Luscious: The Belly Dance Workout for Beginners, with Neon, Blanca and Sarah Skinner - Beginner belly dance instruction and fitness classes; Dance fitness

I was pretty turned off by the 'beginner' aspect of the title, so I hesitated to purchase this DVD. After completing the workout I was really happy I did buy it. First off, it is probably too much for absolute beginners, if you have a few class sessions under your hip scarf or have worked extensively with other DVD's you should be fine. The 'combination's' are pretty short, most only being 2 or 3 moves. Some of the names they use threw me off at first but it's all basic stuff. All of the sections are narrated by voice-over (I love listening to Neon & Blanca with their accents, but that's just me) so the voice volume is constant and you don't hear heavy breathing. There are a few lunges and deep level changes but they can easily be modified or ignored. I really liked the contrast between the 3 dancers, and I like that its not "4 this, 4 that" start over. It really feels like dancing. I liked the costumes, it gave the video more interest. I could have done with out some of the cheesy empowerment shenanigans but they weren't over powering. The first section is CIRCLES (7:31), led by Blanca. The moves covered are hip circles, 1 hip circles, pelvic circles (interior hip circles) and chest circles. There are 3 combination's in this section. The skeleton is pretty basic but they add nice arm flows (often a major issues for beginner dancers) that get you used to moving your whole body (aka actually dancing). This section is pretty relaxed and I liked the soft stretching from the large circles. Keep your abs engaged to really feel the workout. The next section is INFINITY LOOPS (6:44) aka Figure 8's, with Neon. The moves are horizontal 8's, chest figure 8's, vertical figure 8's up and down (I do the down section with my feet flat, better workout and better for the ankles) with some variations and 1 hip figure 8's. There are 8 combination's. This section moves pretty fast, typically with Neon there are a lot of quick changes; I found that they aren't always announced with enough warning. In this section you can really see the differences in the 3 dancers, I find Neon's dancing to be somewhat jarring, and I think her movements often look jerky. The next section is UNDULATIONS (7:02) with Sarah Skinner. The moves are snake arms, side undulations (I really like how this move is broken down), up and down undulations with variations, there are 3 combination's. I think Sarah Skinner does the best job of telling you what is going to happen before it happens. Next is HIP ACCENTS (7:57) with Neon. The moves are vertical (weighted lifts/drops) and horizontal hip slides, unweighted lifts and drops with variations, there are 8 combination's. Next is SHIMMIES (5:43) with Sarah. She covers basic hip shimmy and twist shimmy and shoulder shimmy. There are 4 combination's. Next is BODY LINE (5:08) with Blanca, there are a lot of sways, flourishes and accents. She also does torso drops, back arches, pivot and three step turns and arabesque.There are 6 combination's. I thought this was actually the hardest section to do while still looking `pretty'. Last is the dance, which I honestly haven't done. Once I get the hand of the combination's a bit better I probably will. I also haven't used the tutorial sections, I didn't find that I needed them. Over all as an intermediate/advanced student I found that this was a fun work out that helped me focus in on some moves that I would like to polish and it was interesting enough that I'll do it again. I would really recommend it to anyone with at least a basic understanding of belly dance fundamentals.

I had been looking for a real Belly Dance workout, that was both good practice, AND a real workout. So many DVDs are called Belly Dance workouts, and I have found them disappointing. Usually they are not a very good workout, and aren't really belly dance oriented. There ARE a lot of good instructional Belly Dance DVDs out there. But I was really looking for something that would be about a 40+ minute workout, covering most of the techniques a beginner/intermediate needs to work on. A DVD that would not require that I have the remote in hand, hunting and pecking for this or that move in some ginormous table of contents, or fast forwarding past the repeated 20 minute discussion of "tuck your hips, chest out, shoulders back". Finding this DVD was like finding a jewel. This DVD is called a belly dance work out for beginners, but I will agree with another reviewer who said that it was not for rank beginners. I would say it's more for "advanced beginners". That said, most beginners will be able to follow most of the moves, even the first time they see it. There is a tutorial section that is broken down pretty well, and should help those who may find themselves overwhelmed, or unfamiliar with the name of a specific move (for instance, what Neon calls "infinity loops", my teacher calls "figure eights".) If you have been taking lessons, even if it's just a couple of months, you won't have too many surprises in terms of the basic techniques. However, you MAY find some familiar techniques put together in suprisingly different, but still lovely combinations. While I am not winded nor sweating by the end of this workout, I do feel like I am working all the joints and muscles commonly used in belly dance (class.)

