Bellydance: East Coast Tribal - Basics, Combinations & Strength Workout (2006)

Kiadorin

New member
Nope, I don't have it, but now you've got me thinking about it. It looks well-made to me - bright, clear, and not too much clutter.
 

TribalDancer

New member
In my experience:
Neon's videos are well shot and sound is excellent, but they often add wierd video effects to the performance footage. Not good.

I also understand she works with/promotes people she is friends with more often than she works with true talent. but from what I have heard, this gal Sera is beyond worth watching/learning from, and I plan to buy a copy.
 

Kaydeera

New member
Hello everybody,

I just stumbled into this forum and thought I’d read around for a while, but since I have got Sera’s video, I would like to share my opinion about it with you.

I’m not really into tribal of any kind, but I do think this video is worth the money (25 Euros in Germany).
The warm-up section is profound and fun to do, and my glutes loved the hip drill that follows.
Sera’s teaching of the 6 different combinations is easy to understand, she really breaks down the movements into small steps, explains the different movements first without the arms, then adds the arm movements.

I would say this video is suitable for beginners with only some knowledge of bellydance up to intermediate dancers.

The music is not really my thing – I find it a bit monotonous after a while, but as I mentioned, I’m not into tribal, so maybe that is the kind of music for East Coast Tribal. Sometimes I had the impression, that the audio track was re-added after the video track without making sure that Sera’s exlaining words/movements match the beat, but I might be mistaken.

As to weird video effects – I haven’t seen any. Warm-up, drills and combinations are filmed in a gym with clear white walls. During the combinations section the mirrowed wall is also visible.
Sera’s performance at the end of the DVD was filmed in front of a blue screen I would say, and then a grey background was added which gives you the impression she dances in mid-air, but it is still pleasant to the eye.

I hope this is of some help to those of you who think about buying this DVD.

Have a nice day everybody,
Kaydeera
 

Kaydeera

New member
Hi Kiadorin,

it was my pleasure - and thanks for the welcome.

I'll take the time to introduce myself properly in the Meet & Greet Section later on.
Right now I have to practice a little bit for my bellydance lesson in about 2 hours. I've been practicing everything but the topic we are currently dealing with . . .
 

Gabi

New member

Gabi

New member
Hi Gabi, I thinkit may be available from the store here at Oriental Dancer. If not you can find it at Neon's wesite www.hipcircle.com.
Yasmine

Thank you so much - at that price it's hard to go wrong just for the movement drills!

ps: I actually do see that they have it at amazon afterall, it just didn't come up on search, probably something I didn't do right :confused:
 

TribalDancer

New member
I finally got my copy and can add to the above review.

I agree that sometimes her moves didn't match the music, but no big deal. It wasn't that bad, or detract from the instruction overall. I did think the music was a little too loud over the top. I would have liked it to be more in the background. I liked the music well enough, though it doesn't "move" me.

Sera was great at explaining things and comes across well on the video. I did wish that her instruction didn't feel so robotic and scripted, but in all, she was so well spoken and clear in her communication, that is a very minor complaint that speaks more to my personal taste than any problem it represented. I felt her assistants were erringly instructed to stare off in the distance and look angry. LOL Seriously, beautiful girls, but I think they should have looked at the camera and smiled along with Sera. Why make them look like background automotons? I am certain it was what they were told to do, and is no reflection of their personalities, which I would have loved to have seen come through more.

A couple of the combos were very usable cross-tribal-genre in my opinion, and most were very specific to the RB/Indigo fusion style of bellydance, IMO. All combos were nice and clear and had little creative touches here and there.

I have heard people say that Sera's definition of "East Coast Tribal" is a heavy smattering of street hip-hop. I just didn't see that in these combos. I saw a lot of jazz-influence, actually, including sweeping foot and arm movement, a few little pop-lock things, which are very common to the RB/Indigo style, and was more of an Urban Tribal/So Cal innovation than this so-called East Coast style. And also a lot of "voguing" type arm movement, which I foudn distracting and counter to the very isolated movement that is part of what makes tribal what it is. Once you get too busy and swoopy, it no longer looks tribal to me. Her performance looked like just plain bellydance/jazz/funk fusion, and not particularly tribal or tribal-fused except in costuming. It really looked very very cabaret in many parts. I appreciate the innovation, if not the labelling, of her dance.

