<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Preparing for Ancient Dance
Review: Bellydance has been practiced for over five thousand years and has roots in ancient cultures: Macedonia, India, Greece, Persia, and Turkey. This workout does not include any bellydance routines, but will strengthen the muscles you need to use when creating routines. It is a workout to help you strengthen and stretch every muscle in your body. Not only did I workout harder than I have in any workout I've tried recently, this took my body to new and undiscovered areas of fitness. Rania Bossonis is an AFAA Certified Fitness Instructor and world famous Bellydancer. These workouts combine traditional strengthening exercises with moves and poses from Modern Dance, Yoga, Ballet and Bellydance. You are moving at a fast pace throughout the workouts and you will feel the "burn" and feel the effects and the day-after-I-worked-out-really-hard feeling.
This is a good workout to do if you are about to give yourself a day off or you can just do the 10 minutes after walking for 30 minutes to give yourself 40 minutes. I'm finding that 70-80 minutes of exercise 3-4X a week is the way to go if you want to start to see the inches drop. You can really use this workout in a variety of ways. The most challenging way to start this workout is to go through all 5 sections in about 60 minutes. Day 1 - Abs Only
This section is a combination of isolation exercises that will take your abdominal muscles to new and rather interesting places. This section features: crunches, oblique exercises, lower abdominal work, standing abdominal bellydance isolation, belly rolls and an abdominal stretch. Day 2- Arms, Back and Chest
After doing this workout, I went out and bought some tiny little 1 pound weights to do during the second workout. The workout is intense enough by itself, but in a few weeks, I can add the weights for advanced training benefits. You will recognize moves like: Lateral Pull Downs, Upright Rows, Shoulder Presses, Biceps Flexion, Push-ups, and Prone Hyperextensions, combined with Bellydance Isometric exercises such as Chest Raises and Drops, Snake Arms, Shoulder Rolls, and Shoulder Shimmies. Day 3 - Dancer's Legs and Butt
Rania teaches moves she learned in Modern Dance training. You will enjoy doing plies, bellydance pelvic camels, one-legged lunges with leg extensions, inner and outer thigh exercises. The floor exercises put an emphasis on the hamstrings and gluteal region. Day 4 - Waist Sculpting
This goes beyond traditional abdominal workouts. We are talking about Figure-8 bellydance moves and rib slides. You start to feel a bit like a bellydancer in this segment. The isolations exercises encourage coordination and posture. Day 5 - Flexibility Training
A combination of Bellydance, Yoga, Ballet/Modern Dance and stretches. Special DVD Features:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Interactive Full Motion Menus
Chapter Selections This is an amazing workout that will test your endurance and give you creative coordination challenges. I love the full-body workout when you complete all the exercises in about 60 minutes.
Very Impressed. ~TheRebeccaReview.com
Rating: 
Summary: This is not bellydance. Do not be fooled.
Review: I was really, really disappointed with this. I wish I could give it less than one star.
I'm a grad student, and I have very little time for exercise. Before I was a grad student, I used to have time for dance classes. Ten minutes of straight bellydancing will kick your butt, so I figured I'd give this a shot for some low (mental) effort fun exercise and study breaks.
The first segment was abdominals. It's almost all crunches. I couldn't recall doing any crunches in bellydance, so I stopped to see what else was on the DVD. (To be fair, there were also ab rolls, which are bellydance. There were about four of them, and they were not well explained and might as well have been absent.)
I fast-forwarded through the other segments, looking for bellydance, and felt like I must have bought the wrong video. It was dull, standard exercise fare, with little to none of the fun, exotic stuff that keeps bellydance interesting and makes it feel like fun instead of exercise. One bellydance-type move in 20 does not make something bellydance. I do more bellydance moves listening to music in my car on the way to school than are on this whole video.
I wish I'd saved my money. If anyone's interested, this will be on ebay as soon as I can put it up. I've had it for about two days, and I hate it so much I want it gone. The only reason the word Bellydance is on this DVD is so suckers like me will buy it. It's certainly not truthful advertising.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT NEW WORKOUTS, ALREADY DONE ON HER OTHER DVDs !
