Best Bellydance DVDs, Ever

Unless you live in New York, Los Angeles, Miami or San Francisco, you probably don't have much access to formal bellydance instruction. And if you live in a rural area or a part of the country that still equates bellydancers with strippers like I do, there may be no bellydance classes in your area at all.

The great news is that in an effort to educate our society about the true meaning and beautiful art of bellydance, many accomplished and professional bellydancers - including the best dancers in the world - are sharing their expertise through widely available and convenient video.

Bellydance instructional DVDs work best when the viewer has had the opportunity to take at least a few classes. Some moves are difficult to teach on video. Although I have had the opportunity to and have taken bellydance classes, I have purchased and tried a wide variety of instructional DVDs. While all of them have benefits, I've found some that are superior to others. The quality of teaching on video is not solely attributable to the instructor. Presentation and film angles have a large impact on the quality of the lesson. In other words, poorly shot video can make even the greatest teacher look bad.

The beauty of video is that it can be paused, rewound, zoomed or stopped. Class is typically over in an hour and it's sometimes difficult for the instructor to give personal attention to all students equally within that block of time. With DVDs and video, you can back up and repeat a segment as many times as you want or need. Don't get into the mindset that you have to complete the whole lesson every time. If you're tired or run out of time, you can always stop and skip ahead to the cooldown - and try it again tomorrow!

One of the greatest things about bellydance is that when you practice regularly, just when you feel like you're not getting it, your body surprises you by suddenly performing the move perfectly!

I haven't counted, but based on what I've seen I'd estimate that there are around a hundred bellydance instructional DVDs on the market. Most are great for advanced beginner and intermediate level dancers that have taken at least a few months of bellydance classes. The quality of the instruction is best measured by the ability of the beginner level dancer to learn the moves effectively.

The amazing Rachel Brice is self-taught. In my opinion, she is one of the best dancers in the world and developed her own unique style. She learned to bellydance through correspondence with Suhaila Salimpour, videotaping herself and sending the tapes to Suhaila for critique. Suhaila is now offering a correspondence course through her website, Online Bellydance Classes with Suhaila and Jamila Salimpour.

This lens highlights the best bellydance instructional DVDs for the beginner level dancer with little or no experience. I have done bellydance on DVD from both perspectives - as an absolute beginner and as an experienced dancer. I attempted to learn bellydance on my own until an instructor magically floated into my life through a free workshop at a metaphysical fair that I attended. I took classes at her studio for about eighteen months and have been dancing for four years. I performed as part of a troupe for about a year, which I really enjoyed. The other demands of life leave little time for the extra practice, so I've given it up performing and am now an aspiriing instructor. Although I can recommend DVDs based on a knowledge of the instructor, I am limiting this lens to DVDs that I have personally used. More will be added as I acquire them, so mark this lens as a favorite and visit often.

In the words of my former instructor, "Shimmy til your butt falls off!" And it will. Bellydance is specifically designed for the female body and there is virtually no impact. Practice and drills strengthen your muscles, especially the core, and improve your posture. You'll develop flexibility and strength without ever feeling like you're working out. A three minute dance burns calories and is great cardio that won't make you keel over clutching your chest. You'll feel both invigorated and relaxed at the same time - and feel absolutely beautiful! Several of the dancers in my studio lost thirty to forty pounds in less than a year without making any other changes. They simply danced their way to health, fitness and beauty. Bellydance brings out the beauty in every woman who practices it.

Sadly, most of the women I talk to about bellydance have the impression that you need to look like a model to bellydance. Not so! In fact, if you have the opportunity to attend bellydance performances locally, you might notice that the majority of dancers are average and goddess-sized. The great Rachel Brice was influenced to learn to bellydance by a dancer who weighed around 300 pounds. Bellydance improves body image by making us feel beautiful - and we become what we feel.

The movements are not just in the belly. In fact, with the exception of the bellyroll, movements focus on the legs, hips, arms, ribs and head. These movements trigger a chain reaction that ends up involving the belly. Costuming does not have to reveal the belly. The costuming for some styles of dance is actually a loose caftan. In Egypt, it is said to be illegal to bare your midriff while performing the cane dance, Raks Al Assaya.

If you're a bellydance instructor, spread the word by adding your link to the links plexo at the bottom of this lens, just above the guestbook.

Photo of Ansuya is public domain to the best of my knowledge. I just learned that she is offering Online Bellydance Classes as well!