Rating: Summary: Entertaining but... Review: ...not an effective workout. I didn't even break a sweat. Additionally, it's hard to follow because the camera is always focused on her face. If you want a good bellydance workout I would recommend the Bellydance Fitness for Beginners series with Veena and Neena.
Rating: Summary: Clever and informative Review: Although the video often appears over-produced, the content is excellent. There can be no substitute for a dance class, Dolphina's video is bprobably as close as you can come.
Rating: Summary: It's OK, but not great. Review: As many others have said too much of the DVD is spent on Dolphina and specific areas of Dolphina such as her face or breast. The costumes are wonderful; she gives great history and is very motivational. However, not enough repetition is given with certain moves. Sometimes as she explained the moves the camera was on her face and never showed the move she was performing with her body parts. The camera should be panned out completely when she is demonstrating and move and then it can refocus on her face or what have you. The only reason I am able to follow about 75% of what Dolphina does is that I have taken a beginners class before. I think I am going to try a different belly dance set.
Rating: Summary: My first lesson in belldance Review: Dolphina was the first person I learned bellydance moves from. I own this one and the Warrior Goddess workout, which is much more advanced than the Introduction video. The rest of the tape is not high impact but if you are not accustomed to bellydance moves or are brand new at this you will definately feel yourself working. The history and the warmup in the beginning is very good.The background scenes and her outfits are not cheesy by any means. For me if I am stressed out then I put this on and at the end I feel 100% better.It will definately help you to relax after a rough or stress filled day. This is a good beginner video to start with and though the moves are basic in design they have a bit of a different flair than Rania and the Bellytwins have in their videos. I have to agree with several reviewers that in some of the segments they focus on her face and not the moves her body is doing. Her new line of videos that teach you the veil, finger zills and more advanced hip moves are very good and focus on her entire body. With the moves she teaches in them they have to do this. Also,the music to this video is great! I have the CD and a lot of the songs I use in my routines. Good luck and happy hunting in the world of bellydance.
Rating: Summary: Fun... but not recommended for beginners. Review: Fun... but not recommended for beginners. I never tried bellydance before and I had problem in following her steps. The camera always focus on her face and she doesn't explain everything in details.
Rating: Summary: Not all it's cracked up to be... Review: Having just had a baby, I need a way to lose the leftover "baby fat" and bellydance has always appealed to me. The store where I purchased this video only carried this one and the next in this series, so there was no other selection. I wish now there had been because I've been somewhat disappointed with my choice. Although the sets and costumes in this video are very beautiful, as is Dolphina, I found it very difficult to follow the moves and learn the basics. The camera spends too much time focused on either Dolphina's face or if not her face, then on a part of her body that is not being used for the dance move in question. As mentioned by other reviewers, learning the moves is further impeded by the long, flowing skirts that Dolphina wears while showing dance moves involving her legs. The outfits are gorgous, however if I cannot do the dance, then the attire does not really matter. The dance moves themselves are broken down into easy to follow instructions, however given the unhelpful camera angle and inability to see what you should be doing, the overall effect is disappointing. Unless you already have a background in bellydance, I'd recommend skipping this video for one that is more useful.
Rating: Summary: Not all it's cracked up to be... Review: Having just had a baby, I need a way to lose the leftover "baby fat" and bellydance has always appealed to me. The store where I purchased this video only carried this one and the next in this series, so there was no other selection. I wish now there had been because I've been somewhat disappointed with my choice. Although the sets and costumes in this video are very beautiful, as is Dolphina, I found it very difficult to follow the moves and learn the basics. The camera spends too much time focused on either Dolphina's face or if not her face, then on a part of her body that is not being used for the dance move in question. As mentioned by other reviewers, learning the moves is further impeded by the long, flowing skirts that Dolphina wears while showing dance moves involving her legs. The outfits are gorgous, however if I cannot do the dance, then the attire does not really matter. The dance moves themselves are broken down into easy to follow instructions, however given the unhelpful camera angle and inability to see what you should be doing, the overall effect is disappointing. Unless you already have a background in bellydance, I'd recommend skipping this video for one that is more useful.
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( like shimmies can cause earthquakes - She is being playful people). 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 love Veena and Neena's videos because they are very good instructional DVDs, but they are not sexy at all. Another great aspect to The Goddess Workout videos is she teaches a wide variety of bellydance moves, moves I didn't see in other DVDs. Most people have already mentioned, Dolphina's sets and costumes are superior to all others. Basically, I find the other negative reviews about this DVD extremely harsh and to say there are no redeeming qualities in this DVD is ridiculous. This DVD is EXCELLENT and I think that you should give it a try and make up your mind for yourself.
Rating: Summary: Don't bother Review: I did this workout just once and had no desire to try again. It was boring, hard to follow, and gave no cardio benefit to speak of. The instructor's feet are partially covered by her costume at times so you can't see what you are supposed to be doing. And when they say "goddess workout" that is what they mean - you get to hear about the instructor's religious views as they relate to bellydance.
Rating: Summary: Not for the first-timer Review: I got this DVD as a gift because it was part of the collection of videos which include more advanced work. Having danced for several years, I have to warn the beginner that this DVD is not going to teach you the right moves or give you the bellydancing workout that you crave.I was suprised to see that it was directed by a female because the video certainly spends the majority of the time highlighting Dophina's bellydancing physique and changing costumes rather than focusing on the actual moves and how to do them. So, in essence, this quickly became a Dolphina performance tribute rather than a lesson on bellydance techniqes. If you know what you're doing, it's a simple refresher - once you get past the glamorous Dolphina aspects. However, all in all, I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner or a learned bellydancer.
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