Review: I'm rating this 3 stars not because of the quality of the workouts, but because of the originality in the issuing of this DVD. If you already own Rania's other DVDs (Bellydance Boogie, Bellydance Hip Drop Hip Hop, Bellydance Pure Sweat, Bellydance Cardio Shimmy) and you also own one of Veena and Neena's Discover Bellydance DVDs (editing because I previously stated that I didn't remember which DVD had the flexibility workout. I just found it, its on the Veena & Neena Bellydance Slim Down DVD) ... then you already own all of the workouts on this DVD. These workouts were bonus workouts included on other DVDs. All this is is a compilation of those bonus workouts put onto one DVD. They couldn't come up with anything original, so to make money, they decided to put them on one DVD and call it NEW. PUH-LLLLEASE. If you like having the compilation aspect just for the ease of it, this is a good buy. If you already own the other Bellydance DVDs I mentioned, and you were thinking this was something new, save your money. The workouts themselves aren't bad, but they aren't new. Just an FYI.
Rating:
Summary: NOT NEW WORKOUTS, ALREADY DONE ON HER OTHER DVDs !
Review: I'm rating this 3 starts not because of the quality of the workouts, but because of the originality in the issuing of this DVD. If you already own Rania's other DVDs (Bellydance Boogie, Bellydance Hip Drop Hip Hop, Bellydance Pure Sweat, Bellydance Cardio Shimmy) and you also own one of Veena and Neena's Discover Bellydance DVDs (can't remember which one, I think its Mystic Dance perhaps ?) then you already own all of the workouts on this DVD. These workouts were bonus workouts included on other DVDs. All this is is a compilation of those bonus workouts put onto one DVD. They couldn't come up with anything original, so to make money, they decided to put them on one DVD and call it NEW. PUH-LLLLEASE. If you like having the compilation aspect just for the ease of it, this is a good buy. If you already own the other Bellydance DVDs I mentioned, and you were thinking this was something new, save your money. The workouts themselves aren't bad, but they aren't new. Just an FYI.
Rating: 
Summary: Five nice little workouts--NOT strong in bellydance
Review: The first thing I thought of as I was working through these sequences was the book, "Eight Minutes in the Morning." These workouts would fit in very well with that philosophy, as a small part of a workout program.
These are exercises, not dances. Although some bellydance motions are included in the abdominal and waist sculpting segments, you should approach this expecting exercises, not dances. In fact, has the title of this DVD more acurately reflected the contents, I would have raised my rating to at least three stars. I believe "Five Ten-Minute Workouts Featuring Bellydancer, Rania" would be a FAR more acurate title for this DVD.
The music is, at best, inoffensive. It is not the strong music one associates with bellydance--Muzak comes to mind. This was another disappointment for me.
Still, the exercises included in each segment do stretch and strengthen the intended body parts as specified. I was suitably aware of the muscles being worked both during and after the exercises, and I will continue using it as part of a morning routine. I'm still looking for a good bellydance workout, however.
Rating:
Summary: Not "NEW' and not much "BELLYDANCE"
Review: The idea of 10 minute bellydance "quickies" sounded like a great and original idea for a bellydance girl on-the-go. Unfortunately the material on this DVD isn't anything new nor is is bellydance!
If you already own any of the videos form Rania's "Bellydance for Fitness and Weight Loss" Series: Bellydance Boogie, Hip Drop Hip Hop, Cardio Shimmy, or Pure Sweat, or Veena and Neena's Bellydance "Slim Down" video then you will recognise these workouts (really just 10 minute long guided movements) from the bonus sections of these DVDs. They've taken all five of them and put them on this one DVD.
Importat notes:
1. These are not "NEW" workouts. (Note to Rania and Natural Journeys) Please don't repackage old material and call it "NEW" just to pad your own wallet. This is insulting to the consumer and a waste of my money.
