drills – A t i s h e h. Dance. Fitness. Joy.

October 5, 2013April 9, 2014

Review of Sara Beaman’s Fluid Transitions: Drills and Combinations for Fusion Bellydance

If you’ve been dancing for a while you know: the right teacher is not necessarily the one who’s the most famous, the most experienced, or even, frankly, the best dancer. Often, it’s the person who can communicate to you in a way that makes sense to your brain and ultimately your body. This is important … Continue reading Review of Sara Beaman’s Fluid Transitions: Drills and Combinations for Fusion Bellydance

July 19, 2013March 21, 2014

Review of Azhia’s The Dancer’s Companion: Preparation, Drills & Cool Down

I’m about to do something awful. I’m about to review a DVD you can’t get. Well, I’m sure you could try. Someone on Bhuz probably has it. But when I got the video Azhia was selling off her last batch. In fact, as far as I can tell, she’s retired as a dancer and focusing … Continue reading Review of Azhia’s The Dancer’s Companion: Preparation, Drills & Cool Down

January 31, 2013January 22, 2015

Review of Aziza’s Hands, Arms & Poses

Aziza’s oft-repeated wisdom is: “Be amazed.” At one point while I was doing this video, I thought: “Dude, if I found my body doing what hers is doing, in the way that hers is doing it, I sure would be amazed!” When you see the title of the DVD, namely Hands, Arms & Poses, you … Continue reading Review of Aziza’s Hands, Arms & Poses

January 18, 2013January 22, 2015

Stream(lin)ing my practice with Datura Online

Today I hooked up my computer to my projector and tried something new: doing an entire practice using streaming online programs. I’m used to live class, I’m used to just popping a video in and working with it, but I didn’t quite know what to expect. I’m working on a comprehensive review of Datura Online … Continue reading Stream(lin)ing my practice with Datura Online

December 5, 2012January 22, 2015

Review of Sarah Skinner’s Bellydance Shimmy Workout for Beginners

Sarah Skinner’s The Bellydance Shimmy Workout is a really smart, useful program, and one that could be adapted to a number of different dance practices. At its core are five shimmy drills of five minutes each. The idea is that you could do one a day if you were pressed for time and wanted to … Continue reading Review of Sarah Skinner’s Bellydance Shimmy Workout for Beginners

July 28, 2012March 21, 2014

Back to basics with Neon’s Instant Bellydancer

Every now and then you just have to go back to the basics. What’s the context? Well, there’s a bunch of context. I recently signed up for the launch of Nadira Jamal’s online program, Rock the Routine. It’s what she calls a “home study” course, and I’m doing it at my own sweet pace — … Continue reading Back to basics with Neon’s Instant Bellydancer

June 16, 2012March 21, 2014

Review of Myra Krien’s Anatomy of a Hip Circle

One of the great things about working with DVDs is that you can always get exactly what you need. Want a quick yoga workout? You’ve got it. Want a long bellydance choreography? It’s there. My only problem is — and I blush to admit it — that I’m such a video addict that I often … Continue reading Review of Myra Krien’s Anatomy of a Hip Circle