Rating: Summary: Worth It Review: All in all this is a good DVD for your collection, especially if you are a dancer wanting to get combination ideas. I do think that some things about it are rather disappointing. The first dance done by Marina, the second done by Sohaila, and the second by Louchia are already on another tape I own - Beyond Basic Dance with Veena and Neena. I wonder if this is just a collection of performances featured on the Veena and Neena DVD extra features. I hope not.
I do think that Marina plays with her hair too much. The first times I watched her perform it didn't bother me, but it became apparent during the second dance that that is one of her "things." It can pull your attention away from a cool move that she is doing. Despite that, though, she is a spectacular dancer and probably my favorite. I love her style! She's so full of life and her dances are so emotional, she's absolutely mesmerizing!
Rania's dance with the Wings of Isis was a treat. I must say, though, that I don't like her turns, especially her barrel rolls. It MAY be what she is going for, but they look TOO trance-like and almost Exorcist-y. I don't really feel a lot of connection to her and her dances, though. She seems too perfunctory. That said, she sure can wiggle!
I love Luchia's dances and dresses. They change the pace, add more flavor, and are a lot of fun to watch. I really like her style and it appears deceptively simple compared to the layering that Marina and Sohaila perform.
Now, Sohaila is a wonderful dancer. She has excellent control and grace, but she isn't my style. The narrator says at one point during one of her performances that the Egyptian style can be likened to Ballet where as the other traditional styles are like jazz. I suppose I prefer jazz. It's a personal preference and nothing is detracted while plenty is gained from her being in the video.
Over all, I am glad that I have this video. For someone interested in only watching for the performances, it's terrific. For choreography or technique ideas, the close-ups are annoying (aren't they always?), but they are not TOO frequent and you can sometimes figure out what the dancer is doing with her lower body, anyway, by context. There is a good variety represented with plenty of costume diversity and prop dancing (too bad there was no tribal or fusion style represented).
Rating: Summary: Real Bellydance Review: All what is said in the previous reviews is true. This DVD is about real bellydance and not a boring aerobics workout with some integrated hip drop...I'm a bellydancer for hobby and I learned a lot watching Ranja and Marina. The other two dancers' performances are interesting for culture but the moves are not very exciting. I hope we will be able to find more real-Bellydance-DVDs like this one on Amazon.com very soon.
Rating: Summary: Sample 5000 years of Dance Orientale! Review: Don't know if you want to study modern Cabaret, traditional Egyptian, Turkish, or Persian folk? I didn't. I knew I loved the 9/8 Turkish Roman time, but couldn't find any performances to this fabulous Eastern music. Until now. Rania does a good job on the Turkish Rompi Rompi (she's no Eva Cernik, but she's very good). The set isn't very imaginative, but the dancers' expertise and gorgeous costuming make up for it. (The only style missing is American Tribal.) If you're looking for beautiful Persian, Egyptian, traditional Cabaret, or lively Turkish dancing to incorporate into your workouts & performances, this is a fun way try something new; just be ready to move very fast!
Rating: Summary: About the DVD Review: Experienced dancers: The only reason to buy this DVD, in my opinion, is to see Suhaila. She is absolutely incredible. She emits a warm, modest, elegant stage presense with refined and lovely styling. Truly reflective of the spirit of Oriental Dance. The other dancers are very mediocre, not worth watching. So its five stars for Suhaila and one star for the others. NW Dancer
Rating: Summary: The camerman was either drunk or retarted. Review: He did a great job filming their foreheads, breasts and the surrounding walls. He wasn't aware though that belly dance is about hips. He wasted a pretty good matterial otherwise. Keep the good job dude! You can't see the actual dance in this video, but the dancers are really pro.
Rating: Summary: Another producer smitten with Rania... Review: I adored watching two of the bellydance Divas.....Rania and Marina. Rania is an extremely talented performer, and Marina, who is also talented, has a fabulous energy about her, I could watch her for hours! However, I was not impressed with the other two dancers, Louchia and Sohaila. Of course, that's just my opinion. I actually do recommend this video because Rania's and Marina's performances were so enjoyable that they make the video worth it! However, I would have preferred more of them and none of Louchia and Sohaila. In any event, it was interesting to see the different styles. Now, I certainly know which ones I prefer. I've seen the DVD in its entirety twice. Now, when I view it, I only go to Rania's and Marina's dances.
Rating: Summary: Two out of Four Review: I adored watching two of the bellydance Divas.....Rania and Marina. Rania is an extremely talented performer, and Marina, who is also talented, has a fabulous energy about her, I could watch her for hours! However, I was not impressed with the other two dancers, Louchia and Sohaila. Of course, that's just my opinion. I actually do recommend this video because Rania's and Marina's performances were so enjoyable that they make the video worth it! However, I would have preferred more of them and none of Louchia and Sohaila. In any event, it was interesting to see the different styles. Now, I certainly know which ones I prefer. I've seen the DVD in its entirety twice. Now, when I view it, I only go to Rania's and Marina's dances.
Rating: Summary: Divas Rocks! Review: I have been bellydancing for 12 years. I am amazed that finally a video of this quality has made it to the general public. I am overjoyed. What I liked: -All Rania's performances, every bit of them. She is authentic, highly skilled, and diverse. -Louchia's Persian dance. Nice dancing, costumes, etc. -Louchia, Rania, and Sohaila understand that facial expression is part of the interpretation of the dance. Bravo. -Marina's veil dance in the beginning of the video. I was not crazy about the other Marina dances, but her veil dance was soulful and captivating. -The music was awesome. Authentic and diverse, like the dancing. What I did not like: The camera moved around alot, but not enough to stop me from enjoying this video.
Rating: Summary: 3 Stars Review: I have this and a few of Rainia's videos. To be honest, I don't really look at them that much. What I enjoyed most about the video was the sound track. I have been taking Raqs Sharki ( the PROPER) name for Eygptian style belly dance off and on for a few years now and one thing that was totaly absent from this video was the presence of strong hip movements. Shimmies, in particular. Don't even attempt to have a Drum Solo in your set if you cannot Shimmy. Another thing that was missing was diversity. In every class that I have seen or participated in there were women of ALL shapes, sizes and ethnicities (sp?) in class. This is an African/Middle Eastern dance style,how about some African/Middle Eastern dancers?
Rating: Summary: I loved it! Review: I hold a Masters Degree in Dance, and I loved every performance on this video. The cultural interpretations, music and costumes were right-on (except for perhaps Marina's cane dance). This is a quality production with diversity and some of the best dancers out there. There is not one person I have shown this video to who has not fallen in love with it. It is definitely worth the money.
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