Luscious is a sensual, slow paced workout. The extended tutorials do a good job of breaking down the moves. The workout itself contains beautiful movements that are somewhat easy to follow, although it will take practice to develop better technique and your own artistic expression. There is even a short sample dance that you can learn to perform separately. The problem, as other reviewers have said, is in the costuming. The costumes worn in the workout are beautiful, but they are too concealing over the dancers' legs and feet. It is difficult to see what they are doing, especially in steps that travel in a circle. What's even more frustrating is that the step-by-step tutorial also has the same concealing costumes. When the dancer is describing the importance of bending your knees, you have to take her word for it, because her legs are covered by a long skirt. In fact, the skirt is so long that it brushes the floor and blocks most of her footwork. Otherwise, the DVD seems to do a good job of bridging the gap between instructional dance video and workout. Just don't expect much cardio--the workout is slow, but should strengthen and sculpt muscles. On the dance side, it seems to cover very basic moves, but takes the time to explain technique (if you use the step-by-step tutorial).

I have just started learning how to belly dance but have been looking and watching numerous videos for years before I got up the nerve to now try to do it(a 100 lbs lighter!). I have seen lots and I have to say, I just absolutely LOVE this video!! I was at first kinda turned off by the title of the video but I decided, what the heck? Give it a chance. From the first move, I was hooked! I love how Neon would do the move and then all three ladies would do the moves together to music; they danced together so effortlessly, it was beautiful to watch. The other thing was, I loved how she patiently and thoroughly explained how to do the move precisely and how not to do it so you hurt yourself. Neon really makes a struggling beginner, like me, feel like you really could do it with her kind instruction and gentle accented voice. The music, the costumes, the backdrop of the video, was exquisite and sensual! It is also great that its not one of those so-called 30 minute teaching videos that you pay an arm and a leg for and you wonder what for? and be disappointed at the amount of time they spend on technique and how they gloss over a lot to fit it into 30 minutes. I disagree, however, with people who say that this video is not for absolute beginners. It will be hard and you may stuggle for a minute but if it is too hard, go to the beginning and do tht tutorial and learn the basic moves. You can do that for a while until you can do the other beginning moves and you should be fine. If you buy this DVD, you will NOT be disappointed! The moves are authentic, the music is good and you will be learning while having a great time and getting in shape! I will definitely be buying the rest of their series!

For the price, you get what amounts to a 'two-fer': an instructional video--sort of a short form of Neon's "instant bellydancer" series that lasts 50 minutes, and a 45 minute connected workout. The instructional section has Neon's typical focus on proper posture and alignment as well as her wonderful way of conceptualizing the moves. If you've never ever ever bellydanced before, this might require a few watchings to get the moves right, because she's a real stickler on form. It's that focus on form, though, that a) keeps you safe physically (no hyperextending or dangerous twisting) and b) works the deep muscles that show real control and grace. It's worth it to learn how to dance with proper form! If you already know a bit about dance, jump right into the workout. There's plenty to keep even intermediate level dancers involved--incorporating arm movements, studying how they put together combinations, etc, so don't pass this one up as too basic. It's harder than the BellyTwins stuff! It may take you a time or two to get all the moves down yourself! The production value, especially for bellydance videos, is high. The dancers are easy to see and well lit, you can see their knees and feet and what they're doing to create the movement. The music isn't too loud or too soft and there's no distracting background. This video showcases a series of moves and puts them together in short combinations of anything from two to five moves. An advanced dancer could profit from this video studying how they put the combinations together--the interplay of soft and hard movements, upper and lower body movements, and transitions. Bellydance has lately seemed to bifurcate into the camp that thinks dance should be hard and extreme and damaging on the body--if you're not doing aerial Turkish knee drops, you're a poseur--and the camp that thinks that bellydance is something all women of all ages should be able to do and do safely. Neon is in this latter camp, but her moves, though safe on the joints, are not simplistic. I've seen women struggle with the one-hip figure eight for a long time. So there's complexity here, but a complexity you can achieve with practice.

