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

Neon offers three different workouts, all of which are designed to tone and sculpt the glutes and muscles in the upper legs. The cardio is aggressive enough to challenge people who are somewhat fit, but would probably seem mild to people who do high-energy cardio exercise frequently. An introductory segment by personal trainer Andy Troy discusses which muscles are used to produce the moves in this workout.

To purchase this video from Amazon:

Item	Amazon.com in U.S.	Amazon.ca in Canada	Amazon.co.uk in United Kingdom
DVD Edition	NTSC All Regions	NTSC All Regions	PAL All Regions
As part of a four-DVD set with other videos in the series including Total Body, Abs, and Buns/Thighs	NTSC All Regions	NTSC All Regions	NTSC All Regions

To my knowledge, this video has never been released on VHS tape.

(Amazon's claim that the DVD version is Region 1 is wrong. Amazon doesn't offer a way for sellers to indicate that their DVD's support multiple regions, so they're forced to pick just one. I have personally tested this DVD and found it to enable all regions.)

Have you actually watched this video yourself? If so, offer your own opinion in the poll below! Otherwise, click the "View Results" button to see what worldwide users of shira.net think of it.

The above poll includes responses submitted since March 4, 2005.

This workout video is designed for people who want to do a workout focused on the muscles in the butt and upper legs. It contains three different workouts, each targeting these muscles, which makes it possible to vary the routine from one time to the next. All three workouts are built almost entirely on belly dance moves with an Americanized flavor.

The video opens with a segment called "About This Program" in which personal trainer Andy Troy provides an overview of the muscles that will be exercised by the workouts on this video. As he describes each muscle's function, an on-screen graphic shows where the muscle is located. This is valuable knowledge of physiology for dancers to have, especially those who aspire to teach.

Each of the three workouts follows this structure:

• Warm Up. About 3 minutes.
• Workout Itself. About 8-9 minutes.
• Dance Segment. About 2-3 minutes.
• Cool Down. About 1-2 minutes.

In all three workout, the moves used include various sorts of hip drops, lifts, twists, figure 8's, circles, and level changes. In the dance segment, Neon reviews the moves and combinations just taught/practiced in the workout portion to show how putting them all together creates a dance that can be done with friends at a party or club.

Neon has particularly designed this video to appeal to the young, hip generation. The music is techno, and Neon's clothing is a pair of pants and top that look as if they might be worn by people who go out for fun to the hip clubs in New York. It looks trendy now in 2005, but will probably feel dated sooner than a video filmed in normal exercise clothing. The high-tech graphics on the screen enhance the video's coolness factor.

The workout is designed for working a target muscle group, not for cardio. The design of the routine should indeed strengthen and tone the promised areas. Although cardio is not the video's intent, a person who finds a 15-minute moderate workout challenging may receive some cardio benefit from it.

The innovative on-screen presentation is designed to make it very easy to determine what to do next. In the workout sections, Neon introduces each move or combination and repeats it several times before moving on to the next. As the move is introduced, 3-dimensional graphics appear on the left of the screen showing which body part is being used and what direction the motion (up/down, forward/back, etc.) goes. In the lower right corner, a progress bar indicates how many repetitions will be done for this move and shows which one is currently being done, and thereby eliminates the need for much of the spoken cueing that is typical of exercise videos. Periodically, Andy will briefly appear on screen to offer tips for proper form for safe exercise.

After all the combinations have been introduced for a given workout, a 2-minute "dance" section puts them all together into a brief choreography which she leads using a "follow me" format. The moves in the choreography match the same order as were taught in the workout, only with fewer repetitions.

Neon has structured this with the intent that someone who memorizes one of these short choreographed pieces could then go clubbing and use the same choreography on the dance floor. To make it easier for club-goers to do this, each workout has a menu choice and chapter break that skips directly to the dance section.

Each workout ends with a cool down that matches the tone of the routine just finished. There is no performance segment on this video.

The workouts assume the viewer already knows basic belly dance moves such as hip lifts, drops, etc. Although Neon does explain the moves, she proceeds quickly from one to another, so the explanation is intended to serve mostly as a review rather than introduction. I wouldn't recommend this video as a starting point for people who have never before done any kind of belly dancing. At the very least I would recommend working with Neon's Instant Bellydancer: Hipwork video before using this one.

