Why do we use dvds

[kayshier]

when you don't have the luxury of a good live teacher sometimes the dvd helps.

i have found myself buying more performance dvd's recently rather than instructional though.

[catwomyn]

I'm a rather slow learner for many things and find dvds useful to drill something until I really know it.

I've been working with zills lately and most musically savvy people will go ok, here's the pattern, here it is again. Let's all play it and by the way here are half a dozen variations. I need to go over and over the pattern and play it with movements and then the music and then both before I'm halfway competent with it. With a dvd, I can watch Michelle Joyce play zill patterns 50 times in row. In person Michelle would long ago have bopped me over the head and run away, lol!

[da Sage]

when you don't have the luxury of a good live teacher sometimes the dvd helps.

i have found myself buying more performance dvd's recently rather than instructional though.

Me too. I love seeing new dancers, and some of the best dancers.

I think this is especially valuable for me as we have a strong regional style, and I can't travel much to learn from non-local dancers.

[Nabila Nazem]

Sorry to rant, but "posture no biggie" ... WHAT??? Criminal! And these folks call themselves teachers? This makes me SO sad ... posture is one of the most fundamental issues in ANY dance form.

Okay, done ranting!

[adiemus]

I have to add that if you're a visual learner (like me) it's great to use an instructional DVD to review the movement sequence (breakdown) of a movement, especially if you can play it in slow motion.
I also like the ability to go over and over and over a segment until I can visualise it in my mind (this can get boring in a teaching session!).
And finally, sometimes it's helpful to get another metaphor or a different breakdown of the movement from someone else.

I also have a bunch of DVD's with performances by dancers - better than YouTube ANY day! They're much more for inspiration and because I love to watch dancing.

[PriscillaAdum]

You'd be surprised at the number of teachers who don't emphasize correct posture in their classes, and sadly it really shows in their students. In my area, we can pretty much tell at a glance who has taken classes with whom just by looking at their posture (or lack of it)

Regards
Priscilla

Sorry to rant, but "posture no biggie" ... WHAT??? Criminal! And these folks call themselves teachers? This makes me SO sad ... posture is one of the most fundamental issues in ANY dance form.

Okay, done ranting!

[jenc]

I have always assumed that my teacher never had posture issues cos she is tiny so doesn't see why we should!!

[alosha]

i remember asking my first teacher if i was supposed to feel a crunching sensation in my back when i did chest circles. she said it was normal, and would go away in time.....

...just one of the reasons i quit dancing for so long...she was the only teacher here!

[Strawberrysmoothie]

I think DVDs are a great idea. I've just purchased Ariellah belly dance drills over christmas and I've learned a lot more from doing that DVD than from my class. Don't get me wrong, my class is great and I think my teacher is very dynamic and makes the class fun. Still, she never told us the basic thing of the correct bellydance posture and how this stops you hurting your back. Those are things every belly dancer needs to know and its pot luck if you actually get that information in a live class setting.

Also, the great thing about DVD, like another poster, I'm a very visual person and like detailed instruction as 'what and why' I'm doing a particular drill - frankly you don't get that in 60 minute dance class. I think if anyone wants to sharpen their techique they need to do this outside of the class room setting, dvd's for me are the way to go.

Sorry for the rambling, I'm pretty hyper from my kickboxing class.

[gisela]

Interesting to read. I know that lots of people depend on dvd's and they seem to get a lot out of it. Personally, I have never been able to relate to a tv/computer screen the same way as with a live teacher. Maybe I just haven't tried a really, really good dvd... I doubt very much that I would have taken up bellydancing if real classes weren't available, don't think I even would have gotten the idea in the first place. (BTW this is not at all meant as a put down to dvd's, just another perspective.)
Our troupe were learning a dance through dvd, because we don't all live in the same city, so the choreographer filmed it and sent out to us. I learnt the steps, but didn't REALLY get it until we were able to meet up and practice together. There were sooo many things I had missed. I am also a very visual person but maybe too visual, like needing 3 dimensions to understand, so maybe a screen takes away something for me?
bla bla bla sorry rambling...