Learn to Belly Dance with Alexandra:
Volume 1, Basic Moves & Combinations

Overall Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 5 stars)

Alexandra Glover teaches elementary belly dance moves, assembles them into combinations, and leads practice sessions using those combinations.

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On this video, Alexandra Glover offers a basic introduction to belly dancing, appropriate to the level of brand-new beginners who have never belly danced before. In the section where she teaches actual dance moves, Alexandra faces toward a mirror with her back to the camera. Her reflection is shown in the mirror, so it is possible to see each move from both front and back.

After the opening titles, the video shows about 1 1/2 minutes of Alexandra performing, with brief segments of clips taken from several different shows. She is a skilled dancer, and the clips show an interesting variety of costumes.

Alexandra opens the instructional section with some comments on the history of belly dancing and its health benefits. Then she proceeds with a warm-up which consists of various types of stretches and toning: side to side leans, pliés, etc. Before you begin a session with this tape, you may first want to warm up on your own with 5 minutes of walking.

Alexandra takes about a minute to describe correct posture for belly dancing. This is one of the better explanations that I have seen on an instructional video. Then she begins to teach several elementary belly dance moves.

After introducing several beginning moves, Alexandra assembles them into combinations. She teaches one first, then two more, and leads a practice session that uses these combinations repeatedly. Then she teaches several additional combinations, and leads a second practice session based on them. These combinations offer a helpful structure for beginning dancers to learn how to assemble the building blocks into a simple dance.

The video ends with a cool-down based on stretches that are valuable for dancers.

The closing credits identify the help that several of Alexandra's associates have given in producing the video. As each contributor is identified, an inset showing her dancing appears next to her name. The credits clearly identify every song used on the video, and which CD it comes from. All music on the video is performed by the band Light Rain from the San Francisco area. This is not Middle Eastern music, but rather original compositions by Doug Adams. (To determine whether you might like this music, you can listen to clips of some songs in my review of the CD Dark Fire.)

Alexandra wears a mesh-midriff unitard and hip scarf for teaching, which makes it easy to see her legs and body positions. The camera angle stays far enough away to show her full body from head to feet. At times an inset with a close-up appears on-screen next to the full-body shot of Alexandra to demonstrate the detail of particular moves.

The production quality is generally excellent. The lighting is clear, the sound is easy to hear, and the set where Alexandra teaches is beautifully arranged. The camera always shows what I need to see, and the video is free of distracting editing techniques or special effects.

Nearly all of the narration is handled using voiceover. In a few places, the voiceover doesn't quite match up - the voice may be counting one, two, three, four, but isn't synchronized to the corresponding movements. Fortunately, this is rare enough that it doesn't ruin my appreciation for the overall video. I usually prefer live on-screen talking to voiceover because the dancer demonstrating the moves on-screen often looks bored or has a fake smile, but on this video I was comfortable with voiceover because Alexandra demonstrates everything with her back to the camera anyway.

You Will Probably Like This Video If

• You have never belly danced at all before, and you would like a video that starts at the very beginning.
• You are taking a beginner class, and you're looking for a video to help you practice at home.
• You are new to teaching belly dance, and you'd like a well-explained beginner video to give you ideas on how to teach posture and elementary moves.

You Probably Won't Care for This Video If

• You already know how to do elementary belly dance moves, and you're looking for something intended for more experienced dancers.
• You feel that only Middle Eastern music should be used for belly dancing.

What I Liked

• Alexandra clearly explains and demonstrates correct posture.
• Explanations for how to do each move are clear and easy to understand.
• The moves Alexandra has chosen to teach are appropriate to the level of dancer (beginner) that she intends this video for.
• Generally excellent production quality: well lit, clear sound, attractive set.
• Alexandra teaches in front of a mirror, making it possible to see both her back and her front at once.
• In the credits, identifies all the music (artist, CD, song titles) used on the video.

What I Didn't Like

• The only performances on this video are brief segments which, taken together, are less than 2 minutes. I found myself wishing the video would have had a 3-5 minute segment showing a full continuous performance.
• Might have been nice if the camera were slightly closer to her and off to one side, so that the view of her front would have been easier to see in the mirror.

• Warm-Ups: 5 moves (side-to-side stretch, plié, lunge to each side stretch, roll shoulders, pull foot back to stretch thigh)
• Hip Articulations: 4 moves (hip lift, hip drop, rock step, threes)
• Hip Fluid Moves: 2 moves (hip circle, hip slide)
• Traveling Steps: 2 moves (Egyptian walk, basic hip)
• Rib Cage Articulations: 1 moves (shoulder shimmy)
• Rib Cage Fluid Moves: 1 moves (rib cage circle)
• Arms: 3 moves (snake arms, hand circles, arms waving back & forth)

Contact Alexandra as follows:

Alexandra Glover
6317 157th Place NE
Redmond, WA 98052
U.S.A.

Phone: (+1) (425) 869-5055
Fax: (+1) (425) 869-5055
Web Site: www.iteachbellydance.com

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