I would probably think Paypal would be safe, but if I were you I would check Amazon marketplace first -- that should have a guarantee.
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Bellydancers
- Thread starter Macrina
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About the Jenna's DVD, the description says it includes 'workouts' what are they like? Does she teach combinations at least? Thanks!
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I've really only done the very beginning of Jenna's DVD, but I'll let you know when I get into it more.
The more I think about it, the more I think that you are beyond Amira's DVD. I would recommend it to a novice in a heartbeat, though, and if she ever comes out with an intermediate one, I'm sure it will be great.
The more I think about it, the more I think that you are beyond Amira's DVD. I would recommend it to a novice in a heartbeat, though, and if she ever comes out with an intermediate one, I'm sure it will be great.
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Actually she has an advanced one, which is "the heartbeat of belly dance" which focuses on drum soloes, and this is the one I consider ordering! As for the 1st one I dunno if i would like a routine without dance choreography or at least combination, still I like to go through the basic moves for "polishing" 
Thanks for the info anyways!
Thanks for the info anyways!
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Oh, sorry, thought you were asking about "Basics and Beyond," which does have some combinations, but I haven't gotten to them yet.
I find the customer reviews on Amazon.com to be very helpful for this kind of thing.
I find the customer reviews on Amazon.com to be very helpful for this kind of thing.
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I live in a rural area, which is why I'm learning the dance via DVD. But an internet search indicates that there is an instructor in a town 45 minutes from here. That's too far for me to go for regular classes, but I'm thinking that when I reach the halfway point of my weight-loss (halfway from where I am now, not where I started), then I'll reward myself by scheduling a special session. Ya think?
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Hey, I've been reading up on the different styles of belly dance (Tribal, Egyptian Oriental, Cabaret, Turkish, etc.) -- which style do you gals prefer? I'm assuming most of us would be a bit of a blend but probably have one style we gravitate to more than others.
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Actually I was asking about Basics and Beyond, and if it at least has combinations then it should be ok... I actually want to get both Jenna's DVDs... well I can barely afford it, but since I never go shopping I thought that once a year I should be able to order a DVD...LOL
As for the instructor, that's a good idea! Why are you scheduling a session in according wioth your weight-loss program? If you only gonna get one or two sessions(in that case I really really hope that the instructor is decent) hope it is going to be a personal session and not part of a class with 15 ppl in it! Cos to my mind a talented instructor in 1-2 classes at least point out the direction to work to, the mistakes in posture and stuff, even suggest a routine... But having 1-2 sessions in a full class han be quite a bad experience(had those LOL)
But to see a how the live instructor performs the same moves you learn from a DVD can also change your understanding of the moves!
I understand you well about self-study as I could go to a dance school while staying with my parents in a city... but now I am with my fiance's family on the other side of the world on a farm in the mountains...LOL So even if I could afford an instructror driving to town is out of question! LOL
As for the instructor, that's a good idea! Why are you scheduling a session in according wioth your weight-loss program? If you only gonna get one or two sessions(in that case I really really hope that the instructor is decent) hope it is going to be a personal session and not part of a class with 15 ppl in it! Cos to my mind a talented instructor in 1-2 classes at least point out the direction to work to, the mistakes in posture and stuff, even suggest a routine... But having 1-2 sessions in a full class han be quite a bad experience(had those LOL)
But to see a how the live instructor performs the same moves you learn from a DVD can also change your understanding of the moves!
I understand you well about self-study as I could go to a dance school while staying with my parents in a city... but now I am with my fiance's family on the other side of the world on a farm in the mountains...LOL So even if I could afford an instructror driving to town is out of question! LOL
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Well, Deornie, I will let you know how "Basics and Beyond" shapes up when I get to the combinations section. I think the box says there are 25 minutes of combinations (not sure, I'm at the office right now). So far I've done the isolations and some of the compound moves. She breaks things down really well, and her explanations are good. I appreciate her comments on form and posture. One thing I like about her is that when she tells you to "put your weight on your right foot," she puts her weight on her left foot, so she is mirroring you. That's a nice little touch that not every dance/fitness instructor will do. From the introductory material, warmup, isolations, and the compound moves (the ones I've done so far), I have a very high opinion of her as an instructor. If the rest of the DVD is just as good, then I have no qualms recommending Jenna.
