NeonLuscious: The Belly Dance Workout for Beginners, with Neon, Blanca and Sarah Skinner - Beginner belly dance instruction and fitness classes; Dance fitness

This DVD is so much fun to workout to. Although it teaches the basic moves, I'd suggest that if you are a beginnner that you get something else first (Amira or Ranya Renee, to name a couple). The reason I say that straight off is because though there is a nice tutorial in this DVD with Neon, she is in costume, which makes it hard to see exactly what is going on. Plus, I think we all benefit by learning from more than one instructor.What I love best is dancing with these 3 great bellyists in their choreographed segments. Their costumes are lovely, the music is lovely, and you get a really good workout. I like how there are 3 dancers, as you can see how they each have their own individual expressions of these movements. I like to vary my exercise (jogging, aerobics, etc.), but with bellydancing, it is so much fun that you won't even know you're exercising!

I have just started learning how to belly dance but have been looking and watching numerous videos for years before I got up the nerve to now try to do it(a 100 lbs lighter!). I have seen lots and I have to say, I just absolutely LOVE this video!! I was at first kinda turned off by the title of the video but I decided, what the heck? Give it a chance. From the first move, I was hooked! I love how Neon would do the move and then all three ladies would do the moves together to music; they danced together so effortlessly, it was beautiful to watch. The other thing was, I loved how she patiently and thoroughly explained how to do the move precisely and how not to do it so you hurt yourself. Neon really makes a struggling beginner, like me, feel like you really could do it with her kind instruction and gentle accented voice. The music, the costumes, the backdrop of the video, was exquisite and sensual! It is also great that its not one of those so-called 30 minute teaching videos that you pay an arm and a leg for and you wonder what for? and be disappointed at the amount of time they spend on technique and how they gloss over a lot to fit it into 30 minutes. I disagree, however, with people who say that this video is not for absolute beginners. It will be hard and you may stuggle for a minute but if it is too hard, go to the beginning and do tht tutorial and learn the basic moves. You can do that for a while until you can do the other beginning moves and you should be fine. If you buy this DVD, you will NOT be disappointed! The moves are authentic, the music is good and you will be learning while having a great time and getting in shape! I will definitely be buying the rest of their series!

Luscious is a sensual, slow paced workout. The extended tutorials do a good job of breaking down the moves. The workout itself contains beautiful movements that are somewhat easy to follow, although it will take practice to develop better technique and your own artistic expression. There is even a short sample dance that you can learn to perform separately.The problem, as other reviewers have said, is in the costuming. The costumes worn in the workout are beautiful, but they are too concealing over the dancers' legs and feet. It is difficult to see what they are doing, especially in steps that travel in a circle.What's even more frustrating is that the step-by-step tutorial also has the same concealing costumes. When the dancer is describing the importance of bending your knees, you have to take her word for it, because her legs are covered by a long skirt. In fact, the skirt is so long that it brushes the floor and blocks most of her footwork.Otherwise, the DVD seems to do a good job of bridging the gap between instructional dance video and workout. Just don't expect much cardio--the workout is slow, but should strengthen and sculpt muscles. On the dance side, it seems to cover very basic moves, but takes the time to explain technique (if you use the step-by-step tutorial).

For the price, you get what amounts to a 'two-fer': an instructional video--sort of a short form of Neon's "instant bellydancer" series that lasts 50 minutes, and a 45 minute connected workout. The instructional section has Neon's typical focus on proper posture and alignment as well as her wonderful way of conceptualizing the moves. If you've never ever ever bellydanced before, this might require a few watchings to get the moves right, because she's a real stickler on form. It's that focus on form, though, that a) keeps you safe physically (no hyperextending or dangerous twisting) and b) works the deep muscles that show real control and grace. It's worth it to learn how to dance with proper form!If you already know a bit about dance, jump right into the workout. There's plenty to keep even intermediate level dancers involved--incorporating arm movements, studying how they put together combinations, etc, so don't pass this one up as too basic. It's harder than the BellyTwins stuff! It may take you a time or two to get all the moves down yourself!The production value, especially for bellydance videos, is high. The dancers are easy to see and well lit, you can see their knees and feet and what they're doing to create the movement. The music isn't too loud or too soft and there's no distracting background.This video showcases a series of moves and puts them together in short combinations of anything from two to five moves. An advanced dancer could profit from this video studying how they put the combinations together--the interplay of soft and hard movements, upper and lower body movements, and transitions.Bellydance has lately seemed to bifurcate into the camp that thinks dance should be hard and extreme and damaging on the body--if you're not doing aerial Turkish knee drops, you're a poseur--and the camp that thinks that bellydance is something all women of all ages should be able to do and do safely. Neon is in this latter camp, but her moves, though safe on the joints, are not simplistic. I've seen women struggle with the one-hip figure eight for a long time. So there's complexity here, but a complexity you can achieve with practice.