REVIEWS ON THIS PAGE: 21 Shimmies and 1001 Variations; 1001 Shimmies; Schamadan with Horacio Cifuentes;
Hilary Thacker Beginners; Hilary Thacker Intermediates; Hilary Thacker Advanced; Ishtar - Arabesque Belly Dance

Total playing time : Approx 135 mins. © IAMED Productions Region 0 (all regions)

21 Shimmies and 1001 Variations (Germany) This video is taught in the English language. Leyla Jouvana and her husband Roland are based in Germany. For more information on Leyla, Roland, and the work they do, visit their website www.leyla-jouvana.de. Leyla is a professional oriental dancer, and performs alongside her drummer husband Roland. Although based in Germany, this video is taught in the English language, and has been produced by IAMED productions in the USA. A CD of drum solo's performed by Roland is available to accompanies the video, titled Rhythms and Drums This DVD has professional sound,editing and picture quality. The DVD menu has been superbly designed and is very easy to navigate. The main menu has several options; play, chapters, dance tips, about IAMED, and about belly dance.. The "dance tips" section contains helpful notes and reminders on improving your dance technque and performance. The "about belly dance" section contains notes on the history on bellydance, and how it came to become a popular dance form in the U.S. The "chapters" menu has been beautifully produced; with three sub menus enabling you very easy access to the material; one one side of the screen are the various chapter headings, while on the other side you get a short clip of Leyla performing. This DVD doesn't contain a warm up, but it is aimed at intermediate to advanced dancers who should already be familiar with this. For the teaching sections of the video, Leyla wears a purple velvet choli and leggings together with a beaded hip belt - the background set has been well designed with some drapes, vases of peacock feathers and cushions, and is unobtrusive so it doesn't distract from Leyla's teaching. Personally, I found the lighting a *little* dark on this DVD in comparison to other IAMED videos I've viewed, but the picture, sound and production quality and content of this DVD is so superb, this is just a very minor niggle. Selecting the "play" option, the DVD opens with an introduction by Leyla. Along with a brief overview of the material on the DVD, Leyla explains that some of the shimmies are derived from other dance styles from around the world that have influenced modern Oriental dance. The shimmies taught on this video primarily centre on the hips and torso. The teaching segments are: Rotatation Shimmy; Rotation Shimmy Variations; Hip Shimmy; Hip Shimmy Variations; Ghawazee Shimmy; Shimmy Cairo Style; Egyptian Shimmy; Muscle Shimmy; Combined Muscle and Hip; Vibration Shimmy; Vertical Afro Shimmy; Combined Afro and Vibration; Shoulder Shimmy; Choo Choo Shimmy; Afro Choo Choo Shimmy; Twist Shimmy; Flutter Shimmy; Hand Shimmy; Samba Shimmy; Muscle Shimmy While Kneeling; Calf Shimmy; Buttocks Shimmy; Zaghareet Shimmy. There is also a performance segment taken from IAMED's Bellydance Rocks DVD. In each teaching segment, Roland plays a variety of rhythms to accompany Leyla. Leyla first demonstrates the technique for both the basic movement and variations, then breaks down each movement section in turn slowly before building up into the complete, full speed movement, before going on to talk about how to vary the shimmy. Where more than one technique can be used to create a shimmy, Leyla covers all the options so you can find what best works for you personally. Throughout the DVD, Leyla also gives tips and advice on correct technique. There is lots of practice time given to each movement, in particular to the more advanced shimmies, which I found incredibly helpful in that I didn't have to continually rewind. One of the things I particularly liked about Leyla's teaching was her emphasis on timing and rhythm. Leyla tells us the name of the rhythm that Roland is playing, and also, where appropriate, talks about the structure and speed of the shimmy in relation to the rhythm, which will help you move on the beat and become at "one" with the music. For example, Leyla teaches the rotation shimmy as a movement done "X" amount of times within "X" amount of beats - which I found to be a very interesting concept. Leyla skill at breaking down and teaching each shimmy is superb. She has a very friendly, and very professional on screen personality. This DVD has a *vast* amount of information - think of it as a "shimmy encyclopedia". There is extra bonus material all the way through, for example, in the "Hip Shimmy Variations" section, Leyla teaches 9 or 10 different variations (with hip slides, with a twist, with hip circles, with body waves, with triplets, 3/4 shimmy, with Arabic basic step, with the camel walk, with hagalla). Even within the basic technique sections, Leyla demonstrates lots of different ways of varying the movement. If you are ever stuck in a shimmy rut, then this video will prove to be invaluable to you. One of the other things I really LOVED about this DVD is the range and variety of shimmies that Leyla teaches - there are "traditional" shimmies such as the shoulder and Egyptian hip shimmies, folkloric shimmies such as the Hagallah and Ghawazee shimmies, modern style shimmies using muscle power, American cabaret shimmies such as flutters and vibrations, floorwork shimmies, and extra useful techniques on how to perform a "hand shimmy" - invaluable for performing Khaleegi style dance, and what I refer to as "world-fusion movements" such as the Samba and Afro shimmy. Some of the shimmies are elegant, some are feminine, others are earthy. Another bonus on this DVD is that Leyla also teaches the technique for the basic movements that the shimmy is layered on top of, for example, Leyla covers and breaks down the technique for the Hagallah, and half Hagallah, before moving on to layering the movement with a shimmy. The performance section has Leyla performing live with Roland on percussion - both Roland and Leyla are just absolutely amazing performers, and this performance includes many of the shimmies that Leyla teaches on this DVD, so you can see how they look in a choreography/peformance context. Leyla's level of technical excellence and dance skill really comes across well on this DVD - she is both an absolutely *awesome* dancer and performer, and an excellent teacher. Every time I watch this DVD, Leyla's shimmy technique just amazes me time and time again. This is a superb DVD for those looking to enlarge their shimmy vocabulary. Very highly recommended! You will be ordering direct from Leyla Jouvana, (not the Raqs Sharqi website).