As for waiting to take a class -- well, I'm caught with a few problems: 1) distance, 2) money, and 3) my fitness level. I'm not positive that the instructor 45 minutes away is still there -- she doesn't show up on any more current directories. So I may have to go to the nearest city, which is two hours away. Then there's the cost -- I'm a pastor at a small rural church, so my DVD investment was pretty significant. And as for my fitness level -- I think I might get more out of professional instruction if I'm just more generally fit (and, I confess, I'll feel less self-conscious). Mostly, though, I was trying to think of something that I could use as motivation -- and I thought that this might be a good one. I need to have something to aim for, and this seemed cooler than buying new clothes.
As for waiting to take a class -- well, I'm caught with a few problems: 1) distance, 2) money, and 3) my fitness level. I'm not positive that the instructor 45 minutes away is still there -- she doesn't show up on any more current directories. So I may have to go to the nearest city, which is two hours away. Then there's the cost -- I'm a pastor at a small rural church, so my DVD investment was pretty significant. And as for my fitness level -- I think I might get more out of professional instruction if I'm just more generally fit (and, I confess, I'll feel less self-conscious). Mostly, though, I was trying to think of something that I could use as motivation -- and I thought that this might be a good one. I need to have something to aim for, and this seemed cooler than buying new clothes.
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What do you like about it?
I'm still figuring out the distinctions, but I like a style that isn't too flashy/sequined or overtly provocative. I like the idea of being as close to Middle Eastern culture as possible. I like movements that are smaller and more contained in the torso than ones that are larger and/or have more of an emphasis on arm/leg movements (except snake arms, those are fun). I don't really have any interest in using props or zills.
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Since my friend instructor does Egyptian, this is the one I got to know and this is the most popular back at home! I like the idea of all the bells and coins and sequins...LOL one condition: it should be taseful! So often you see dancers wearing outfits that do not suit them...
I do not really like the outfits that reveal legs too much, skirt does not really have to have those enourmous slits! After all the lady-like dance is graceful enough without being openly provocative! At professional dance competitions i have seen most dancers really had tasteful outfits!
I am quite curious to try zills, I like the sound a lot, and am quite enchanted by the idea of dancing to my own music..LOL
I have seen my instructor dance with a cane(she did it in my tiny room) that was a miracle of coordination... when she started swinging it over her head I thought: 'there goes my lamp' but she was so good with it that in the small space she had to dance she never touched anything with the cane!
From what I have seen of cane dancing, it is actually more 'modest' so to say. It comes obviously from some male dance with a stick or smth, but evolved into a more feminine form... And from what I have seen, it is performed in a full dress, not in top and skirt/pants, often with a head dress.
The more I think of it, I think you should like it(from your description of more "reserved moves") I wonder if I can send you a videoclip of it... Will see if I can upload it to my geocities space....So will be back
I do not really like the outfits that reveal legs too much, skirt does not really have to have those enourmous slits! After all the lady-like dance is graceful enough without being openly provocative! At professional dance competitions i have seen most dancers really had tasteful outfits!
I am quite curious to try zills, I like the sound a lot, and am quite enchanted by the idea of dancing to my own music..LOL
I have seen my instructor dance with a cane(she did it in my tiny room) that was a miracle of coordination... when she started swinging it over her head I thought: 'there goes my lamp' but she was so good with it that in the small space she had to dance she never touched anything with the cane!
From what I have seen of cane dancing, it is actually more 'modest' so to say. It comes obviously from some male dance with a stick or smth, but evolved into a more feminine form... And from what I have seen, it is performed in a full dress, not in top and skirt/pants, often with a head dress.
The more I think of it, I think you should like it(from your description of more "reserved moves") I wonder if I can send you a videoclip of it... Will see if I can upload it to my geocities space....So will be back
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Oh, if you find clips of cane dancing, that would be great. I've seen some still photos of cane dancers, and they do seem to wear more modest outfits. I don't feel the need to dress like a harem girl in order to be feminine and graceful.
I think what attracts me to the more reserved/modest styles is that they represent a very refined skill with isolated muscles -- I feel like it's fairly easy, relatively speaking, to do moves which rely on large gestures, arms, and legs -- but to do a dance which is so contained within the core muscles and torso takes remarkable skill, and I find that kind of mastery to be beautiful and graceful in itself.
