will bring relieffrom cramping and lower back pain.

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Tribal Fusion - Yoga Isolations & Drills for Bellydance Review

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(More customer reviews)I love this DVD. I want to do it over and over, unlike many other fitness/instruction videos. She does make you sweat and sore, but by the end she has lulled you down to practically being a relaxed puddle on the floor, ahhhhh...yeah. Makes your body feel great, 'Thank you sir, may I have another?!' Rare to find a video such as this that gives you the excersize you need but brings such a sense of calm and peace at the same time. I am also glad she went away from the talking to the camera with a cheesy fake smile and a perky aerobics voice. I much prefer her calm soothing voice. I don't understand why people are complaining that she doesn't look at the camera, why is that a big deal? I'm too busy comparing my hips to hers or in a compromised yoga position to worry about where she's looking. I much prefer her approach to the fake unblinking stare with a smile style of many other videos.
As for the content, this is not just for begggining dancers. She is so articulate in her descriptions, a fine tuning even advanced dancers need to practice to stay on top of their game. The camera work here is great too, seemed to read my mind at times. Right when I would think 'whats she doing with her feet right now?' and there it would go to her feet. She also adds in just the right promps at the right times like, make sure the jaw is soft and you realize you *were* clenching it.
I love the blending of yoga and bellydance. The yoga felt soooo good after the dance moves, but wasn't too much to not feel like a dance video. I think her choices in which yoga moves to utilize were excellent. I also love the music used and the atire Rachel chose to wear.
As for the performance, the camera work is a bit distracting at first, but please give it a chance. It will grow on you and you will stop noticing them so much. Theres too much awesome dancing going on for you not to watch it.
An Awesome DVD! I do hope she makes more, this one sits at the top of my DVD stack because I use it so much!! Get this DVD! Your body will thank you!!

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Bellydance Superstar Rachel Brice teaches basic tools that can be incorporated into daily practice that will bring flexibility, strength and, if practiced regularly, effortlessness into whatever Belly Dance style you choose.Instruction includes a short Yoga practice to warm up and strengthen the body as well as a final chapter on Yoga for flexibility."

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