Belly Dancing for Fitness: The Ultimate Dance Workout That Unleashes Your Creative Spirit

This is a wonderful beginning book for all ages wanting to learn the basics of belly dance. Though nothing can replace the value of a good teacher, this book is a good companion and starting place for those interested but unsure of what the dance entails. It is important to remember that belly dance movements differ from one book to another, as well as from video to in person teacher a little.The layout of the book is unique and easy to follow from page one. Health and benefits are presented early on, as well as instructions and tip for getting started with your workout; what to wear, workout space, etc. Essential items such as veils and finger cymbals, music, costumes are discussed early on in enough detail to become familiar with and fast-paced enough that the reader does not become bogged down.As in many belly dance books, a history of the dance through the ages is presented. The history also differentiates between the history of different styles of belly and oriental dance as opposed to lumping them all together.The best feature of this book that I have not seen in some of the other belly dance books I have, is the included workout plan. The fundamentals give the new dancer useful tips about posture as well as relaxation, and the movements generally associated with many basic movements in belly dance. There is an easy to reference page with an eight week plan outlined in what movements the new dancer should be learning first, then building upon in another week.A whole section is dedicated to a warm-up and cool-down set of movements the new dancer should learn in the first week, as well as any time they prepare to use this workout. Movements are further grouped and divided into different sections by their type, such as a section for shimmies, slow movements, dancing with a veil, floor movements, etc.The author includes a list or different resources to check out, including websites, festivals, and books.Depending on what book you buy (as some have different publishers) you might get an included cd, with recommended music to practice and perform with.The instructions are fun and easy to understand. The pictures are not in color, so maybe not as flashy as some books, but still just as informative. Personally, I actually preferred them as it allowed more focus on the movements themselves than the look of the costumes.Throughout the book there is a light and fun tone, which gives it a more personal tone.So if you are looking for a good starting place, I would recommend this book. BELLY DANCING FOR FITNESS

I am fairly new to belly dance and this book gives a lot of good information about executing moves and gives the proper names to some of the moves I have already learned in classes I have attended. I found it easy to follow the directions for the various moves. I appreciate all the information about belly dancing, its history, music, costuming and fitness benefits, contained in this book. It also has a lot of good resources listed in the appendix of the book. These resources have led me to many places on the internet where I can continue to learn about belly dance.

I am really enjoying this book, the author takes time to give you the history of the dance and how it has evolved in different cultures and styles. She even goes into the history of the music, giving the reader a full-scope of the art of belly dance. The book also has pictures and step-by-step instructions for each movement. There are also combonations and explanations for each instruction.I wish it came with a DVD. The book covers the basics, so anyone looking for something more advanced, this isn't the book for them,.

Great Reading Great instruction! If you are starting classes in belly Dance. This book is a must have! It has all the basic moves, terminology and pictures that are most helpful when you are at home practicing one on one with yourself. Very informative on all aspects of this dance. From basic fitness and flexibility to zills and rhythms its got it all here. I highly enjoyed reading and will continue to reference this book whenever possible.

Had a lot of interesting information and detailed explanation on how to do the movements and how to plan it. Good visual pictures to go along with it. I enjoyed this product more than I thought I would.

A short, simple and very clear book. Nice to read to learn from, to get a little history and background, and to have on your shelf.

I just started belly dance and this book is a great read and description of the moves for beginners!

Great book easy to download on kindke

I found this book helpful and insightful. Although I didn't learn anything new dance-wise, I learned how best to structure practice, and there are some handy tips and insights. I'd recommend if you're looking to take dancing a bit more seriously.

great tutorial book

Love it for keeping in shape the fun way

Good

Very good includes a cd of belly dance music.