I'm thinking about trying belly dancing for workout variety. Anyone here know of a good beginner DVD?

Do you have Fit-TV? If not call your provider, It only costs us an extra $5 a month on the bill and they have a show called "Shimmy" that is Belly dancing and they also feature an hour long Belly dancing session sometimes on the "All Stars Workout" show. As for Belly Dancing DVD's maybe try HERE.

Good Luck! I LOVE Belly Dancing!

I'm thinking about getting this one, Diva: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...X0DER&v=glance. Do you have it? If so, how would you rate it?

I ordered the Shimmy workout DVDs -- seasons I and II.

Girl! I am all about The Shimmy!!!!

It looks like a lot of fun and I love the settings, costumes, music... Shimmy!

Any suggestions on what to wear if you're beginning in belly dancing? Spending a lot of money on a costume doesn't seem practical, because what if you don't like it?

If you want a fun work out you should try Wii Fitness. as far as belly dancing i know someone who want to belly dancing class.

Hopefully I can answer some of your questions. I have been involved in Middle Eastern dance since 2000, actively (as in obsessed) since 2001...performing professionally since 2003, and have been teaching since 2005. I teach multiple classes per week, and perform on a regular basis.

~Costume~
There is absolutely NO reason to buy a belly dance costume, unless you are a performer. No reason. I don't practice or teach in my costumes, either-they are for performance only. If you are attending a beginning class, or just doing a dvd at home, wear athletic pants like yoga pants, and a simple yoga tank top or sports bra is JUST FINE.

~DVDS~
Are you wanting to actually LEARN to belly dance properly, or are you just looking for a workout to burn calories? What I would recommend to you will differ, based on what you want. Also, there are thousands of dvds out there...some are geared towards exercise, some are geared towards learning the basics, and others are geared towards professionals. It can be very confusing, especially if shopping at Amazon or somewhere with a lot of choices-because you might not know what you are looking for.

If you are actually wanting to learn to dance properly, I would recommend attending a live class. Nothing beats an actual instructor-who can coach you and tell you when you need to correct or adjust the movements.

Thanks, aphil. For now I just want to learn some basics and burn some calories. I just learned there will be a free lesson/performance in the area in December (I just missed one while I was away on a cruise), so by then I should have picked up a few moves from the Shimmy DVDs I ordered and will know whether or not I want to learn more in class.

Why do belly dancers have such sexy stomachs? Is it the dancing or do they do other exercise to get their abs?

Just be careful. I have not personally seen the Shimmy brand dvds or the tv show. (I have been wrapped up in more professional geared dvds the past few years...) So, I cannot give you feedback on how good they are. I will try and check them out so I can give a little better feedback.

If you are interested in a regular class, I recommend visiting the site www.shira.net, she has a very large instructor directory there, and you can look up instructors based upon the area that you live in. If there is not one listed near you, contact the closest instructor. They might very well know and instructor who has not yet been placed on Shira's list.

Belly dancers come in all shapes, and all sizes. What you are going to find in mainstream dvds (like what you might find at Best Buy) or on tv are obviously going to be the ones with the sexiest bodies. However, when you see live dancers, we are all shapes and sizes. It isn't like ballet, where a certain body type is required.

That being said, however, most belly dancers who are at a good weight for their height DO have pretty good bellies. Part of the reason is because if you do traditional crunches, the upper abdominal area is mainly being used. This would be most of the "6 pack" muscle area. However, belly dance movements naturally not only use this area, but the lower abdominal area as well during the movements. Also, it uses the oblique muscles A LOT. These are the side muscles...the ones that go around the waistline and weave into the ab muscles. The back (upper, middle, and lower) are also used a lot during the movements. The entire core is engaged when we dance.

Belly dance also works the upper thighs, calves, and shoulder muscles heavily as well. I can honestly say that my hands and wrists also get a good workout from the hand motions and from playing finger cymbals. Not many other exercises can do that for you.

So, when you are talking about a dancer who does this professionally, we are doing this dance form for hours per week. It really does change your figure...just like a competitive swimmer might get a large, broad upper body over time from their involvement in that sport.

I have fit-tv and tried Shimmy for the first time this morning.... SO MUCH FUN! I know I probably looked ridiculous, but it was great! I'm adding shimmy to my workout at least twice a week.

It's the best! I've been doing it to youtube and can't wait to get my DVDs!

tie a big scarf around your hips... it makes me feel pretty when i'm shaking them! (if you want to go all out, get one with beads so you can make them shake, too).