2. As a fitness professional, I can tell you that thse are not "workouts" for weight loss as claimed but merely ten-minute guided movements. Stating that doing one of these 10 minute workouts will help you loose weight is a gross overstatement. The body does not even BEGIN to burn fat until after more than 20 minutes of cardiovascular exertion. (Sitting on the couch burns next to zero calories so this workout would still be better than nothing.) :o) Putting this one in and doing all five workouts in a row would really give you a workout, which I recommend doing, but that defeats the whole point of these being "quickies."
3. This is't bellydance!!! Let me say this again, this isn't bellydance!!! It's stretching and strengthening exercises that will help put your muscles into the condition required to bellydance better, I recommend adding light hand weights for the "Arms, Chest, and Back" section to get any real benefit, but don't buy this video looking for bellydance instruction or workout! The "Waist Sculpting" section is the only one that even resembles bellydance.
4. If you own any other fitness videos, I'm sure you've noticed that nearly all of them remind you to do at least twently minutes of warmup and stretching before beginning their workout. Now THAT's a reason to own this DVD. Just pop this puppy in first and you're on your way!
5. These are excellent guided movements! You won't learn or practice much bellydance but if you use this video in combination with other fitness videos or as an addition to an existing fitness routine, it's great.
6. Current fitness research says that if you only have ten minutes to workout, that's OK. You can do three ten minute workouts in one day and get close to the same benefit as one thirty minute workout. Thirty-plus minutes is still better than three ten-minute sessions but 3 ten-minute sessions is still better than nothing! Try to fit more than one of these into your day for better results.
0 stars for remarketing old stuff as new.
4 stars because this could still be used conjunction with other videos or all five could be done in a row for a great workout.
2 average
Rating:
Summary: Not "NEW' and not "BELLYDANCE"
Review: The idea of 10 minute bellydance "quickies" sounded like a great and original idea for a bellydance girl on-the-go. Unfortunately the material on this DVD isn't anything new nor is is bellydance! If you already own any of the videos form Rania's "Bellydance for Fitness and Weight Loss" Series: Bellydance Boogie, Hip Drop Hip Hop, Cardio Shimmy, or Pure Sweat, or Veena and Neena's Bellydance "Slim Down" video then you will recognise these workouts (really just 10 minute long guided stretches) from the bonus sections of these DVDs. They've taken all five of them and put them on this one DVD. Importat notes:
1. These are not "NEW" workouts. (Note to Rania and Natural Journeys) Please don't repackage old material and call it "NEW" just to pad your own wallet. This is insulting to the consumer and a waste of my money. 2. As a fitness professional, I can tell you that thse are not "workouts" for weight loss as claimed but merely ten-minute guided stretches. Stating that these workouts will help you loose weight is a gross overstatement. The body does not even BEGIN to burn fat until after more than 20 minutes of cardiovascular exertion. (Sitting on the couch burns next to zero calories so this workout would still be better than nothing.) :o) 3. This is't bellydance!!! Let me say this again, this isn't bellydance!!! It's stretching and strengthening exercises that will help put your muscles into the condition required to bellydance better, but don't buy this video looking for bellydance instruction or workout! 4. If you own any other fitness videos, I'm sure you've noticed that nearly all of them remind you to do at least twently minutes of warmup and stretching before beginning their workout. Now THAT's a reason to own this DVD. Just pop this puppy in first and you're on your way! 5. These are excellent guided stretches! You won't learn or practice any bellydance but if you use this video in combination with other fitness videos or as an addition to an existing fitness routine, it's great. 6. Current fitness research says that if you only have ten minutes to workout, that's OK. You can do three ten minute workouts in one day and get close to the same benefit as one thirty minute workout. Thirty-plus minutes is still better than three ten-minute sessions but 3 ten-minute sessions is still better than nothing! Try to fit more than one of these into your day for better results. 0 stars for remarketing old stuff as new.