I'm focusing a lot on isolations and basic compound moves -- I want to get those muscles used to functioning in that subtle, skilled way. I've done the little choreography on Amira's DVD, which is pretty basic, but still a lot of fun. I'm hoping to learn the rest of Jenna's compound moves so I can try out her combinations. But her DVD is more than twice as long as the others, so there is a lot of time I can spend on the smaller "ingredients" that go into the dance.
I've been listening to Middle Eastern music, too, and it just makes me want to get up and move. I was cleaning my kitchen the other day while it was playing, and I found myself doing hip slides and rib circles as I unloaded the dishwasher!
I think what attracts me to the more reserved/modest styles is that they represent a very refined skill with isolated muscles -- I feel like it's fairly easy, relatively speaking, to do moves which rely on large gestures, arms, and legs -- but to do a dance which is so contained within the core muscles and torso takes remarkable skill, and I find that kind of mastery to be beautiful and graceful in itself.
I'm focusing a lot on isolations and basic compound moves -- I want to get those muscles used to functioning in that subtle, skilled way. I've done the little choreography on Amira's DVD, which is pretty basic, but still a lot of fun. I'm hoping to learn the rest of Jenna's compound moves so I can try out her combinations. But her DVD is more than twice as long as the others, so there is a lot of time I can spend on the smaller "ingredients" that go into the dance.
I've been listening to Middle Eastern music, too, and it just makes me want to get up and move. I was cleaning my kitchen the other day while it was playing, and I found myself doing hip slides and rib circles as I unloaded the dishwasher!
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I think belly dancing sounds interesting and while I've never taken a course I think it is something I'd be interested in learning! I am really wanting to take a salsa class, am looking into teachers here in my area!
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Hey Macrina!
http://www.geocities.com/deornie/Canedance.wmv
Have just finished uploading a clip, it is from a video I took at a championship. The video is about 1Mb in size and took me a while to upload(I'm on a rather slow dialup)...LOL The quality is really bad, but you will be able to see the style!
Oh NOW i see what you mean by "reserved" and actually this is what really required at those 'professional' competitions, the ability to control and isolate the muscules! It is much easier and does not require a lot of skill to bounce around and spin, than to say do drum solos where the body moves reflect the rythm!
I've got plenty of videos, will try to upload some more to show my favourite pieces!
http://www.geocities.com/deornie/Canedance.wmv
Have just finished uploading a clip, it is from a video I took at a championship. The video is about 1Mb in size and took me a while to upload(I'm on a rather slow dialup)...LOL The quality is really bad, but you will be able to see the style!
Oh NOW i see what you mean by "reserved" and actually this is what really required at those 'professional' competitions, the ability to control and isolate the muscules! It is much easier and does not require a lot of skill to bounce around and spin, than to say do drum solos where the body moves reflect the rythm!
I've got plenty of videos, will try to upload some more to show my favourite pieces!
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Nice! Thanks for sharing that clip.
Yes, by "reserved" I mean more subtle movements. But the costuming is a thing, too, since you mention it -- if you look at some of the Turkish belly dancers on YouTube, their costumes can get at little... :o :o !
The cane dancing seems pretty cool, although at this point I'm still not really jazzed about dancing with any props. What excites me is getting those fine torso isolations down. But maybe someday I'll get interested in cane, or zills... or snakes... yeah, snakes, that would really throw people off -- a pastor who belly danced with snakes!
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LOL this is hilarious Hey this is quite an idea! My fiance's brother has 2 pythons in his room...) (he is a herpetologist) so maybe I should ask to dance with them )
Oh well unfortunately with my internet speed i cant really watch anything on YouTube...
Looks like my computer is totally mad... I wanted to render out another clip to upload but looks like Im gonna have to restart.... It's a short clip but the way this girl moves is incredible... I cant even workout how she is doing it, I just wish my back was that flexible...lol cos it takes some control...LOL
Will be back, if not tonight then tomorrow, cos Windows Moviemaker froze again
Hey this is quite an idea! My fiance's brother has 2 pythons in his room...) (he is a herpetologist) so maybe I should ask to dance with them ) Oh well unfortunately with my internet speed i cant really watch anything on YouTube...
