As someone who originally learned to dance back in the early 70's, I'm glad to see floor work make a comeback.
First there is a pilates-based strength workout which is great for core and upper body. I would have liked to see more emphasis on building strength in the legs as well.
Ruby gives a large enough number of moves that you will be able to create a flow for your own music. She demonstrates several ways to get up and down from the floor. She even has a dramatic drop that looks a lot less dangerous than the classic turkish drop. Next there are two "combos" which are actually sequences or flows for you to adapt to your own music, one relatively easy, one a little more advanced and dramatic.
She also offers a 10-minute warm-up that you can do in costume for those who perform. No getting on the floor!
Ruby is a lovely dancer to watch and she definitely vibes with the slow music.
This dvd would be great for anyone interested in American Classic bellydance and could be adapted for tribal-fusion. Not good for those with weak or damaged knees. Flawless Floorwork: The Lost Art of Belly Dance Floorwork
I can sum it up in one word - WOW! This DVD is fantastic and is a MUST HAVE for any dancers video library. Ruby has proved to be a master instructor and her dancing is exquisite. And on top of being absolutely amazing, she is such a down-to-earth and generous instructor. I would have bought this DVD for the Pilates-based workout alone, and after going through that extensive warm-up, there was instruction enough to fill a 3-hour workshop! What I love about the instructional section is that it's so thorough, offering dancers clear postural alignment, and safe progressions to more advanced movements. And the dance movements and combinations are so much fun to do, my personal favorite is the "Hip Spin." I especially valued the 10-minute back stage warm up, and as if that wasn't generous enough there was a costume tutorial as an added bonus! This is one DVD that I will go back to again and again and is a permanent favorite in my video library.
Flawless Floorwork is designed for the dancer with some belly dance background and a moderate degree of physical ability. Instructor Ruby is thorough and articulate. She generously offers tips from her experience in dancing floorwork and she is gentle in her pace of teaching.
Flawless Floorwork begins with a verbal history and purpose of floorwork. Ruby shares her philosophy and an explanation of her Pilate's technique for floorwork. This introduction is coupled with tantalizing videos of Ruby in performance and practice of her floorwork steps that are explained in the instruction portion. The introduction is rather lengthy for dancers who may play the DVD for the first time dressed and eager to practice and dance right off. I suggest watching the introduction and the Pilates terminology sections in a relaxed fashion when you are not expecting to actively dance. It is good information that does not need to be reviewed in each DVD dance session.
The Strengthening Routine section is the next best thing to having a certified Pilates instructor guiding you through the exercises and giving personal feedback. It is clear that Ruby has seen enough beginner level Pilates to know what instruction to give. She explains what to do and how to do the exercises safely. That being said, the exercises are challenging. Many Pilate's exercises are designed to use multiple muscle groups, which means that they are a lot of bang for your buck. Ruby does mention that floorwork is a dancer's opportunity to show her (or his) strength, endurance and balance abilities. This program prepares participants for an impressive demonstration of strength. Please begin gently and follow Ruby's suggestion to consult your health care provider if you have any questions regarding your fitness level and appropriate exercise programs.
The DVD is set in a studio with a wood floor and mirrors. This is helpful because Ruby can be viewed anterior and posterior as she faces the mirror and is recorded from behind in most demonstrations. The Prone Hip Extension and the Swan are initially awkward to view because it they are done facing the floor, but they can be learned by watching the exercise first and performing them with Ruby's verbal instruction.
The Technique section covers multiple belly dance steps and combinations that can be done on the floor. This is not a beginning level DVD, and Ruby assumes knowledge of basic steps such as undulations, Maya's, and hip circles. However, floorwork specific movements are given thorough instruction. She repeats each step enough to practice the movement a few times. Ruby covers descents, ascents, costume tips, and a performance.
Flawless Floorwork's total running time is 113 minutes. It is a generous arrangement of quality material that surpassed my hopes for a floorwork instruction DVD. Although I find it too lengthy to play through and work with in one dance session, it is valuable when practiced regularly in pieces manageable for a dancer's time allotment and fitness level. This DVD delivered both the inspiration and the quality instruction that I anticipated from a masterful dancer.
Idena Suzanne is an instructor and performer in southern Oregon. She is a member of Ayesha's Oasis Dance Company and is director of the Tasseled Camel Dance Company.
[...]
The Chapter menus are easy to read and sub menus labeled so the user can navigate to any part of the lessons with ease.
Introduction -
Pilates Terminology - Fundamentals of proper breathing, and how to zip up your abs. I've never seen this before and believe it to be a key to strong floorwork.
Strengthening Routine. aprox 35 minutes of exercises to build muscle strength and flexibility needed in good floorwork.
Technique: Kneeling Isolations, Kneeling Spin, Kneeling crawls, Extensions, Snake (hindulations), Back layout, Side layout, Hip spin, Side extensions.
Descents: Knee tap down & up, Foot Back Slide, Dragon Down, The Throw Down, Turning Descent.
Ascents: Single leg kneel up, Single leg twist up, Lunge Side ascent, Snake up.
Combinations: Basic Combo, and basic combo drill. Advanced Combination and Advanced combination drill.
Extras: Backstage Warm-up, Costuming tutorial, performance, and trailers of other Cheekygirls dvds.
There is approximately 90 minutes of instruction on this dvd. I think you will like this dvd if you are wanting to learn Floorwork and or wanting to build strength in your legs and abs. - Bellydance Instruction - Bellydance Dvd - Dance - Floorwork'
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