14 Belly dance every day for four weeks

I used several different dvds to keep this from getting boring. Unfortunately, even with all of the variety, I was bored after only two weeks but I struggled through and managed to get all four weeks of exercising done.

Here are the dvds I used along with my thoughts on each.

This one is my favorite in that the instructor, Neon, does a brilliant job of really explaining each and every move, breaking them down into detailed explanations. A "simple" hip roll includes legs bending, glutes tightening, chest remaining still and raised, etc. The viewer will absolutely learn how to isolate hips from chest, move in a more sensual manner. I found myself practicing many of the moves throughout the day and although there were some things I could not do at all, I did learn how to do some things that did not come easily the first time watching this dvd. I highly recommend this one!

This dvd with Dolphina is my second favorite although she does not explain the moves as well as Neon. Visually this is my favorite dvd of the set because the costumes and set are so lovely. Dolphina's approach is different from Neon's, sort of New Age Feminism Meets Belly Dancing. I loved the music on this dvd as well. But the thing that works against this dvd most is that it is shot more to show off Dolphina's pretty face than focus on the actual moves. Nevertheless, I would sweat more to this dvd than the previous one and the first time I used it my abdominals were actually tight, something I don't often feel even after using an abs workout dvd. Pretty remarkable. I would recommend this as a good companion to the previous dvd. Let Neon walk you through each move in detail and let Dolphina move you from move to move more quickly.

This dvd, with Veena and Neena Bidasha does not live up to its potential but I definitely was sweating when I used this. For a cardio workout, of all of the dvds I have, this is the one that really elevated my heart rate. There is, unfortunately, little explanation as to how each of the moves should be done. Also, while the twins do the moves, there is a narrative voice that is supposed to help the viewer move from one step to another. However, these are not always in sync and if you follow what you see, you will not always be in time with the voice over. Will you learn how to belly dance with this dvd? Not at all likely. You will go through a few belly dance moves and if you know how to do them technically it won't be as a result of what you learn on this dvd. But the purpose of this dvd is more about exercise than it is about technique and, to that end, it is a good one.

This is a follow-up to the previous dvd and complements and builds upon it perfectly. Unless you are already very comfortable with belly dancing, you would have to first have the first dvd before trying to work your way through this one but the format is similar and Neon does a wonderful job of breaking down the move, building up from one move to the next, and weaving them all together. The music on this and the previous dvd is not very traditional and I think that some people would not appreciate this. And, as can be seen by the covers, Neon's costumes are not traditional either. But what she wears makes it very easy to see how each move works far better than some pretty flowing skirt.

Dolphina's second dvd builds on what she teaches in the first dvd but with less detail. Given that without the Neon dvd I wouldn't have understood the break down of each move in the first dvd, this is not a good thing. The main improvement in this dvd is that you see more of Dolphina's body throughout the dvd. Unlike the first one, the camera rarely moves in for a close up on her face and the viewer is not distracted with pretty camera work or settings. The costume is simpler and there are fewer changes. I really like the warm up on this one--a sort of Sun Salutation. But even when I felt that I had mastered (or is that mistressed?) most of the first dvd, I really didn't feel that I could keep up with this one. Still, given that I was bored by the first one, I enjoyed the challenge and the change of pace. Ultimately, the first made me sweat. This one did not.

I bought the three Neon dvds in a set and this one is meant to be used by those who have managed to learn all of the moves in the first two dvds. There is nothing traditional about this one, with good reason. The idea behind this dvd is for the viewer to have a party. Invite your friends over to learn all of the moves and together you can all dance to contemporary music. (After all, it is called Belly Dance Party!) Guess what? If you haven't worked through the first two dvds, there is no way you are going to manage this dvd. What is great about this dvd is that Neon breaks down the whole routine into smaller sections, easily accessed through the menu. Master the first section and move onto the second. Then the third, etc. Better yet, when you have worked through all ten parts of the full routine, you can choose one of three speeds to practice the routine from beginning to end--slow, fast, or faster.

This is perhaps the most useless of the various belly dancing dvds but when I woke up the day after I felt sick, I wanted to take it easy on myself and my body so I pulled this one out of the set I had bought (which included the previous two Dolphina dvds). If you don't have a veil or cymbals you obviously won't be able to really practice along with these dvds. I have both. I thought that the cymbals dvd was a little too cute. I would have preferred to focus on the traditional names rather than giving the rhythms silly phrases like "I am a goddess." The veils routine is visually lovely but be warned: you need a lot of floor space to use this one. Without room to move, to throw your veil forward and around, there is no way to comfortably move through this routine. If, like me, you get this along with Dolphina's other dvds in a set, fine. Otherwise, skip it altogether.