Archive for 2015

Home Archive for 2015

It isn't a secret that my personal belly dance idol is and always has been Sadie. It was almost ten years ago that I fell in love with her style of belly dancing, and so far no one else has surpassed her in my eyes (and after getting to know her personally, I doubt anyone ever will).

What this DVD has to offer:

Sadie begins with explaining the sounds of the drum and what kind of movements they signify for the dancer. She then teaches combinations and techniques for a drum solo that can be used in her choreography or separately in your own choreography. Sadie uses these combinations to teach her choreography for a two and a half minute drum solo routine that is both challenging and creative.

The DVD ends with a performance of the drum solo that was taught on the DVD and another drum solo to live drumming by Amir Sofi.

This DVD is not for beginners! You should have some knowledge of belly dancing before you attempt this choreography!

My thoughts:

I really liked this DVD because it is still challenging to me today. It simply never gets old! It's the perfect combination of choreography that is exciting for someone who is trying to build their repertoire and for someone who has been dancing and performing for years.

Cons: In the beginning of learning the choreography, Sadie teaches a combination, then does that combination to music. In the combinations that follow, she doesn't do that combination to music before moving on to the next combo. I wish that she would teach a combo, practice a couple times without music, practice a couple times to the music, and then do the choreography from the beginning, incorporating the new combination. What I like to do is pause the DVD and run through the choreography with the music a few times before moving on to the next combo.

The music used for the drum solo is called "Drum Solo" by Isis and the Wings of Isis & Dr. Samy Farag. It can be found on the CD "Belly Dance Party".

Here is the performance of the choreography learned in this DVD:

Health Benefits of Belly Dance

Taken from Sadie's website http://www.sadiebellydancer.com/health-benefits-of-bellydance/

"Build bones! Belly dance, and dance in general, is a weight bearing exercise, the kind of exercise critical in helping prevent Osteoporosis.

Build coordination and get smarter. Seriously! Dance works in the right and left hemispheres of the brain together, it builds neuropathways that can increase memory and learning ability.

Boost immunity! Exercise, including dance, is the primary way to move lymphatic fluid in our bodies, in turn promoting better health of the entire lymphatic system which is key to having a healthy immune system."

(For more, click on the link above to Sadie's website)

Feel-good Benefits of Belly Dance

Taken from "Scientists take a look at the feel-good benefits of belly dance"

"Body image is the way in which someone perceives, feels and thinks about his or her body, especially factors regarding shape and weight. Previous studies in the US and the UK have shown that street and modern dancers hold a more positive body image of themselves than exotic dancers do. Tiggemann's team wanted to add to the scant literature available on belly dancing. The researchers therefore tested how participants of this potentially sexually alluring yet embodying dance form see themselves, and also sought to find out what they gain from it.

The authors recruited 112 belly dancers from two dancing schools in Adelaide, Australia, along with 101 college women who had never participated in this activity before. The participants completed questionnaires in which they rated their own bodies, how they think other view their bodies and about the attention they attract from men.

The researchers found that belly dancers see their own bodies in a better light than the college students do, and are less likely to be dissatisfied with how they look. They also have fewer self-objectifying thoughts, and therefore take what others might think about their bodies less to heart."

(For more, click on the link above)

Top Four Benefits of Belly Dancing

From http://dance.about.com/od/bellydancing/tp/Benefits-Of-Belly-Dancing.htm

1. Belly dancing improves fitness and builds muscle.

2. Belly dancing reduces stress.

3. Belly dance aids weight control and improves self image.

4. Belly dancing is an internal massage.

(For more, click on the link above)