What's your favorite Ranya Renee DVD?

[astro_girl]

I've read some previous posts and reviews about how wonderful her teaching style is in conveying the moves via tactile(?) methods.

I could use an instructional DVD to help me to not "freeze up" anymore in class when the spotlight's on me to improv. based upon our lesson. I'm looking for a DVD/lesson that, with repeated practice, will help me to expand my repertoire of "go to" moves and create different combinations of familiar and new moves. My instructors are more progressive w.r.t. musical taste and dance style, so I'd like to see more Egyptian and/or folkoric moves to authentic music, and I understand some of her titles also discuss the musical theory and history(?). In other words, I'm looking for something a bit "old school".

Which titles of hers do you recommend and WHY???

(Ranya, can you come to Denver for a workshop???)

By the way, from her website...can someone kindly provide more detailed info. about the option to purchase a teleconference w/Ranya about her DVDs?

 

[Mosaic]

For me the Egyptian Style Baladi 2 DVD set is my fav. I love the others as well, but that is just special As for the teleconferencing, I have never done one.

Why I like Ranya - her teaching style via DVD is like having her in the room with you, it is easy to follow & Ranya (IMO) teaches and dances as I think Egyptian style was meant to be.
~Mosaic

 

[Darshiva]

I could use an instructional DVD to help me to not "freeze up" anymore in class when the spotlight's on me to improv. based upon our lesson. I'm looking for a DVD/lesson that, with repeated practice, will help me to expand my repertoire of "go to" moves and create different combinations of familiar and new moves.

As much as I think that Ranya Renee is wonderful (and she IS), I think that for what you are after, Nadira Jamal's Improvisation Toolkit is the dvd you are after, because it teaches you how to build up your repetoire of go-to moves very effectively. Ranya Renee's dvds teach you how to listen to the music and how to dance to it, which is quite valuable and I would highly recommend it. However if you are wanting to learn how to improvise instinctively by building your list of moves that you do without thinking, Nadira Jamal is going to be more worth your money at this point. Personally, I'd recommend getting dvds by both dancers.

 

[astro_girl]

As much as I think that Ranya Renee is wonderful (and she IS), I think that for what you are after, Nadira Jamal's Improvisation Toolkit is the dvd you are after, because it teaches you how to build up your repetoire of go-to moves very effectively. Ranya Renee's dvds teach you how to listen to the music and how to dance to it, which is quite valuable and I would highly recommend it. However if you are wanting to learn how to improvise instinctively by building your list of moves that you do without thinking, Nadira Jamal is going to be more worth your money at this point. Personally, I'd recommend getting dvds by both dancers.

This is quite helpful! I am interested in learning how to incorporate style into the music as well as build a list of moves. Yes, I think I'm going to have to look into both.