Back to top ^

Total playing time : Approx 30 mins. © Oriental Fantasy 1999 PAL FORMAT

1001 Shimmies (Germany) This video is taught in the English language. BEATA CIFUENTES started dancing at the tender age of 6. After realising that something was missing in her life she dropped her studies in Medicine and enrolled in a School for theatrical dance in Berlin. She opened her studio for Oriental Dance, the first one of its kind in Berlin. Beata and her husband Horacio Cifuentes together formed "Oriental Fantasy", and put on theatrical productions every other year, with new music, choreographies and costumes. Beata and Horacio's website can be found at www.oriental-fantasy.com. This video has excellent sound, lighting, editing and picture quality. It was filmed in a studio setting using a front camera angle. In this video, Beata is joined by a group of student dancers just behind her, following her Beata has beautiful dance technique, timing, posture and grace, as well as superb control and precise isolation skills. As a teacher, Beata communicates very well and in a professional, clear manner. In this video, Beata wears a cream coloured leotard with dark dance tights, which together with the red beaded hip belt she wears makes an excellent contrast against the dark background and light coloured flooring. Her choice of brightly coloured beaded belt really emphasise the movement and shows off the hipwork very clearly. All movements on this video are taught using appropriate tabla rhythms playing in the background; this has been recorded at just the right level, and there are not any problems hearing Beata over the sound of the tabla. The CD used in this video is "Oriental Fantasy volume 4 - Drums for Training" which is available from Beata and Horacio's website. The video is divided into several main teaching sections: the basic shimmy, 3/4 shimmy (Egyptian walk), the Hagalla, and the Soheir Zaki. In each section, Beata first breaks down the basic movement slowly, and gradually builds up to full speed and technique, giving you plenty of time to practice the movement and get it right. The basic shimmy section consists of three parts; variations on the basic shimmy, isolations, and on half-toe (ball of foot). To begin with, Beata starts by demonstrating the correct posture used in oriental dance, and the technique required to correctly perform an Egyptian (knee-driven) shimmy and how to vary and control the speed of your shimmy. In the isolation section, Beata teaches a good range of shimmy variations achieved by layering the shimmy over other movements, including bodywaves, headslides, camels, ribcage circles and shoulder rolls to give your hip shimmies that extra sparkle and the "wow" factor". In the "half-toe" subsection, Beata teaches some variations of movement created by altering the basic leg positions and using the ball of the foot to add even more variety to the Egyptian hip shimmy. The next main section is the 3/4 shimmy (Egyptian walk). Beata first of all teaches an exercise designed to help you learn the correct technique for this shimmy. Again the movement is broken down wonderfully and the pace built up gradually so you can get the movement right. In this section, Beata also demonstrates the move high on the balls of the feet as a level variation, and the movement combined with a forward/back step. Although this move is taught on the spot, while breaking down the move, Beata does recommend you lift each foot as you practice, ensuring that you'll be able to travel with this shimmy with ease. The next section teaches the Hagalla shimmy. For this more intricate step, Beata clearly explains the different components, and the movement is broken down and taught in sections with plenty of practice time before the whole step comes together. Beata teaches you how to travel side to side and forwards, as well as with flat feet and on the balls of the feet. There is also an interesting variation on this step, the 3/4 Hagalla. The last shimmy Beata teaches is a shimmy that is layered over the famous Egyptian dancer Suhier Zaki's legendary hip movement. The basic movement is taught first, before the shimmy is added to the step. Beata again gives some good advice and spends time explaining how to position your body to perform the movement correctly and so that you keep your hips isolated. Beata shares some very helpful and useful tips regarding foot placement and achieving good isolation, the importance of body alignment and weight placement on this video. I really liked the fact that the movements were broken down so excellently. The material here is suitable for advanced beginners, and intermediates upwards, and there are lots of ideas for making your shimmies shine! Highly recommended! You will be ordering direct from Oriental Fantasy, (not the Raqs Sharqi website).

