Sensual Bellydance - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Sensual dance... you know it the moment you see it. It radiates from deep inside; the dancer s whole body flows like silk, her movements are beautifully interwoven, breathing with meaningful, effortless grace. The ability to move fluidly in this organic, connected way begins with an intuitive knowledge that arises when we are sensually awake.

Sensuality begins inside: It is your enjoyment of the world and your own physicality as perceived by your senses. Sensuality radiates outside: When your mind is receptive to physical pleasure, it translates your sensory experience into sensual movement, giving a fluid, languid, mesmerizing quality to your dance.

As a form of body language, dance speaks the truth of your thoughts and feelings. In bellydance, sensuality has always been one of the most highly prized qualities. Aware of your sensual joy, your audience instantly knows that you are comfortable with your bodySensual dance... you know it the moment you see it. It radiates from deep inside; the dancer s whole body flows like silk, her movements are beautifully interwoven, breathing with meaningful, effortless grace. The ability to move fluidly in this organic, connected way begins with an intuitive knowledge that arises when we are sensually awake.

Sensuality is not a special talent or skill it is present in all of us. The task is to discover it, cultivate it, and translate it from an internal state to an expressive, easy-to-understand language of dance movement. In Sensual Bellydance, Blanca, a star bellydancer in New York City acclaimed for the languid, effortless, intoxicating quality of her dance style, shares her ways of expressing sensuality and of adding the flair of sensual grace and ease to every bellydance step - from basic to more evolved.

The core of the program is the Sensual Bellydance Flow [beginner-intermediate] - sequences of steps building from simple isolated moves to layered. Footwork, arm/hand patterns and head angles are gradually combined for the effect of total coordination and effortless control. Sensuality is translated into dance through connectedness the wave-like echoing and interweaving of movements. A special section of sensual poses and fluid transitions is designed to improve your pacing. Slowing the pace into a still pose helps you to learn measured, uncluttered dance phrasing: In sensual dance every movement is distinct and meaningful; every phrase has its highlight. This section offers the music only option you can follow Blanca s voice prompts, or enjoy the music-only 40-minute non-stop flow of dance combinations.

In the Technique section Blanca offers a step-by-step breakdown of the movement vocabulary for the Flow and introduces her core method: Progressions the gradual layering of bellydance moves on footwork with a special attention to body and head angles, arm positions, and patterns.

The last section includes a step-by-step breakdown, a demonstration, and two performances of Blanca's Venus choreography [intermediate] - a perfect opportunity to practice sensual bellydance! and enjoying yourself. This allows the gift of your dance to be experienced o

Customer Reviews: Read 38 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Go with the flow October 6, 2007
81 out of 81 found this review helpful

I just got this the other day, bought it more or less on a whim, but what a great deal. Quick FYI: The info said it was 60 minutes, but it's actually 2 hours of dance/instruction.
Blanca is very pretty, very serene, with a soft accent, which sounds very soothing. She's not perky with a huge grin splitting her face in two and she's not all bouncy and bubbly, none of that instant best friend vibe, just pleasant and serene.
It's a sensual dance instruction and she wears her part very well. The settings are very nice, not distracting, and she wears great costumes for teaching (you can see her legs when she does the moves). You can also see her perform the dances in full costume and she's very lovely to watch.
My husband really liked the music and the dance style for its sensuality and slow, languid movements. I watched one of the dances first and thought, 'wow, I'd like to move like her.' She moves like liquid, like silk, whatever elegant, graceful, flowing metaphor you want.
Instructionwise, she breaks everything down very well, from snake arms, using a lot of descriptive terms (like your arms are moving through honey, is one example), hip circles, figure 8's, and so on. Then she builds on these initial, isolated movements, and you learn more layers, combinations, steps, and build on and on. She even explains alignment, how to align your head, for example, to look more graceful. It's a bit like the Jillina dance instruction dvds, in how she gives you the basics and you build on and on until you are doing a choreographed dance. And of course you can skip and just do the basics or dance along with her, or just watch Blanca, which is what I want to do in addition to learning to dance like her.
The music is very nice too and the dances are slow and languid, nothing super fast, but your muscles will feel it nonetheless. It would be fine for beginner dancers or for intermediates. She doesn't spend a huge amount of time on each move, so you do get a lot for 2 hours, but you can always rewind 15 or 30 seconds and review.
I've got 20 to 30 bellydance dvds and vhs tapes at home and while I've seen and worked out to a lot: Mara, Jillina, Bellytwins, Kathy Smith (just that one), Bellyqueen, Bellydance Superstars, Suhaila, East Coast Tribal, American Tribal and more, I still am very happy with the dvd. It's shot a good angles (not distracting or only focused on the abs), the production is very good, and it's a nice focus on flowing dance. It's not something you pop in to learn a couple moves for the club, but a lovely sensual routine to stretch and dance to. Venus is the right name because it is very sensual and elegant and beautiful.

