The Goddess Workout with Dolphina - Bellydance with Finger Cymbals

Rating:
Summary: Forget about the $, not worth your time!
Review: I actually was slightly embarrassed when watching this, thinking that someone might believe that this attempt to teach zils is an accurate representation of the artform. Maybe Dolphina's style is not my cup of tea but she seems all fluff and no substance.

Rating:
Summary: Forget about the $, not worth your time!
Review: I actually was slightly embarrassed when watching this, thinking that someone might believe that this attempt to teach zils is an accurate representation of the artform. Maybe Dolphina's style is not my cup of tea but she seems all fluff and no substance.

Rating:
Summary: I am happy I bought this DVD!
Review: I am happy I bought this DVD, though I nearly didn't because of some of the other negative reviews. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so I am here to add mine to the mix. I have many bellydance DVDs and craved more: more variety, more bellydance moves, more fun, more bellydance and The Goddess Workout filled my needs. Dolphina has a great personality, and makes bellydance more fun, interesting and sexy than any other dancer/fitness instructor. All her comments, tips, and instruction fascinate and motivate me. She is very charming and makes me laugh. I really do love her style and found it refreshing to see Bellydance be sexy, afterall, why would you want to do bellydancing if it wasn't sexy?(there are plenty of other workouts). I have not been able to find another video or DVD on Finger Cymbals and the review that said this DVD is overpriced is out of line: most other bellydance video/DVDs, including Veena and Neena's are only 30 minutes for the same or higher price and I would have paid more for instruction on this difficult to find topic. This DVD is EXCELLENT and I think that you should give it a try and make up your mind for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: One-of-a-kind Find!
Review: I was so HAPPY to find this DVD, because it's the only DVD to teach you how to play finger cymbals. I have taken a few bellydance classes and I struggled when the teacher used finger cymbals one day, but I was playing by the end of this video. It has a very interesting opening that teaches you Yoga for the hands, which I had never even heard of before, then moves on to break down 5 different rhythms. Dolphina teaches you how to play these rhythms with catchy phrases and even if you feel silly saying them at first, they really help you to learn them and remember them! I found myself saying the phrases and practicing on my steering wheel in my car. Then she teaches you how to move slowly while playing finger cymbals and then finally faster with a choreographed dance. The video is beautifully shot, with a pool in the background and Dolphina is pleasant and cute. I recommend this video highly for there is nothing out there at all that teaches you step-by-step to really learn to play finger cymbals, except this little find!

Rating:
Summary: Save your Money
Review: If you really want to learn how to play finger cymbals than don't buy this. Get Saroyan-How to play finger cymbals.
Dolphina shows you how to play using catchy phrases, but never breaks it down, or explains the rhythms or beats, unlike the Saroyan video. Mesmera teaches the Saroyan video and it is the most comphrensive lesson on finger cymbals I have ever seen. She has real drums, and teaches beats, and counting, and how to get the different sounds from zills and blend them together, all while teaching you how to move while playing.

Rating:
Summary: Great concept, but too short...
Review: This is the first and last Dolphina DVD I plan on getting. My biggest gripe with it is that it is way too short. There is a total of about 25-30 minutes of actual instruction. Thats it. A DVD can hold so much more information than that. It seems overpriced to me. Other negative aspects of it are the annoying super happy/perky high school cheerleader attitude of the instructor. It seemed forced. Also, most bellydance videos/DVDs include a professional performance at the end where you can see things come together. This does not include that.

The one positive aspect of this DVD is the way that she chooses to teach the rythms. She introduces catchy phrases as ways to memorize the zill rythms as opposed ot the "dum-tek-a-dum" nonsense seeming syllables that most instructors use. Dolphina's method is easier to remember at first and therefore easier to learn if you don't have a regular instructor that you take classes under.