I will admit to being a sucker for great cinematography/videography, so when I saw the stark black background with a close-up of a delicate, antique-looking coffee cup being filled with…what else but instant coffee!, I knew right out of the gate I’d have to give kudos for creativity, humor and exceptional camera and post-production work. As a bedlah-bedecked Neon rose out of the cup, I had to admit…this “party girl” could dance! The rest of the DVD lived up to the opening shot’s promise of a high-quality product. Throughout the DVD, Neon’s demonstrations of basic dance moves were very easy to follow because she stood out clearly against the plain black background. Simple and clear graphics accompanied her demonstrations, sometimes overlaid on her image, at other times next to her on the background. They made it easy to visualize just what was happening in various parts of the body as she taught the moves. I particularly liked the way she overlaid moving arrows on the legs showing the simultaneous opposite directions of movement, as well as arrows and titles showing which foot carried the weight at a given time. Neon’s friendly and engaging onscreen personality made it look like fun. Her encouraging words seemed genuine and sincere, unlike those chirpy, artificial, “You’re doing great!” comments so often heard on exercise or instructional dance videos. Her entire demeanor was professional, polished, and self-assured. Even when she was doing some very sexual moves, such as a big hip circle with pelvic bounces, there was not a trace of vulgarity or lewdness. Her expression was fun and flirty, rather than having any “come hither” or pouty look which would have pushed the move into another realm.
While some people might not have enjoyed the trance/house music on her DVD, I found it consistent with her upbeat style and stated nightclub niche. She also included Arabic percussion, which brought the dance back to its roots. After demonstrating and breaking down various moves, all based on Circles (horizontal, vertical, “infinity loops”), she showed how the individual moves could be combined, layered or converted to travel steps. Although this DVD targets beginner dancers, even experienced dancers could find something of value in this well-organized compendium of circular dance moves. My favorite parts of the DVD, though, showed Neon improvising using the moves taught in each section. How many times have you seen a dancer do something that looked great, but you couldn’t figure out just what it was she did? What was especially appealing in the improv sections was the voiceover in which she named each step as it was done. What a fantastic way to train a dancer’s eye to identify moves in a combination!
There is a wealth of good, solid dance instruction here. While it is marketed as the salvation for party girls who need to be good dancers by Friday night, it also is a genuine foundation in the classic vocabulary of Middle Eastern dance. This is not some watered-down “shake your tail” version of Middle Eastern dance—Neon keeps the essence of Middle Eastern dance alive in Instant Belly Dancer. I would highly recommend this DVD, not only for its stellar production quality, but also for its excellent dance instruction. Have
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