5/5 Awesome Must Have
  by K. T. Watkins (Carson, CA USA)
I am fairly new to bellydance. I have nearly a dozen dvds. From the first viewing of this dvd, I knew this was a must have for the beginner's collection. Why? Well, if you know the basic moves, you can use this dvd right away. Neon gives the student two levels, beginner and intermediate. For 36 minutes, you do 20 mini routines to 5 drum rhythms. 100% bellydance moves that make you sweat. Don't worry if some of the combinations seem overwhelming. Neon has the most useful and thorough tutorials for each combo that walks you through step by step. The more you do the combos, the easier it gets. And what makes this dvd a standout is the explicit way the drum rhythms are highlighted. Raqy does a great job of leading the dancer through the rhythms before you even attempt to dance. Neon reinforces the rhythms as she leads you through the combos.

This a dvd that you can use now and grow into. If you want a dvd that will last longer than the initial lessons, this is it. If you want a workout that is based on 100% bellydance moves, this is it.

5/5 Vivacious drum rhythms workout-drill-dance
  by Mala Bhargava (India)
Come to think of it, there are many instructional videos in this sub genre. There's The Heartbeat of Belly Dance from the same producers, World Dance New York, there's Sonia and Issam's Art of the Drum Solo, the rhythms video by Saida with Mario Kirlis, and probably a few more I haven't bought. Each one brings its own format and combinations, style, and instruction type.

In this video, Neon, Raquy and Liron Peled bring vivacity and verve to drum solo technique. The format, specially if you go by the menu, looks very simple. But that doesn't mean it isn't thoroughly conceptualized. Neon, who looks like a piece of bottled sunlight, explains the entire concept of this instructional program (choreographed by her) in her five-minute welcome. She views it as a fitness program as well as a belly dance one. As she introduces the video, she stands in what I call her Andy Troy (fitness expert) pose. You can see the intro in the preview clip, so I won't get over-descriptive here. It's not an aerobic program, but it is very active (especially in the second segment of sharply percussive moves) and involves much muscle work. It is not about floating around leisurely - so you may well sweat and get washed out. Or head for a Mars bar, like I tend to do.

It seems that there are many "multi-level" videos being turned out of late, and this is another in that category. Half of it is for beginners, and another half for intermediate dancers. I'm beginning to like this format a lot because as intermediate dancers can easily use the beginner's segment to drill, sharpen moves, work on finer points like transitions, turning, changing angles, balance etc. And as a beginner, you have something to gradually work up to.
So... first, drummers Raquy Danziger (dumbek) and Liron Peled (base drum) take you through the rhythms featured here - just the most popular ones - chiftitelli, beledi, saiidi, maksoum and masmoudi. The famous Raquy has a very nice way of explaining them here - she breaks them up into "low" and "high". That also corresponds to the movements you can make, so it works very well. Neon later uses the high and low cues when working with each rhythm. There are no backgrounders on the rhythms and their cultural significance, etc. Just brief, practical, effective primers.
And then come the 40 drum solo combinations in two dance flows.

As has become almost standard with World Dance videos, there's a separate tutorial section which you can choose to do or not do. I choose to do because although I "know" the moves, they need both smoothness and sharpness. And speed. For those familiar with Neon's work, each combination is explained in total Neon style. For those who don't know Neon... she explains fully and demonstrates clearly. Explaining basic moves is her thing.

The combinations are short and easy for the beginner flow, Flow 1. You hear the rhythm and vocal cues through many repetitions (12) and that helps get the rhythm, both main beat and riffs, into your head. If none of this is news to you, use the music-only option to go through the 20 combinations as a workout or drill. It makes a great drill, in fact! If you're an advancing dancer, use the music-only part to start making variations as the drum pattern is repeated. I find this part very useful, in fact!

The intermediate combinations move faster and are obviously more complex. They're still not long though. This iothncreases their drill-worthiness. If you've been dancing already, try both flows consecutively for a longer drill.

The obligatory performance on this video is missing. But for this price, it's a giveaway. Everyone on the DVD looks as if they're having fun. I think learners will too!


5/5 Great Belly Dance Workout
  by Highbaugh Taxtamara J. Highbaugh (Indianapolis, IN)
I love this dvd. I get a good workout that makes me sweat and I have already seen results in my abdominal muscles, hips and thighs. There is a beginner and intermediate level. I am mastering the beginner level before going on to the intermediate level. I love this DVD. I also would recommend Luscious. They both have an instructional section that will show you how to do the moves before you tackle the workout which is really nice.

5/5 A perfect blend..
  by Seir (USA)
I was so excited to receive my copy of The Belly Dance Rhythms Workout!