5 out of 5 stars

Visually and conceptually rich November 25, 2007
59 out of 59 found this review helpful

When I saw this DVD for the first time here on prelease status, I knew I just HAD to add it to my bellydance collection. There are 42 items in it by now and Blanca appears in 3 of them - Golden Apple performances, Ultimate Bellydance Fitness Workout and as one of the 'students' in Ayshe's Core fitness. I already had an image of her as a graceful dancer and good teacher, so considering the price of the DVD, I went ahead and preordered.

For me there are a few telltales if the money I've invested in a video will be worth it. Here is what I look for:
1. Quality/fame of the instructor
2. Lenght of intruction
3. Producer (NY and IAMED being my favorite)
4. Target bellydance level (beginner/intermediate/advanced)
5. Instruction or fitness
6. Reviews

I had some information about 1,3,5 but nothing about the rest, so I wasn't entirely sure what exactly to expect. It came as a nice surprise when I popped the video in the ROM, pressed "play all" and saw Blanca seated on green grass offering some introduction in her crispy accent to what she was about to teach. I always consider it a plus when they spare the time for a few words to say about the product and its concept.

Next we see Blanca in a brightly lit studio with red curtains. Even though her outfit is red as well, it never blends with the background, so everything can be seen very well. Her belly, hands and feet are visible all the time, very important while learning bellydance from a video.

The first part of the DVD is entitled "FLOW". In the first few chapters Blanca breaks down the movements in the second part in segments, offering a warmup, articulations and a cooldown. She goes slow, without any repetition, just pinpointing the important aspects of the movements. She uses a lot of visual descriptions and comparisons which makes it easy for students to imagine and copy her style. The influence of Ayshe and Jehan Gamal is evident in the entire DVD too.

Blanca pays a lot of attention to the "articulations" section. She would first show step patterns, then elaborate hip and chest movements, then completes the combination with hands and glances. A student can easily see all segments of a particular movement and observe the gestures and hints that make it look graceful and fluid.

In the flow sections all are tied together accompanied by Blanca's explanations. This is a faster paced section and the stress is not on the mechanics of the movements but how to string them up and elaborate a combination or give it a little spice. Next you can play the entire flow section voice off, only with music. It allows for great practice.

The next section is a choreography entitled Venus. Blance performs it first in the beautiful red costume from the cover and after down breaks it down in several combinations, calling out the movements as she goes through them. She offers very little instruction here, instead falling back on what she already taught previously in great details. After that you can follow Blanca as she dances in her training outfit, with the music on only (no voice).

The next section is what makes this DVD truly unique. In it the choreography is shown once again, this time names of different poses pop up as certain movements are highlighted. It provides a great vocabulary of movements and also gives you a chance to observe and compare different gestures, steps, poses, glances, all these subtle hues that make bellydance sensual bellydance. Following Blanca's articulations from the first section you can get inspired to build your own combinations and choreographies.

In the next chapter Blanca performs the Venus choreography again, this time in a different costume and with voice-over. She offers a "story" that the dance may tell, of the expressions and meanings of gestures and their ultimate source.

The last section of this DVD is two beautiful performances by Blanca, one of them the Venus choreography again she covered with a story and the DVD points out helpfully it includes floorwork. This part itself is short and light, indeed demonstrating the difference between sensual and sexual (as we know why it is banned in Egypt).

Music and credits are the last two options you can check out.

A few words to sum up the contents:
-- Excellent instruction. Beginners would be very pleased with the slow and detailed explanations of the movements in the first section; intermediate and advanced can review it once or twice and then skip on straight to the practice section without getting bored
-- Original and interesting choreography
-- Inspirational and creative atmosphere
-- 120 min run time

This DVD is good for students of all levels of bellydance, though I definitely would not suggest it to anyone who haven't mastered the fundamendals (such as hip lifts and undulations). Late beginners would find a lot of material to work on and progress; intermediate and strong intermediate are offered fresh ideas and concepts in addition to an entire choreography.

I would definitely recommend this DVD to all dancers. It is exteremely good value for money and a must-have in every serious student's collection.

5 out of 5 stars

The Goddess Dances October 24, 2007
52 out of 52 found this review helpful

Looking like Botticelli's "Venus on the Half Shell" on the cover, and dancing like a goddess throughout this fantastic DVD, Blanca is not only a wonderful performer, but also one of the most thorough, perceptive teachers I've seen on a dance instruction DVD. This is an extensive and detailed program of bellydance techniques, with fluid style and lovely choreography. You will be using this DVD a lot, and dancers on many levels of training will be able to benefit from it, from beginners, to intermediate and beyond. There is much to learn here for everyone.

After the "Welcome," you get a technique breakdown of the steps, followed by 40 minutes of Flow Warmups, which can be practiced with the verbal explanation or just followed with music only. This "Flow" section would be a great substitute for those who regularly do yoga or Pilates, and would like a change of pace, as they are excellent for exercise as well as being aesthetically pleasing to do, and promote flexibility and strength without stress. The production is excellent, and total running time of the entire DVD is 120 minutes, and you are sure to enjoy all of it.

