Customer Reviews

Great Beginner's Intro to Turkish Style Dance and Costumes - By: Alejandra Vernon, 18 Jul 2008
Though the box is not labeled for level of training, this terrific instruction DVD is geared towards beginning students, & if you are familiar with folk dancing or basic bellydancing, you won't have any trouble assimilating the choreography, which is quite simple, especially since the steps are broken down & explainedin detail, & demonstrated to perfection by the lovely Sarah Skinner.

Perhaps the most valuable portion of this DVD is the Costume Workshop, where Sarah shows us some of her glorious costume collection (some of it wornin the dance sections, so one can see itin motion). This is an A to Z workshop, with information that is hard to obtain elsewhere, & costumes are a vital part of bellydancingin general, & Turkish dancein particular, as Sarah demonstratesin the use of the flowing & swirling skirts while dancing. You'll get great tips on what to buy, how to personalize it, make it comfortable, & make it last, as these gorgeous costumes can be quite an investment.

In her "Welcome" section, Sarah speaks of the Turkish cabaret dancing that exploded on the dance scenein New Yorkin the 70's, & how we are now learning from those dancers who are now teachers, the teachers she studied with, & how this form of dance keeps flourishing. We also get 3 performance pieces that are wonderful; a veil dance, a ciftetelli, & a drum solo.

The 2 dances that Sarah teaches, "Rompi Rompi" & "Mastika," are fun "party dance" numbers, make for great exercise when you get going with them, & being choreographically easy, you can let go & really feel the freedom of dancing without too much strain. If you're a beginning dancer, this DVD is sure to give you the "dance bug" & you will be hooked for life...and have Sarah to thank for it!