Belly Dancing for Fitness. A book by Tamalyn Dallal and Richard Harris

[khanjar]

Belly Dancing for Fitness, a book by Tamalyn Dallal and Richard Harris, I found this book in a charity shop for pence, initially purchased because it had a free CD of BD music with it which had stuff on it I had not heard, so a winner, I bought the book.

Now reading the book, I am impressed, if gives a bit of background into the health and fitness benefits, veils, sagat rhythms, drum rhythms and other instruments used in Traditional Egyptian music oh and costumery too. also choreography and the structure of the dance, stuff I have been wondering about. Then comes the movement; warm ups, slow movement, shimmies;(6 of them, I only know two), medium tempo, veil and floorwork. Now the names of the movement are different in some respects to what I know as usual, but I can recognise it for what it is by the step by step description of the movement and some descriptions come with that all important imagine this component that with me works.

Now the book is aimed at fitness, it giving suggested workouts, but if one wants to use it for practice, it works for that very well, that and remembering movement and learning new stuff.

Oh yeah and it briefly mentions male belly dance, a couple of lines, but that is a positive, but the book is primarily aimed at the majority, the feminine where we all know the movement is the same regardless of gender.

So published by Connections and interesting book for student Belly Dancers.

 

[Duvet]

Hey! I found this book myself just last week in a second hand bookshop. I actually didn't get beyond the introduction, and I find it hard to learn movements from a static medium (I tried it with Tai-Chi, and while familiar with the moves, the book remains unopened on my shelves ), so I left it. But if you recommend it, I'll go back and give it a second look.

 

[khanjar]

Yes, I first tried to learn Tai Chi via a book, it did not work out so well, so I went to a class, learned what I needed to know and now only use the book for the purpose of remembering the key movements, after which the body memory kicks in and it all flows from there. The same with my Iyengar yoga book and now the BD fitness book, they act as aide memoires and to me are important in that respect, as I have problems leaning movement from a book, that being they don't put enough steps in to get to where they are, but put in enough steps and you have animation, a moving tuition.

Did your book have the music CD ?

 

[Duvet]

Yes it had a cd in the back. Didn't think of buying it for the music. Any good?

 

[khanjar]

When I first saw the book on the charity shop shelves, 'Belly dance' I was immediately drawn to it, the words stood out amongst the other titles, there indicating what an interest does. Then I read the full title and cynically thought, '' Oh no a new fitness fad, someone has latched onto belly dance now'', so I picked it up for a flick through and noticed the content then the CD, music it all seemed from the same artist, and there I thought not original music so probably pants as I have experienced that sort of stuff before. But I bought the book, it was only £2 and the music turned out to be good as it was absorbed into my ME music collection.

The book I picked up again recently as I am on a fitness bent at the moment, realising my fitness levels have dropped massively in a just a few months and so I aim to do something about that and so if I could only remember what I am taught in class and so the book gives me that memory and a lot more besides.

I think what initially put me off reading it when I first got it was something in the history the supposed origin, for this author has put in their ideas as every authority does and to me those ideas were somewhat cliched, about harems and birthing rites, I hear that, I kind of turn off. But I do believe professionals really should not associate themselves with promoting this sort of contentious stuff as really, it doesn't do them any favours.

But aside from the author's ideas on the origin, the rest is pretty okay and more importantly, useful.

 

[Shanazel]

I'm a sucker for belly dance books. Wonder if I can find it in this country?

 

[khanjar]

Shanazel, the book is for reference ;

Belly Dancing for Fitness: The Ultimate Dance Workout That Unleashes Your Creative Spirit: Amazon.co.uk: Delilah Flynn, Dallal, Tamalyn Dallal, Richard Harris: Books

Enjoy !

Now I do have another book someone gave me about bd in Iraq, but another day, when I find it, decorating and all that, stuff goes missing for a while.

 

[Shanazel]

Thanks, Khanjar. This may go on my next Amazon order.

 

[Sirène]

I'm a sucker for belly dance books. Wonder if I can find it in this country?

They have this used for $4.40 and eligible for Prime on the US Amazon site.

LINK

 

[Shanazel]

Off I go to Amazon. After all, I did cancel an $83 order when the company (not Amazon) screwed up the shipping. I can afford to spend five bucks now, can't I?