Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10448 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-01-17
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: NTSC
• Original language: English
• Running time: 55 minutes

Synopsis
Instructional Bellydance with Jillina: Level 1 provides a beginner the chance to learn the basic steps that form the foundation of belly-dancing. The host, Jillina, is well-versed in a variety of traditional dance styles and uses her knowledge to help teach beginners. In addition to showcasing the moves, Jillina discusses the historical symbolism of some of the steps. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

DVD Menu

• Side #1 --
  • Chapter Selections
  • Play All

DVD Chapters
Side #1 --
1. Opening [:42]
2. Stretching [5:01]
3. Technique [12:08]
4. Combinations [15:48]
5. Choreography [13:48]
6. Performance [8:23]

Customer Reviews

So much fun, I had to buy Level 2 and 3 immediatly!
I absolutely love this DVD! It was exactly what I was looking for! A few years back, I was lucky enough to find a Belly Dance and fell in love with the dance form. Unfortunately, live got in the way, and I was no longer able to attend the class. Since then, I have been trying desperately to find instructional videos that came close to the classroom setting and didn't simply repeat a hip drop on to infinity or try to make the dance more of a "fitness routine", and this is it!

This DVD is broken down into 5 segments:

1. Stretching-a brief stretch of a few major muscle groups. Jillina does recommend a good warm-up of at least 20 minutes prior to stretching and dancing.

2. Technique-an introduction into each of the individual moves with an excellent breakdown of each movement. Each move is only repeated a few times, so you may want to rewind and repeat if you feel you need more time to absorb the movement.

3. Combinations-This section along with the next section is what really makes the DVD work it's weight in gold! Jillina take the individual movements from the Technique section and combines them into short sequences. She walks you through each step and breaks it down without music. After each breakdown section, she includes a segment with music in which you can repeat the combination a number of times (of course, with her vocal instructions included!). The music here is a little bit more pop Arabic music (Hakim, Warda, etc.) rather than more traditional belly dance music, but it is upbeat and fun to dance to.

4. Choreography-This section takes each of the combinations, with a few variations, and combines them into a choreographed dance! Each combination is reviewed with the additional variations. After each review, you have a chance to perform the choreographed dance with Jillina. The choreographed dance starts from the beginning after each reviewed combination so that you are able really learn the dance from beginning to end! This is exactly how you would learn a new dance in a classroom setting!

5. Performance-And finally, you can see Jillina perform the full choreographed dance in costume in front of a live audience. She also performs two additional short numbers (one similar to the dance that you will learn, and another to a drum solo).

The only qualm I have about the DVD is that I wish it would have more tracks broken out in the Technique and Combinations section so that you can easily skip back to repeat a section without having to rewind.

In short:
1. Excellent instruction and breakdown of movements.
2. Fun combinations that you can really learn to dance, rather that repeat the same movement on to infinity.
3. You learn a fully choreographed dance.
4. As another review said, the camera angle is wonderful (Jillina faces a mirror with her back to the camera so that you can see both front and back. Also, you don't have to think about which direction you really need to move!).

5. Fun music!

This DVD was so much fun that I had to go out and by Level 2 and 3 right away! I can't wait to try them!

A little more advanced than beginner
A wonderful instructional video with very few exceptions. In this DVD, Jillana covers the basic belly dance moves you will need for the perfomance you are about to learn and then goes on to teach you the choreographed dance broken up into several sections.
Pros:
She is so graceful! All of the moves are well done and she explains each one so it is very easy to understand. A superb DVD for those who have a background in belly dancing.
Cons:
A beginner would probably benefit more from a video that focuses on the basic moves alone. I wished that there were more chapters so that I could skip back to re-practice certain moves.

Overall, this is a great and challenging DVD. You get to learn a choreographed dance, Alf Leyla We Leyla, a fun and upbeat routine. It's difficult at first, but as you learn the moves through repetition, it gets much easier and very fun. Her professional performance of Alf Leyla We Leyla at the end is very inspiring and makes you want to practice it even more!

Shaking
I do enjoy this DVD. For someone who has never done belly dancing before it sure is fun. It will take me a couple of tries to get the routine down but I think she teaches really well. I'm not at all worried I won't understand the techniques. She goes into great detail of all the moves and repeats dance steps and combinations over again so you can pick them up easily.