Born in Mexico, Blanca has a soft accented voice and is articulate in how she shares her technique and ideas about bellydancing, some of which could be helpful in many other genres of dance. Blanca's style is unique and incredibly graceful, and she also exudes a sweet spirit, taking her dancing to another level we will sense in our own souls. The final 2 tracks are of Blanca performing, and are exceedingly beautiful, and make a marvelous end to a superb dance instruction DVD.

5 out of 5 stars

EXCELLENT!!!!! October 6, 2007
19 out of 19 found this review helpful

What a treasure!!! I have many, many belly dance instructional dvds but this has to be one of the best and well worth what I paid for it. Bravo to World Dance New York for producing another fantastic, nearly two hour long dvd for such a reasonable price.
I am so glad that Blanca chose this aspect of bellydance to teach as the slower, more sensual moves of Middle Eastern dance are often overlooked on instructional dvds. She has a very gentle voice and is soothing to listen to. I also like her demeanor. You never get the sense that she is condescending to the viewer and, thank Heaven, she doesn't resort to making those annoying repetitive extortions to "Keep up the good work" or - worst of all -"Come you! You can do it, I know you can!"
The performances by Blanca are mesmerizing. Her movements are very fluid and she seems to be connected to the music at a physical level. She is the embodiment of sensuality.
I've only scratched the surface of what this dvd has to offer but I know it is going to be my number one practice companion for a long time to come.
Well done, Blanca and World Dance New York!!!!!

5 out of 5 stars

The dance of Venus October 30, 2007
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

I'm not sure I can add anything to what other reviewers have said. But I need to. You see, I've been looking for just this video from the time I first began belly dancing. Belly dance video groups will remember my discovering a spellbinding clip of Blanca dancing (I recommend a search for her clips on youtube) and asking whom I had to kill to learn to dance that way. What I'd found so mesmerizing was that she danced with all of herself. Body and mind. The result was indescribable and beautiful sensuality and emotion. Watch her - it's difficult to spell out.

What makes this video so different is not the choreography or the exercises - though those are lovely too. It's the wholehearted attempt to get you, the learner, in touch with your own sensuality. Aside from following the movements, listen to what she's telling you. Let go and allow her to engage you enough to open up to how you feel and communicate. You should feel a difference in all of your dancing.

And because it isn't just about the 9 combinations that make up the dance, you will spend a lot of time working on how to get fluidity and effortlessness into your movements. That's where the warm ups and flows come in. You will learn, for example, how to put resistance into your moves to communicate passion. Or slowing down to express savouring femininity. Particularly lovely is the unique section on this video on how to weave a story into your dance to bring it alive with meaning. Try it with any other dance to see how it could work.

For those familiar with the World Dance format, there are some interesting variations here. The choreography is done many times, differently: you will focus on the upper body moves separately, then the lower body and foot work. And then all together, with and without music.

In this video, dancing is not about gimmickry and heaping one clever move upon another. And may I say what a relief that is. For a change, the idea is not to make your jaw drop. It's to draw you into an experience of intense and passionate enjoyment.

Rather special attention has been paid to the music chosen for this video. I contacted Blanca to talk to her about her video and make this review more informative, and here's some of what she had to say. "I can't explain how important the music is. These days the aspect of the dance I'm most interested in is musicality. If a dancer is musical, I can watch her for hours. I love when the dancer's body becomes one more instrument, creating her own melody over the already existing song. I was lucky to find the wonderful and sensual music we used on this DVD. We required a variety of tempo, mood and styles, but I wanted every piece to be absolutely beautiful and sensual. Movses Panossian's "Serpent's Rapture" was a great Flow opener because its grandiosity gives you no choice but to wake up and start moving. Ruben Van Rompaey's "Miyuki" is perfect for the articulation section because the rhythm is very clear nuanced. Djinn's "Brooklyn Baladi" is the quintessential Arabic hip walk teaching song. And Stellamara's "Persephone" had me choreographing the cooldown section in one take, with my eyes closed, listening to the music and what my body wanted to do. For the performance, Pete List composed the music entirely based on my choreography. He invited the incredibly talented Chern Hwei Fung to play violin. In addition we have the choreography taught to the beautiful song "Ifrit" by Tim Rayborn."

Another wonderful thing Blanca told me - and this can be put into motion by dancers even if they haven't seen this video yet - is how a dancer's movements are like waves. "Look at something that makes you think of sensuality: long hair, a serpent, a cat's tail, desert dunes... the wave is always there and it looks like it's moving even if it's still. It's not defined when one wave ends and the next starts, waves are always dancing on top of each other. When a dancer is moving sensually, there is that quality of continuous movement, of one thing melting into the next one." Perhaps this gives an idea of what this dancer's approach is.

I hope others find the same enjoyment I am from learning with this video.

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