Back to top ^

Total playing time : Approx 40 mins. © Oriental Fantasy PAL FORMAT

Schamadan (Germany) This video is taught in the English language. HORACIO CIFUENTES was born in Colombia and began to dance at the age 5. He studied Flamenco in Spain, Ballet in Gdansk and was, as a result, invited to dance with the San Francisco Ballet. Within 8 years he was featured as a soloist in over 40 classical and modern ballet performances. After discovering the beauty of Middle Eastern dance, Horacio and his wife Beata, who also has a background in ballet, formed "Oriental Fantasy" and put on theatrical productions every other year, with new music, choreographies and costumes. As a dancer with a strong professional background, Horacio has superb technique, isolation, posture and presentation. Beata and Horacio's website can be found at www.oriental-fantasy.com. The production on this video is excellent, both in sound and picture quality. It is shot in a large mirrored studio; the lighting is excellent and the mirrors mean you clearly see everything Horacio is doing from all angles. In this video geared towards advanced dancers, Horacio teaches a choreography especially created for schamadan (candleabra) or tray dances to be used with sagat (finger cymbals). All the music used in the video is listed in the opening credits. The actual music used runs for five minutes which is about the right length of time for a schamadan performance. As is geared towards advanced dancers, this video doesn't contain a warm up or any safety tips, so you will need to already be aware of how to balance schamadan and trays, and know how to dance with them safely. The video is divided into several sections, gradually building up in complexity. Firstly, Horacio goes through all the steps and patterns that will be used in the choreography. He wears practice dance wear and it's easy to see all the movements he performs. Each pattern and step is described really well a few times, with some breakdown on the more intricate steps and on the arm movements used. The second section of the video details the actual choreography in slow motion without music, while Horacio talks through what is happening. This slow motion section will give you enough time to write down the choreography if you need to do so. In next section Horacio (still in practice dance wear) dances through the choreography at full speed with the music. Following on from that, the choreography again is repeated at full speed with music, but this time the finger cymbals are added. There is the really useful addition of the finger cymbal patterns used that flash up at the bottom of the screen at the appropriate parts of the choreography, so you'll know exactly what you're meant to be playing, this is a brilliant idea and is very helpful. The last section features Horacio doing a fully costumed performance, complete with finger cymbals, tray and lighted candles against a beautiful moon and stars backdrop. This demonstrates how the complete choreography will look in performance. The choreography itself is elegant, graceful and looks great with the candles. For dancers who are maybe a bit less advanced or confident, or maybe fairly new to shamadan, you could leave out the finger cymbals until you feel confident to perform with them at a later date. The video is structured in such a way in that you'll find it easy to be able to do this. The content of the video has been extremely well thought and out and put together, resulting in a video that's really easy to follow and great to work with. You will be ordering direct from Oriental Fantasy, (not the Raqs Sharqi website).

Back to top ^

Total playing time : Approx 45 mins. © 1996 Yellow Brick Productions PAL FORMAT

Hilary Thacker beginners (UK) The production of this video is generally quite good, with excellent editing, and is nicely packaged. In this video for beginners, Hilary teaches straight lines, circles, horizontal and vertical figure eight's, hip drops, the Egyptian walk, hits, shoulder shimmies, the twist (swerves), hands, snakey arms, the camel walk and veil work. What I particularly liked about this video was how Hilary described the technique for each move, and talked about plenty of variations for each move; turning, walking , varying the size and speed of each move, and also how to do moves using your top half as well as your hips. I also enjoyed the arms and hands section where Hilary shares plenty of ideas for creating fluid arm and hand movements. If you're a beginner wanting to learn veil, then you'll find plenty in the veil work section of this video, including using the veil as a backdrop and a frame, spinning, using the veil as a "partner", using the veil as a "line", butterfly and sandwich. The only drawback for beginners is that this video doesn't include a warmup, and it would have been nice to know which music she used. Apart from that, this is an excellent video for with lots of content to interest beginners which I really enjoyed watching. You will be ordering direct from Hilarys Bazaar, (not the Raqs Sharqi website).

Back to top ^