I have watched/attempted the Shimmy series on FITv for a while, and wanted a DVD so I could learn more. After some research, I found the Luscious workout for beginners. I just tried this DVD a few minutes ago and I'm probably going to end up selling it on Amazon or eBay. I have done step classes and aerobic classes before - so I am used to cues and general choreography, so I figured I could do this DVD with a bit of ease. Yeah. NO. Let me start off saying I DID DO THE TUTORIAL section, and even then I was lost. This is ****NOT**** for beginners. I didn't expect to get all the moves on the first try, but when I'm still stuck on the first move because I can't see her legs (wearing long skirts) and her explanations are confusing - you realize it's not going to be a good workout. I need to SEE her legs/knees doing the dance! So you're confused and they move fast, then as if her one explanation would do the trick, they add arms to the move, so now it's REALLY confusing! Then in a mocking way, they show the steps all together with the dancers. Am I supposed to follow that? I just stood there and watched. Wow. I'm very very disappointed in this DVD. I thought it would be at least the same as the FITv one, there wasn't even a warm up. I'm unsure if I'm going to try this out again, my frustration level is quite high, I think they should've broken this DVD up into a set, it's just way too much, too quick and for a true beginner. Like I said, I did not expect to get it right away, but when I'm on tutorial one and not getting the moves right, it leaves little motivation to continue on. I figure IF I do this DVD again, I am going to have to master the tutorial, entirely, in steps, then try to move onto the workout. I'm not sure if I want to put that much time into this, when I can pop in a different exercise DVD and work up a sweat. This seemed fun, but after doing it, I wasn't having fun with it - isn't that was exercise is all about? Unless you've done shimmy/belly dancing before, I would NOT recommend this DVD.

This DVD is so much fun to workout to. Although it teaches the basic moves, I'd suggest that if you are a beginnner that you get something else first (Amira or Ranya Renee, to name a couple). The reason I say that straight off is because though there is a nice tutorial in this DVD with Neon, she is in costume, which makes it hard to see exactly what is going on. Plus, I think we all benefit by learning from more than one instructor. What I love best is dancing with these 3 great bellyists in their choreographed segments. Their costumes are lovely, the music is lovely, and you get a really good workout. I like how there are 3 dancers, as you can see how they each have their own individual expressions of these movements. I like to vary my exercise (jogging, aerobics, etc.), but with bellydancing, it is so much fun that you won't even know you're exercising!

The video and audio quality are terrible, but since I didn't get a chance to use the video right away, it was too late to return it by the time I did. Also, their costumes make it impossible to really see their legs and feet, which I think makes it more difficult to learn than it otherwise would be. It is a decent workout though, which is why it got two stars instead of just one.

Love Potion: Bellydance Workout [DVD] [Import ]にも書きましたが、これもアメリカのAmazonサイトで大絶賛されていたので、つい購入〜。 いいです、これ、お勧めです！ for beginnersと書いてありますが、ベリーダンス暦2年の私でも充分楽しめました。一つ一つの動きを説明してくれるので、基礎練習にもよいと思います。 リージョンコードは１のようですが、問題なく再生できました。

This is a very good "work at it" DVD for beginners and intermediates. There is only one way to learn belly dancing and that is practice and practice, drilling and drilling and refining the basic moves and getting them into the muscle memory. I have been doing belly dancing for a few months now and I am beginning to realise that if I am ever to be any good at this art, I have to be prepared to put a lot of hours and a lot of practice into it and that's exactly what this DVD is showing us to do. My only complaint is that Neon, Blanca and Sarah were dressed up in their performance costumes which prevented somewhat observing how the movements are ment to be done.

This dvd is excellent for learning basic belly dance steps. The instruction breaks down each move in an easy to understand way while providing a light to middle intensity workout.

alles gut erklärt. man versteht auch ohne große englischkenntnisse wie die bewegungen richtig auszuführen sind. macht spass mitzumachen. schön langsam und anschaulich erklärt

I love this DVD. I love the music. Blanca, Sarah and Neon are beautiful dancers. Love everthing about it. I watch it over and over again.