If you have been searching for a great recipe to stir up a drum solo, here, it is! This program doubles as a workshop in rhythms while abundant in constructive ingredients to get your entire body flowing in accented moves and high energy movement.
The welcome section offers a great concept of weight loss. The program is also presented as a dance fitness program which is not cardio or aerobic in nature, yet it's accented moves will help burn calories and promote weight loss. Raquey includes a segment on identifying drum pattern structures using low and high sounds. The key ingredient to interpreting and performing a successful drum solo is to understand the rhythmss.
Because of the extensive wealth of information in this program,I have been reviewing it for several weeks.I did not only want to write about its contents but rather the end results and what I have gained from it personally.
As you enter program you will find it very carefully thought out and executed, beginner friendly and challenging enough for the seasoned dancer who wants to vary moves and add new ingredients. Here, the rhythms of a primary and bass drummer are performed live, and Raquey teaches this segment in identifying drum patterns in high and low sounds. For fun, I incorporated zils using the rhythm patterns, while learning the moves. Try that for a challenge!

Offered here are the most popular belly dance rhythms: baladi, maksoum, masmoudi, ciftetelli, and saidi which are dissected for beginner and intermediate students each with four combination variations. This section is a great resource of rhythms, and the perfect guide to your drum solo creation.

Neon's lesson plan carefully illustrates every combination, rhythm, offered in two tutorials, beginner and intermediate with varying speeds, while the two professinal drummers work alongside. It is easy to follow along as Neon dances each beat of the drum with her body. The tutorial section is attention grabbing as Neon pops out of fantastic surreal backdrops in vivid color and detailed computer graphics.
You may choose to learn from this program with voice cues or music options only. Neon's grace and energy has you joining right in articulating the hips with accents, varying chest moves, hops, grapevine, and so much more.

I have been using the program to shed the holiday pounds and have built stamina and endurance while having fun and increasing my vocabulary in dance. I dropped the extra pounds that kept me out of my favorite jeans while toning my abs which got a work out!
In my experience, this program is fantastic in every aspect it represents; a very enjoyable, high energy dance workout, a priceless learning tool as a rhythms workshop!

My personal opinion:
Before viewing this program, please take the time to internalize the welcome presented by Neon. Her concept on weight loss and muscle tone is directed at a continuous flow of movement because it simply burns more calories from fat. For some, hard impact aerobic programs tend to be short lived simply because they are too rigid and not appealing to return to. I have found this to be true for myself, and in my classes, and the luscious belly dance fitness program proved it well for us.
Belly dance is an elegant, sensual, and exclusive dance. It requires discipline in order to engrain. Once muscle memory is engrained the body will respond quickly and it is mesmerizing to watch. Belly dance is multi facted and the drum solo is one of the most fun and fitness programs that can bring great results. This program is not only a work out but is instructional and wide spectrum. It is easily one of the best workshops; I have ever attended without having to leave my home.
Since this program is both a workout and instructional here is what I gathered. I recommend for beginners :
The tutorial section is very carefully planned for execution of moves. Neon has painstakingly taken the time to organize 40 dance combinations and divided them into a beginners section, and progressing into more advanced movement. Its your choice to learning with voice cues or simply folloing along while just watching and listening to the drumming. Each pattern has a 4 different sets of combinations that will blend into a choreography when finalized. Amazing is the way Neon integrates staccato and fluid movement.

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4/5 Awesome Bellydance Video!
  by S. Gardner (Central Wisconsin)
I have to confess that I own most of World Dance New York's bellydance videos. Some are great, some are less so, and of the bunch this rhythms workout comes out at the top. It's a great introduction for beginners, even better than Luscious - The Bellydance Workout for Beginners, with what seems to be a much more thorough tutorial section. Complete beginners will still want to try live instruction if they can, but this video can easily help them to build on those early lessons.

Some people may be leery of the lack of music, but you don't miss it at all; the drum rhythms are effective and beautiful. Everyone looks like they're having fun, which makes it almost impossible not to smile as well. The stage is simple, without distractions, and the camera only rarely focuses on anything but Neon's whole body. The moves also build nicely in complexity as you work through the different rhythms.

That being said, there were a few things that knocked a star off for me, mostly in the tutorial section. WDNY has a habit of stripping away backgrounds and leaving dancers in front of a CG background, which looks cheesy; a studio with mirrors would be much better suited to the tutorial section. There also seems to be a trend of having the instructor (Neon, in this case) dancing in the performance costume, which features a heavily-fringed hip scarf. It's lovely, but it badly obscures her knees - not a good thing when she's talking about how much movement originates there; you can barely see the front knee on some of the diagonal moves, and the back knee is completely obscured. Losing the hip scarf for that section wouldn't be difficult and would help beginners to better grasp the movements. In the flow portion, the voice over instruction works well, but the occasional singing of the rhythm gets to be a bit annoying. You're stuck with it until you know the routine well enough to perform it with the music only.

Overall, I think that this is my favorite of the WDNY videos, even with the slight flaws above. I still recommend Bellydance Basics and Beyond: Technique for a Solid Foundation (another WDNY title) for complete beginners for an extremely thorough introduction to the moves, but this video can stand on its own very easily. It's a great addition to any workout or bellydance DVD library.