Looks like my computer is totally mad... I wanted to render out another clip to upload but looks like Im gonna have to restart.... It's a short clip but the way this girl moves is incredible... I cant even workout how she is doing it, I just wish my back was that flexible...lol cos it takes some control...LOL
Will be back, if not tonight then tomorrow, cos Windows Moviemaker froze again
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You should totally learn belly dancing! I'm new, learning via DVD, and I can already do a lot of moves that I couldn't before. It's AWESOME!
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http://www.geocities.com/deornie/33.wmv
Here is that lottle clip that I was talking about! Hope t5o make some more when I get time
Here is that lottle clip that I was talking about! Hope t5o make some more when I get time
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DancinGranny
New Member
Hello All,
I just found these forums yesterday as I was searching for Christian Bellydancers. I don't know why it never occurred to me before to find out if there were any out there besides myself-but tired of feeling like I was the only one...here I ended up.
So anyway, after reading people's comments on the previous pages, I'd like to share some thoughts which I hope won't offend anyone and come from my 20 years experience in the bellydance world.
So above and beyond anything else, I am committed to Christ and therefore have to judge things as the Bible says. It's either black or white, no in between. Based upon that, God has been dealing with me in the last few months about cleaning some things out of my life and "the allure of the east" was one of them.
I don't mean to sound weird or like some kind of freak, but I feel one has to be careful about what one gets involved with. For me also, it started out as just taking a class at our local Rec center 20 years ago. During one of the classes, I looked at the instructor and I felt God say to me that she was a witch. Well I never went back after that as it freaked me out.
So since I loved the dancing part, I bought videos and kept on dancing at home. Over time, I went to different bellydance events such as rakkasah which is the worlds largest bellydance event and others and loved the music, dancing, beautiful items for sale etc. The more I was around all that, the more I loved it and wanted to be a part of it. Everything was so beautiful and exotic compared to the boring American no culture lifestyle.
So from there I started watching Bollywood films because I just loved Aishwarya Rai and thought she was such an amazing dancer and always had the most beautiful costumes. I bought saris and Indian music and films and it became a large part of my life. But the more I learned about the Indian/Hindu way of life, the more I realized how off it was.
As I kept going to bellydance events, I became more and more aware of the fact that I was probably the only Christian in the entire room and that I was litterally in a place filled with women who dabbled in all kinds of religions and spiritual darkness. It got to be a bit scary actually. If any of you has seen tribal/gothic/piercing bellydance then you know what I mean. I started feeling so uncomfortable being around those kind of people, that I haven't gone to an event for a while. I kept having the thought "Be ye Holy as I am Holy". I didn't feel very holy.
After lots of prayer time and seeking wise council I got rid of all the Bollywood films and music and even my bellydance videos are now sitting in the garage as they are in question.
The problems with Bellydance as I see it are:
1) Men are very visual, and are therfore turned on by watching women perform the sensuous moves (unfortunately)
2) Once you start down the "road to the dark side" so to speak, it's easy to keep on going. The allure of the east that I spoke of earlier is so inviting, exciting, exotic, that's it's hard to see anything wrong with it.
3) It opens the door to other people and areas that you might not be supposed to go
4) Most of the people in the bellydance world are NOT Chrisitans from my experience.
5) Does God really want you to be doing this? Perhaps you should be doing something else instead?
That all being said, I do not think that there's anything wrong with dancing in you living room by yourself or for your husband if you are married. Anything beyond that though, I think leaves doors open for temptation in one way or another. The DVD's can be great and can be lots of fun, great excersize, etc., but the people whom you are watching perfom and the music you are listening to while you do it are not/is not Christian. We're supposed to do all to glorify God.
So what I have been doing lately, is putting on upbeat Christian music and dancing around my living room. David danced before the Lord, so I figure I can too! And I'm Having a great time doing it and not feeling like i might be doing something or listening to something that displeases my God.