There is no performance on this video.

The production quality is excellent. The lighting makes it easy to see the on-screen action, and the sound is clear. Neon uses appealing graphics to illustrate key points throughout the video. My only complaint is that I would have preferred to have additional chapter breaks on the DVD at the end of each warm-up and just before each cool down, to make it easy for people with programmable DVD players to "roll their own" workouts of varying lengths by mixing and matching. But this is a minor point. The camera always shows what it needs to, and the graphics help identify which body part to use to produce the move.

You Will Probably Like This Video If

• You would find it valuable to see an overview of the muscles in the hips and upper legs, and learn how those muscles are used to produce belly dance moves.
• You want a workout based almost entirely on belly dance moves.
• You enjoy a slick, high-tech look.
• You want a workout that will sculpt and tone your glutes and thighs.
• You would enjoy a video that offers three different workouts so you can vary your routine while still working the target muscle groups.
• You prefer a workout video led by a "real" belly dancer rather than a generic fitness instructor who learned a few moves.
• You are a belly dance teacher who would like to learn more about the muscles used to produce belly dance moves.

You Probably Won't Care for This Video If

• You take belly dancing seriously and believe other people should, too.
• You believe belly dancing should be done only to Middle Eastern music.
• You're looking for high-energy, high-impact cardio.
• You only like Egyptian or Lebanese style of belly dance.
• You have no prior experience with belly dancing at all.
• You wrinkle your nose at the idea of using belly dancing moves in workouts.
• You are annoyed by the idea of focusing belly dance instruction on the needs/interests of club-goers rather than serious dance students.

What I Liked

• The discussion of muscles in the hip and upper leg areas and what types of moves utilize each muscle is very informative.
• The use of screen graphics for cueing is innovative and well executed.
• The production quality is excellent.
• There are three different workouts to offer variety.
• The workout routine uses almost entirely belly dance moves.
• It offers tips on proper form for maximum benefit.
• The moves chosen indeed target the advertised muscle group.

What I Didn't Like

• The editing isn't quite perfect - it's close, but sometimes Neon's on-screen moves don't quite match the beat exactly.
• I would have preferred different music.

If you'd like to read my reviews of other videos by Neon, choose from the list below.

Instructional:

• Instant Belly Dancer: Curves. (Now out of print. This has been superseded by Neon's 2006 release Instant Bellydancer 1, A Crash Course. The review remains online for reference of people who may be considering obtaining a used copy.)
• Instant Belly Dancer: Hipwork Plus. (Now out of print. This has been superseded by Neon's 2006 release Instant Bellydancer 1, A Crash Course. The review remains online for reference of people who may be considering obtaining a used copy.)
• Belly Dance Party
• Belly Dance Surprise: Queen of Flowers

Performances:

• Stellar Body: Belly Dancing with Fire. Consists entirely of dance performances by Neon.
• The Golden Apple: Belly Dance Stars of New York. Includes performances by Neon and other New York dancers.
• Gothic Bellydance - The Darker Side of Fusion. Belly dance performed with a Gothic aesthetic by Neon and several other dancers from around the U.S.

Workouts:

• Belly Dance for Body Shaping: Abs

To purchase this video from Amazon:

Item	Amazon.com in U.S.	Amazon.ca in Canada	Amazon.co.uk in United Kingdom
DVD Edition	NTSC All Regions	NTSC All Regions	PAL All Regions
As part of a four-DVD set with other videos in the series including Total Body, Abs, and Buns/Thighs	NTSC All Regions	NTSC All Regions	NTSC All Regions

To my knowledge, this video has never been released on VHS tape.

(Amazon's claim that the DVD version is Region 1 is wrong. Amazon doesn't offer a way for sellers to indicate that their DVD's support multiple regions, so they're forced to pick just one. I have personally tested this DVD and found it to enable all regions.)

Or, contact Neon as follows:

Email: sales@worlddancenewyork.com
Web Site: www.instantbellydancer.com

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