Perfect Hips Belly Dance Workout: Abs, Hips, Butt & Thighs (absolute beginner)

this DVD seemed to have everything I needed for continued belly dancing instruction. I try to learn everything I can on my own and this DVD is very well broken down and the right important things are stressed...however the instructor is WAY more limber than I am...it makes me confident that I will get to that point which is also a goal of mine.I have been using belly dancing in combination with Physical Therapy as a way to strengthen my core and back due to my Scoliosis going untreated for 20 years which has caused a straightening of my neck and at least one herniated disc in my neck. I've been in constant pain for 10 years. the posture alone is helping to reduce the amount of pain in my neck, back, and shoulder.I should say however that I did not do any belly dancing with out clearing it with my doctor before hand. He was very impressed by my progress, commenting on my last session with him that I was in better shape than him in the abdominal department. I felt this was very telling and made me very proud of my progress!this is the PERFECT companion to Princess Farhana's "belly dance basics" dvd. and I swtich between the two to balance my work out!also PERFECT for the beginner!! for anyone interested in Belly Dance this is a keeper!!! it's beautiful and fun and you don't know you are strengthening and toning your body...you are just having fun!!!

For 80 minutes worth, this by far is one of the best bellydance instructional dvds for the absolute beginner. Michelle is a great teacher, a great dancer, she is kind and encouraging but at the same time you can tell she is serious is about what she teaches, she speaks in a clear, professional tone and voice, explains things slowly and carefully, and always gets to the point of things. She starts off with these excellent warm-up exercises and yoga-type conditioning, then begins to break down basic movements, moves on to some not-so basic movements, puts all the movements together, and teaches you 2 pre-shimmy drills. Plus the music and bellydance performance at the end by Zaheea is priceless. I highly recommend purchasing her "Perfect Hips" along with her "Pop, Lock, & Shimmy" as it is truly intermediat level. Also, it would be a good idea to also purachese "Drills, Drills, Drills" and "Body By Bellydance" as it teaches layering techniques and some more advanced layer combos, plus finger cymbals! Enjoy!

Let me start by saying the meat of this DVD is great! I have been belly dancing for about a year now, and purchased this DVD to add to my home workout rotation to supplement the classes I take. Even with that experience I still found the workout a good challenge. There's even a more 'advanced' section that includes shimmies. Michelle's breakdown section even put a few more things into better perspective for me, so that's another big plus.These are the things that kept me from giving it a 5 star rating:The warmup and cooldown are a bit lacking. The thing you need to watch out for is one of the first moves in the warmup is a rather aggressive stretch. If you haven't been dancing for a while or are fairly sedentary before you start using this DVD... Warm up a little bit even before the workout's warm up. Once you get beyond that first part, it is a decent warmup. The cooldown, I felt like 'why bother with putting it in there?' I just do my own stretching instead.The overall production of the DVD. I really wish the menu were broken down even further than it was. On other DVDs I have, there is the main menu which has the sections, but they break each section down even further. This works better for those of us who pick out sections to focus on. Yes, that's a bit nitpicky I admit, but I think the production looks a lot more pro when its broken down like that.Is it worth the money? Yes. I'll be including it in my DVD workout rotation. My thighs and hips definitely felt the burn. And, I can't stress this enough...anybody who is starting to work out or do any form of belly dancing, pay attention to your body and work within its limitations.

So, after looking around at several belly dance videos, I settled on this one. I am very pleased I did! The workout is broken down nicely, with a warm up section, core strengthening, breakdown of moves, where she explains each move she will do in the video, and then putting it all together, in which she turns the exercise into a dance. The setting is very nice, as she's in front of a mirror with limited decorations to distract you. She explains how to do each move, and what it helps work out. The camera is good about focusing on what you need to see. Also, there is no neo age language going on. She doesn't ramble about being goddess' or anything like that. I don't have a problem with talk like that, but when I'm trying to work out, I'm not interested in it.I would recommend this product to anyone looking for an introduction to basic belly dance moves who wants to get in shape.

The class is actually very good, I felt it working in my belly right away, very easy, and my husband has no complains! ;)The only bad thing is that my copy skips quite a bit.

I own A LOT of bellydance workout dvds but this one is one of the best. Although I'm not quite sure if I will ever have "perfect" hips, I am sure that this dvd will help me get back in shape quickly. Michelle Joyce has come up with a fun workout that not only covers basic bellydance movements but gets your heart rate going as well. The excercises may be a little challenging at first for someone who is totally out of shape but none of the moves are high impact so even the most devout couch potato can use this workout without fear of serious injury or heart attack! Michelle has a friendly personality and a warm, conversational approach to teaching that makes it a pleasure to follow along with her instructions and demonstrations. This is another winner from Michelle and Cheely Girls Productions. I can't wait to see what they come up with next!