I have seen all the Veena and Neena, Bellydance Superstars, and many other DVD's including Ansuya who I think is the most talented bellydancer on earth so if you want instruction I would definately suggest those. However remember they are not Christian people. Veena and Neena are Hindu and Ansuya has said in my articles I have read about her that she believes bellydancing can be a spirituality in itself, etc. To further help people to make their own decisions about my comments you can check out gildedserpent.com and ansuya.com and blacksheepbellydance.com and gothicbellydance.com
I urge you to read some of the articles and see what some of those people believe and ask God to show you what you should or should not be involved with.
Once again, I hope I haven't offended anyone. Thanks for taking the time to read this long post.
Nicole
I just found these forums yesterday as I was searching for Christian Bellydancers. I don't know why it never occurred to me before to find out if there were any out there besides myself-but tired of feeling like I was the only one...here I ended up.
So anyway, after reading people's comments on the previous pages, I'd like to share some thoughts which I hope won't offend anyone and come from my 20 years experience in the bellydance world.
So above and beyond anything else, I am committed to Christ and therefore have to judge things as the Bible says. It's either black or white, no in between. Based upon that, God has been dealing with me in the last few months about cleaning some things out of my life and "the allure of the east" was one of them.
I don't mean to sound weird or like some kind of freak, but I feel one has to be careful about what one gets involved with. For me also, it started out as just taking a class at our local Rec center 20 years ago. During one of the classes, I looked at the instructor and I felt God say to me that she was a witch. Well I never went back after that as it freaked me out.
So since I loved the dancing part, I bought videos and kept on dancing at home. Over time, I went to different bellydance events such as rakkasah which is the worlds largest bellydance event and others and loved the music, dancing, beautiful items for sale etc. The more I was around all that, the more I loved it and wanted to be a part of it. Everything was so beautiful and exotic compared to the boring American no culture lifestyle.
So from there I started watching Bollywood films because I just loved Aishwarya Rai and thought she was such an amazing dancer and always had the most beautiful costumes. I bought saris and Indian music and films and it became a large part of my life. But the more I learned about the Indian/Hindu way of life, the more I realized how off it was.
As I kept going to bellydance events, I became more and more aware of the fact that I was probably the only Christian in the entire room and that I was litterally in a place filled with women who dabbled in all kinds of religions and spiritual darkness. It got to be a bit scary actually. If any of you has seen tribal/gothic/piercing bellydance then you know what I mean. I started feeling so uncomfortable being around those kind of people, that I haven't gone to an event for a while. I kept having the thought "Be ye Holy as I am Holy". I didn't feel very holy.
After lots of prayer time and seeking wise council I got rid of all the Bollywood films and music and even my bellydance videos are now sitting in the garage as they are in question.
The problems with Bellydance as I see it are:
1) Men are very visual, and are therfore turned on by watching women perform the sensuous moves (unfortunately)
2) Once you start down the "road to the dark side" so to speak, it's easy to keep on going. The allure of the east that I spoke of earlier is so inviting, exciting, exotic, that's it's hard to see anything wrong with it.
3) It opens the door to other people and areas that you might not be supposed to go
4) Most of the people in the bellydance world are NOT Chrisitans from my experience.
5) Does God really want you to be doing this? Perhaps you should be doing something else instead?
That all being said, I do not think that there's anything wrong with dancing in you living room by yourself or for your husband if you are married. Anything beyond that though, I think leaves doors open for temptation in one way or another. The DVD's can be great and can be lots of fun, great excersize, etc., but the people whom you are watching perfom and the music you are listening to while you do it are not/is not Christian. We're supposed to do all to glorify God.
So what I have been doing lately, is putting on upbeat Christian music and dancing around my living room. David danced before the Lord, so I figure I can too! And I'm Having a great time doing it and not feeling like i might be doing something or listening to something that displeases my God.
I have seen all the Veena and Neena, Bellydance Superstars, and many other DVD's including Ansuya who I think is the most talented bellydancer on earth so if you want instruction I would definately suggest those. However remember they are not Christian people. Veena and Neena are Hindu and Ansuya has said in my articles I have read about her that she believes bellydancing can be a spirituality in itself, etc. To further help people to make their own decisions about my comments you can check out gildedserpent.com and ansuya.com and blacksheepbellydance.com and gothicbellydance.com
I urge you to read some of the articles and see what some of those people believe and ask God to show you what you should or should not be involved with.
Once again, I hope I haven't offended anyone. Thanks for taking the time to read this long post.
Nicole
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