I really really REALLY hated the way they blue-screened Sera over some wierd grey background for her performance. Neon does this crazy editing stuff in all her videos and it is the ONE THING that I wish she would just STOP already. It looks totally cheesy, and detracts from the talented dancers onscreen. It doesn't add a thing.

My last comment is that I wished her Solstice Dance Ensemble had a performance piece on this. For a video of "tribal fusion" having a "tribe" somewhere on it would've been a nice touch. I really like seeing the women move in unison during the drills and the combos demo, and would have liked to have seen a full-on costumed performance of them all together, even if they just did the same combo/choreography to do so.

So there is my take on it! I recommend it. I think it has some great warm-ups and drills, and the combos could be adapted to suit your style.
 

charity

New member
hey i dont know if i'm too late on this i've read the reviews from beginner belly dancers (on amazon) and the reviews were so-so for this video in particular. the really good one is the bellydance basics and beyond. its the same price. you just go to their website World Dance New York | Bellydance Video | Bellydance DVD. you can click to purchase and it directs you to amazon where you place your order. i went for the bellydance basics and beyond because of the great reviews. it should be in the mail in the next few days. i'll tell you what i think when i get the chance.
 

charity

New member
wanted to tell you how great jenna's world dance new york dvd is. its over 2 hours:shok: the moves are very basic. she breaks them down in isolations -very thorough. i love the traveling steps section because i knew NONE. she also includes layered steps. i LOVE this dvd. Jenna is a great teacher.

i'm looking to buy ansuya's lavish layers, hopefully its a bit more intermediate. dunno, some feedback on that would be much appreciated.

oh yes and a comment on rachel brice's yoga, isolations, and drills: a practice companion... BLAH. i bought it at the same time and it is such a huge disappointment i want to send it back. :rolleyes:
 

sstacy123

New member
Lavish Layers Consists of: dance posture, upper body isolations (chest slides, chest lift and drop, diagonal chest lift and drop, torso circle, chest circles, figure eights, upper body camels, reverse upper body camel, camel combination) then lower body isolations (hip slide, pelvic lift and drop, diagonal pelvic lift and drop, big hip circles, small hip circles, vertical figure eights, reverse vertical figure eights, horizonal figure 8s, reverse horizontal figure eights, lower body camel, reverse lower body camel, full body camel, full body reverse camel, camel combination) Shimmy isolations (shoulders, hip freeze, traveling shimmy, hip twist shimmy) Isolation drill of the moves, Upper body layers, where she starts with the isolations then adds the shimmy, and then lower body layers, then the layering drills
 
Just to clarify, Ansuya's "Lavish Layers" uses freeze type shimmes over the basic isolations. As well as I liked her video, I much prefer Lleyla Jouvana's 1001 Shimmies because she takes the time to explain the dynamics of actually layering shimmies over isolations. In addition her demonsrations include different types of shimmies too with live rhythm interpretation form her "drummer husband Roland":)
Yasmine
 

charity

New member
ok i'm frequently this forum a bit too much.

anywho just wanted to put an update on a previous comment i had made about the rachel brice dvd. i do like it.

you have to DO the dvd not just watch it.:rolleyes:
 

Q-Tip

New member
I'm considering this video as a future purchase to add to my growing collection. Thank you for you reviews.
 

Amanda (was Aziyade)

Well-known member
I have all of Neon's dvds on Tribal, Yoga, and well ... all of them now, I think.

Anyway, I like the warmup and short drills on this dvd the best. I like to do these before I start my regular practice. I HATE the music, but I can tune that out when I'm just warming up and stretching.
 
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