4/5 Great for someone new to a veil and great arm workout.
  by Sabena L. Dorman (On the bottom of a hill)
I liked Dolphina's first DVD, so I figured I would try this one. Once again she has great outfits for her vid appearance. This DVD is excellent for the beginner and also will get your arms burning. Even though I know how to use a veil my arms were up and moving for so long, they hurt for days. I don't think I will ever get enough of Dolphina.

5/5 Run away to an island...
  by Rebecca Johnson (Washington State)
If you imagine the life of a goddess, living say on an island of white sand and ocean breezes, then you have captured the mood of Bellydance with Veils. This is an escape to a land where red veils dance in the breeze as you flow to ancient rhythms, awakening the inner goddess or joyful feminine essence.

Dolphina captures the playfulness of dance all while making dancing with veils a celebratory and sensual experience. The movement of the veil allows a freedom of feminine expression all while seriously strengthening the upper body, enhancing posture and giving you a confidence-enhancing workout.

The joyful expression of bellydance is enhanced with veils and not only will you be enjoying a 30 minute cardiovascular routine, you also shape and sculpt your body. I love Dolpina's warm soothing voice and her approach to bellydance is always enlightening and engaging. This is a nurturing workout to return to again and again and is a true bellydance escape for when you want to escape the pressures of modern life.

If you have time, follow this with Barbara Biziou's Momentary Meditations. Your stress will completely dissolve and with dance and meditation you may find a sense of calm descending over the rest of your day.

~The Rebecca Review


4/5 The Basics And A Little Inspiration
  by Parthena Black (Oklahoma)
I bought this at a very good price and had planned to sell it at an upcoming fair. I decided to try it based on the other reviews. I'm glad I did. My arms were aching from the beginning and I learned one or two new moves. Halfway through it I was having a lot of fun and improvising a little. While I've practiced with my veil, I haven't yet tried designing a choreography with it. Dolphina presents some good ideas on how to put the moves together. The routine she presents is easy and fun.

I don't think this one would be too hard on beginners. Dolphina did a good job of demonstrating most of the moves but went a little fast. She skipped explaining undulations altogether, so if you have no experience be prepared to improvise during that part of the choreography. The beauty of video is that you can rewind and repeat as many times as you want. For beginners, I do recommend that you use a veil the length of the one that Dolphina uses. My three yard veil seemed a little long for the moves she was teaching. I thought that the photography was very good, showing the instructor's whole body throughout. I'm confused by some of the reviews on this and one of Dolphina's other DVD's that contradict each other on that issue. It makes one wonder whether the reviewer actually used or even watched the video.

As both a workout and bellydance lesson, it's very good. Dolphina presents the basics in 30 minutes and the choreography is simple. I've been taking classes for about seven months. I buy DVD's to supplement the classes and to develop and perfect my skills. I'd rather choreograph my own routines than copy someone else's. Dolphina, Sonia and Jillina's videos have all helped me build the basics needed to design my own dance.

If you're just looking for a workout, this will tone your arms but doesn't pack enough cardio for fat burning. I found this DVD to be very relaxing and it works for stretching and stress release. If your goal is to learn bellydance, you'll get a good basic lesson on veil technique.

4/5 Great workout and lots of fun
  by Angel (St. Paul, MN)
This video is simple yet effective. Your arms will definitely feel the burn, but you won't mind because with the veil, it is fun! Dolphina has a calm, soothing voice that makes her presentation very pleasant. The workout proceeds at a perfect pace. She leaves enough time to practice each move, but not too much time so that you don't get bored. While not a huge number of veil techniques are presented, the ones that she does go over are staples of veilwork, and I have found them to be very useful in my dancing. The length of the video is great--in the time you could watch a sitcom, you can tone your arms instead! Time flies when you're having fun. :) I do not recommend this as a good DVD for technique instruction, because sometimes her demonstrations of the veil, hip, and footwork moves are neither clear nor consistent. Having some prior exposure to bellydance and veilwork makes the video easier to follow. That aside, as a workout video this accomplishes what it sets out to do. It is a great buy for the money, and a video I will keep coming back to!

3/5 A good burn for your arms
  by thickmilkshake (Queens, New York)
This is a nice video for working out your arms on days when you have only 25 minutes to spare. The veil work can easily be done with a light scarf or cloth. Dolphina includes a very brief routine towards the end.


The video includes a warm up, two veil technique sections, a routine and a cool down. She shows you how to make an entrance with your veil, some moves that whirl the veil around, footwork to accompany the moves, turns and an arabesque. She assumes that you already know how to do hip circles, hip drops, and shimmies.

I would recommend this video for people who are beginners who have some exposure to bellydance and want to add a few more steps to their workout or dance practice.