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This DVD is the most useful DVD in my whole collection. I bought it after a weekend of very inspiring workshops with the fabulous Aziza herself in the hope that I could continue with some of the ideas that she had presented at home. The DVD is intended for intermediate to advanced level dancers who are keen to develop their technique. It provides drills in four sections (Ribcage, Hips, Arms and Shimmy) as well as warm up and cool down sections. The warm up starts with a very clear posture check, using imaginative imagery to explain the basic stance. Some elements of the warm up could be considered a bit risky for a home learning DVD (bending over from the hips to touch the floor, etc) but as it is aimed at dancers of a higher level I would consider that the viewer should have an awareness of their bodies and be able to perform the exercises safely. The Ribcage and Hips sections complement each other nicely, repeating the same shifting patterns with first the chest and then the hips. The only problem is that the hip section seems to have a little bit missing from it, on my DVD at least! It skips from doing on exercise on the right and instead of repeating the same thing on the left it goes straight to the end of a different exercise on the left. All this means is at this point I pause the DVD and fill in the missing pieces so as not to develop one side more than the other before continuing with the DVD. The arm section is simple but useful, with a particularly good exercise for stopping your hands from doing a sub-conscious flicking which Aziza calls “helicopter hands”. The shimmy section is a complete 20 minute shimmy workout that seems to go on forever! She starts with a basic shimmy and a few helpful tips on how to keep the shimmy going. Then she layers isolations on top, including all of the exercises in the Ribcage, Hips and Arms sections which are now performed with a shimmy! She also covers shimmies on one leg, choo-choo shimmy and for a bit of a break; shoulder shimmy. Aziza’s motivating personality encourages you to keep going throughout the workout and at the end of the shimmy section I always feel an emotional wave of relief and euphoria wash over me. It might be Aziza’s wonderfully positive encouragement, or it could just be the endorphins from the workout! The cool down is a very welcome and relaxing stretching session that encourages you to breathe deeply. I always feel very energised and alert after the cool down. The DVD has the added bonus of two lively performances from Aziza in a beautiful blue classic Egyptian style costume, which I always watch with a big glass of water after finishing the workout. Aziza has a lovely style which is a pleasing fusion of Egyptian and American cabaret. She’s a real show(wo)man and includes lots of character, comedy and interaction with the audience in her dancing. I also have her DVD “Aziza Raks” which is a great performance DVD, but in some ways this little section on the end of the workout DVD is even better, as she performs to a live audience of all the students that follow her on the workout (and one slightly creepy looking man!). This makes for a nicer, more relaxed atmosphere than the silent studio of “Aziza Raks”. I find this DVD very inspiring and motivating. Whenever I’m feeling a bit down about my dancing or lacking direction I always turn to this DVD to lift my spirits and get me moving. I have a few bellydance workout DVDs in my collection but this is by far the best for intermediate/advanced dancers that I’ve ever come across. Don’t forget to catch Aziza live in the UK: |
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