5/5 Flamenco for Beginners
  by S. Falcon (USA)
Instructions are broken down into simple segments. Different Flamenco style from Sevallanes (sp). Easy to follow and with practice one should be able to master a few steps.

2/5 Disappointing
  by Vero (Westport, CT USA)
I think I didn't know what to expect because I'm a total novice but I wasn't very inspired by Maria's video. It all looked the same to me and the performances were weak. I want to feel something when I watch a flamenco dancer - all I could feel was "when is this over?" Not worth it.

1/5 Joke or verguenza?
  by Lili Coral
Although in the age of YouTube, it is great to be able to share homemade videos of amateurs practicing their hobbies, it is not OK to try to pass yourself off for something you are not. Miss Gloria Maria is not qualified as an instructor of flamenco dance, not even for beginners. She has no soul or deep understanding of the totality of the art of flamenco. On this DVD she presents isolated bits of wimpy and inaccurate technique that add up to less than the sum of the parts. Also, the camerawork is shaky; it drifts and cuts off head and feet at inopportune moments; the lighting has a green florescent tint; the sound is like in a bathtub; the editing is laughable. This DVD is what in the Spanish language would be called a verguenza, a shameful thing. Miss Gloria Maria may be just ignorant but she is disrespecting the art of flamenco with this rubbish DVD. The performances are shockingly bad and silly. Finally, the music is probably pirated; there are no music credits which means that the producer did not purchase rights to recorded music and/or that the music is not original from compensated musicians, composers, sound editors etc. This is a violation of copyright and the producer could get into big legal trouble.

If you are looking for DVDs in English suitable for beginners in flamenco dance, the series by Puella Lunaris (World Dance New York) is excellent, or try to find Teo Morca's series.


5/5 Flamenco
  by John F. Baade (Tucson, AZ USA)
This dvd is great; it's a great review of all the steps I've had in various Flamenco classes over the year. The benefit of having a dvd with the instructions is that it's like having the instructor right there at any time. The instructor (Gloria Maria) covers compas, El Marcao, Floreo, Llamada, Brazeo, Taconeo, Pata de Mula, and Brincos. This is an excellent dvd either for the beginner or more advanced student.

4/5 clarity
  by R. Reinders (Amsterdam)
I concur with the review above. The DVD is very amateuristic, but who cares? As a dancer - advanced in Oriental dance, but complete beginner in Flamenco - I don't want to sit on the coach and gaze at a wonderfully edited DVD. I want to practice and dance myself!
This DVD contains for at least 2 months Flamenco practice for me. For the price of one single workshop.