4 stars because this could still be used conjunction with other videos.
2 average
Rating:
Summary: Not "NEW' and not "BELLYDANCE"
Review: The idea of 10 minute bellydance "quickies" sounded like a great and original idea for a bellydance girl on-the-go. Unfortunately the material on this DVD isn't anything new nor is is bellydance! If you already own any of the videos form Rania's "Bellydance for Fitness and Weight Loss" Series: Bellydance Boogie, Hip Drop Hip Hop, Cardio Shimmy, or Pure Sweat, or Veena and Neena's Bellydance "Slim Down" video then you will recognise these workouts (really just 10 minute long guided stretches) from the bonus sections of these DVDs. They've taken all five of them and put them on this one DVD. Importat notes:
1. These are not "NEW" workouts. (Note to Rania and Natural Journeys) Please don't repackage old material and call it "NEW" just to pad your own wallet. This is insulting to the consumer and a waste of my money. 2. As a fitness professional, I can tell you that thse are not "workouts" for weight loss as claimed but merely ten-minute guided stretches. Stating that these workouts will help you loose weight is a gross overstatement. The body does not even BEGIN to burn fat until after more than 20 minutes of cardiovascular exertion. (Sitting on the couch burns next to zero calories so this workout would still be better than nothing.) :o) 3. This is't bellydance!!! Let me say this again, this isn't bellydance!!! It's stretching and strengthening exercises that will help put your muscles into the condition required to bellydance better, but don't buy this video looking for bellydance instruction or workout! 4. If you own any other fitness videos, I'm sure you've noticed that nearly all of them remind you to do at least twently minutes of warmup and stretching before beginning their workout. Now THAT's a reason to own this DVD. Just pop this puppy in first and you're on your way! 5. These are excellent guided stretches! You won't learn or practice any bellydance but if you use this video in combination with other fitness videos or as an addition to an existing fitness routine, it's great. 6. Current fitness research says that if you only have ten minutes to workout, that's OK. You can do three ten minute workouts in one day and get close to the same benefit as one thirty minute workout. Thirty-plus minutes is still better than three ten-minute sessions but 3 ten-minute sessions is still better than nothing! Try to fit more than one of these into your day for better results. 0 stars for remarketing old stuff as new.
4 stars because this could still be used conjunction with other videos.
2 average
Rating:
Summary: Great workout - a little dry.
Review: This is not so much a bellydancing workout than a workout isolating different areas of the body. Which is why I like it. The workouts in this video strengthen areas of the body you use when you bellydance - making this the perfect video between classes if you take them. I do one or two everyday in addition to cardio.
My only complaint is that I think Rania is a little awkward. My boyfriend I can't help laughing while I have it on. She's a little on the dry side - especially because of the narration rather than her actually talking. But other than that, this is a great training video.
Rating: 
Summary: Really good
Review: This is, make no mistake, NOT for beginners to exercise: it is pretty challenging. It is fun to be able to do either one segment or put more together for a fuller workout; if you do all five secions, it really is a good strength and flex day. The reason I didn't give it five stars was the lack of safety advice; in the back stretches, for example, you could really damage yourself if you didn't have some Pilates or yoga knowlege, and I thought the final flex section was dangerously under-explained. Okay for me, I take Pilates, but not so great for everyone. What wasn't so good for me (and the other reason it lost a star) was the waist section: this is the only part where belly dance experience, even a little, would help (I have none, and boy does it show: I imagine I look like an embarrasssing aunt trying to dance at a wedding) but what would help more is if the camera let you see the legs and feet when we are being told what to do with them! There is one move, repeated for ages, where you NEVER see this. But otherwise, this DVD is terrific and you will definitely feel it the next day. Oh, and the arms section contains one of the best tricep reps I've seen; my advice for this section is to use light weights with it - I use 1kg (I'm English) which is about 2.2 pounds I think, and that is half what I use for my usual arm work, but is plenty for this. Enjoy!
<< 1 >>
| 
