The Baladi: Bellydance Egyptian Style, with Ranya Renée (TWO-DVD SET): Open level traditional Egyptian style belly dance classes, Arabic-style belly dance instruction, Egyptian bellydancing how-to

the dvd I have long-awaited
My favorite new DVD has got to be Ranya Renee's first in a series of three DVDs on Egyptian Dance, this one on Baladi. I have longed for a video or workshop about baladi, not just a choreography demonstration, but something that explained the essence of baladi. Baladi, in terms of this DVD and Egyptian dance, is a specifically Egyptian dance performed to their baladi (or country) music. Ranya explained that baladi can mean other things in the surrounding Arabic countries. It is commonly done at weddings and parties, by both men and women, but Raks Sharki performers will often do a baladi section to their full routine. The DVD is all I hoped for, and then some. It is actually a two DVD set, containing 3 hours of material.
The first DVD focuses on the baladi music, and movements stylized for baladi. She spends the first 30 minutes explaining the music, with live musicians, one of whom grew up on Mohammed Ali Street in Cairo. He demonstrates on the accordion how the baladi is...

High quality DVD has appeal to beginners and advanced dancers
My wife knows the instructor, so I got to see a preview copy of the DVD. I teach W. African drum and dance and am NOT a belly dancer myself. So consider that as you read on...

I was impressed by several things about this 2-DVD set:

1) The production values were outstanding. They shot on HD, and did a great job with lighting, sound, and editing. That makes it very easy to watch and absorb.

2) The instruction is tremendously detailed. I was surprised by how in-depth Ranya went into the cultural nuance of the movement and music, so it has great appeal to beginners and more advanced dancers.

3) The musicians are world class, so you will be dancing to traditional music done by people who care a great deal about the authenticity of their art form.

I've been involved in teaching traditional W. African music and dance for 17 years, and had a career in video production, so I've got high standards for this kind of project...

Egyptian Baladi
Belly Dance Egyptian Style the Baladi

Intermediate/advanced

This is a 2 dvd set; the first 135 minutes, the second 170 minutes

Ranya covers an explanation of the music and the rhythms of Baladi and the different styles of Baladi music, then on to the dance.
This is in a "follow along" style. You need some familiarity with moves, as there is no extensive break-down of the moves.
The posture section is very amusing! Ranya Rene'e is a hoot! I'm looking forward to the rest of the Egyptian Style series. There is a nice section on framing and a section on arm paths.
The second dvd is your Improvisation and drill dvd. This will help you work on improv and give you several drills to work with, or, if you have the stamina, a couple hours of dance practice.
This video really leads you into the music and encourages and helps you learn to relax and do your improvisational dance. If you need help on improv, you want to get this video...

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