I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of belly dancing, so Bellydance Boogie seemed like a great way to mix up my workout. I had visions dancing in my head of myself as a sexy, exotic belly dancer after just one workout, which…not so much. I know I looked a little silly. But it was fun!

Basic Information
The tape I have is Bellydance Boogie, which is part of the Bellydance Fitness for Weight Loss line of tapes. There are a wide variety of tapes in this series targeting different body parts and skill levels. The series is hosted by Rania, an award winning belly dancer. All the tapes in the series are intended to burn calories and fat as well as stimulate the digestive system. Sounds good to me!

According to the package, this particular tape combines the sensual beauty of Bellydance with cool rhythms and beats of Hip Hop and R & B. Bellydance Boogie is intended to work all parts of your body.

Setting
The tape features Rania (who is very pretty) and several other ladies of various sizes. All are wearing matching two piece purple outfits with bare bellies and are of varying sizes and shapes, which is nice to see. The film is shot in a dance studio type of location. The background doesn’t change and is not that inspiring, but I enjoyed watching the different ladies because each of them put their own style into the dance.

One interesting thing about this tape is that Rania stands in the front of the group, but she does not give cues verbally while she is doing the dance. The moves are narrated from a voice (which I assume is Rania’s) from offscreen. I’m not sure how I feel about this technique, I’ve never seen it in an exercise video before. The nice part of this is that it makes it possible for the DVD to have an option to play the tape without narration, which would be good if you were familiar with the routine. The verbal cues on exercise tapes tend to get on my nerves once I have done the tape many times. This way the music stays but the narration goes away. The negative of this style of narration is that it made Rania seem very distant and disconnected. It was kind of creepy, really, until I got used to it.

The Workout
The tape starts with a very brief workout and some stretching. It moved right into bellydance movies very quickly, which I enjoyed because I get bored easily. A variety of basic bellydance segments are taught, each lasting about eight slow counts. At the end some of the series are incorporated together. I learned to do figure eights, snake arms, and head rolls in the routines.

This tape is my first experience with bellydancing and I think it is a lot of fun. I still wouldn’t say I fully have the hang of it since it takes a while to get the flow of the movements and match the beat of the music. There is also quite a bit of turning which I struggled with for a while. It is getting easier, though. I feel like this tape moves at a comfortable pace where you will be able to keep up from the beginning but it isn't too boring to be repeated as you improve.

When I do the workout I feel it the most in the abs, hips, and lower back. There are some arm movements, but they are sort of flowy so I don’t think the video does that much for sculpting arms. You kind of move your feet around as you do the moves but again it is not the same as videos with squatting or kicking.

The workout lasts thirty minutes. There is a bonus workout on the DVD that focuses on legs more, but offers many of the same moves as well.

Will I Lose Weight?
I think that this tape is best as part of a workout plan with a lot of variety. It’s great for targeting muscles in the core, but I just don’t think it does enough for my legs or arms for it to be anyone’s exclusive form of workout. Of course, doing this tape would be much better than nothing so if you are looking for a fun way to start exercising you should give it a try.

By the end of the tape, I am always starting to sweat. It isn’t very fast paced but you are constantly moving so I think I probably burn as many calories as I would on half hour stroll around the neighborhood. Because of this, it has been nice for days like today when it is too humid to walk outside.

Bonus Features
I’ve been using the DVD so it has a lot of options that exercise VHS tapes don’t normally have. If you are interested in seeing bellydance done well, there are two interesting bonus segments featuring Rania in more difficult dances. I enjoyed watching her dance balancing a sword on various parts of her body. There are also clips from all of the other videos in the Bellydance set. You can also try out the leg workout I mentioned above. I was pretty impressed with the bonus features on this tape.

Overall…
This is a fun little workout. I’ve gotten bored with my normal routine, and this morning I was able to talk myself into doing bellydance when going to the gym was out of the question. If you’re looking for something new I recommend giving Bellydance Boogie a try.

*A couple of my other favorite exercise tapes are...
Jeff Costa's Cardio Striptease
Tae Bo II
Denise Austin - Blast Away Ten Pounds

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD