Customer Reviews (2)

This one truly deserves a reprint!
This book is a gem of inspiration and should definitely be reprinted.At least so I can get a copy of my own. It's a hard book to find. The one I read was in the Austin Public Library many years ago.

It is full of gentle, easy to understand instructions, philosophy and story of the dance commonly known as belly dance.

The book brings a deep respect to the dance, liberating it and reclaiming it as ancient sacred practice for the healthy development of women's bodies.

Anybody out there listening?

Contains a great chronology of the history of belly dancing
This is a very informative book to anyone interested in the ancient art of belly dancing. Contains a great chronology of the history of the dance. Anyone interested in the dance should read this along with Serena's book"The Serena Technique". Love them both. ... Read more

Product Description
More than just a folk art, Cajun dance expresses the richness of the culture, and represents a closeness of family, joy in life, and the unique blend of languages and traditions of this colorful people. This guide teaches the basics, as well as the advanced steps, of this centuries-old dance form, making it easy for anyone to become a bayou show-stopper. 250 photos. ... Read more

Product Description
American, German, Italian, French -- here's a great sampling of each dance using such tunes as Captain Jinks * Oh, Johnny! * Patty Cake Polka * Military Schottische * Sicilian Circle * Varsouvienne. Includes a listing of national dance organizations in the U.S. and Canada. ... Read more

Product Description
Lively guides to popular dances. Clear photographs show the moves - step-by-step. Includes background information, tips on costumes, music to dance to and how to stage performances. ... Read more

Product Description
This guide comprises instructions to over 150 Irish dances, bringing together for the first time in a single volume, ceili, set, and two-handed country dances. It includes all dances commonly featured in classes, summer schools and feiseanna. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A rebuttal
As an amateur dancer in Kansas City, MO, I can say that this book and Pat Murphy's "Toss the Feathers" are the two most well-thumbed reference texts in my dance class.I've been trying to get my own copy all year, but it's been on back-order since last St. Patrick's Day.If the reviewer from 12/22/00 has a better suggestion for reference material, I'm all ears.I hope to travel to Ireland within the next couple of years. When I do, I'd like to be able to ceili with other Irish locals like I know what I'm doing.

yikes...
as a competition irish dancer, i thought this book stunk.but i'm sure it was good from anyone elses point of view.i thought that more dances should be shown for the more advanced student...and if anyone knows of an advanced level irish dance book, let me know

Instruction Manual
A guide to Ceili, set and country dancing.Includes instructions for over 50 dances; such as, Aran set, Castle set, Four hand reel, Eight Hand Jig, Plain Polka set. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Covers dancing back to the mid-1800's
This book is a descrition of some traditional dances and footwork.The authors went around interviewing elderly people and collecting their recollections of how dancing was done when they were young.These dances date back to the mid 1800's.This is a nice alternative to dances presented by the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. ... Read more

Product Description
The history of one of Wales' most well-known and enduring traditions, from the earliest description by Gerald of Wales in 1188, through a period of near suffocation in the face of fierce opposition from the Non-Conformists and the Methodist Revival, right through to the popularity of the twmpath (barn dance) today. Hanes un o'n traddodiadau mwyaf adnabyddus ac oesol: dawnsio gwerin. O'r disgrifiadau cynharaf gan Gerallt Gymro ym 1188, trwy gyfnod o ddiflaniad bron yn wyneb gwrthwynebiad chwyrn gan yr Anghydffurfwyr a'r Diwygiad Methodistaidd, ymlaen at boblogrwydd y twmpath dawns heddiw. ... Read more

Product Description
Belly dancing is hot. This legitimate art form is sensuous entertainment, as well as a fun, sexy way to increase one's physical fitness while exploring an ancient ethnic ritual of self-expression. There's nothing quite like it for toning abs, and it's a real aerobic workout! At a fraction of the price of a how-to video or a dance class series, this ingenious book-plus presents everything necessary to get started in belly dancing: an illustrated, 64-page book with detailed instructions for all the basic moves and rhythmic undulations, plus a pair of zills (finger cymbals), a veil, paste-on jewels, and a CD with exotic dance music to enhance the experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Just for Fun Only
I am giving this product 4 stars because it's cute, and for the price, you get a pretty good selection (at least in my opinion). This is NOT for someone who is really serious about belly dance. This is for someone who is curious about belly dance (i.e., a beginner).

The chapters in the book are as follows:

Section 1: Introduction

* A Fun and Sexy Way to Tone-up

Section 2: The History of Belly Dance

* America's Introduction to Belly Dancing

Section 3: Belly Dancing

* Warm-ups
* The Main Moves
* Head
* Shoulders
* Ribs
* Stomach
* Hips
* Hands and Arms
* Turns
* Backbends
* Finger Cymbals

Section 4: Looking the Part

* Make-up
* Styles
* Resources

Please keep in mind that this book is only 64 pages long. Therefore, the information is brief, and as a result, simple to read. Also, there are no real photographs of belly dancers or belly dance moves in this book. The pictures are in color, but the images remind you of something you might see in clip art.

The products that come with the book are pretty good. The products come in a box, and the book is attached to the box with red ribbons. One thing I would like to mention though is that the veil is not a veil, but a sash. I don't know why they call it a veil. The zils are pretty good quality, and the cd has 9 tracks on it (after I received the cd, I scaned the cd quickly to see how many tracks there were). Unfortunately, the names of the tracks are NOT mentioned on the cd cover. The cd comes in a plastic envelope only. But for the price, you can't complain.

Again, this is NOT for someone who is serious about belly dancing and/or at an intermdiate or advanced level of belly dance.If you are just beginning belly dance and want to have fun, try some belly dance music, and get some zils, this product is for you. Otherwise, you might be disappointed. If you are looking for a more serious approach to belly dance, you should purchase the book "Belly Dancing Basics" by Laura A. Cooper. This book contains excellent information and brillant colorful photgraphs!

Love this book and fun filled set.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I am a little lost on the bad reviews. Like the last person said, I bought this set after reading the bad reviews, for $11.66 OMG you can't go wrong here. I guess it was helpful to read the CD wouldn't come in a plastic case, and the veil was 2 inches wide, so I wasn't suprised. So far I listened to the entire CD and for that alone is worth the money, great fun songs that get you right in the spirit (and I have paid 3 times the price for belly dance music CD's of same quality). The veil/ribbon thingi, you can come up with some fun ideas with it (ok maybe they should call it a ribbon, it's not a veil). The zills are fun and if I get good I pass these down to my daughter and buy myself a better set, sheesh I would pay this amount for the zills alone! The cute body jewels good little extra. To the book, I have not read much so far as I just got it, but already what I did read is very informational and nice pictures and I just LOVE the red ribbon binding, it is an adorable touch to the book. This set is well worth the money. The Author doesn't need to wish it was different, it is a great book and set. I love it so much I am on my way to buy a few of the smaller sets for my family members, because it is just too cute not to.

A lot of fun for little money!!
I bought this even after reading the bad reviews, for a mere 10 bucks you get an instuctional book with text and drawings that are more helpful in getting the positions right than photos do, a FULL cd of great belly dancing music and some novelty items to get you in the spirit! I dont know why the other reviewers were 'belly aching' over a piece of cloth, I tied it around my forehead,(helpful to keep hair out of your eyes in order to read and follow instructions) put the 'jewels' around my belly button and finger symbals on and it made it so much fun! I am not a skinny minny and had no dance talent whatsoever before this book,it is to learn the basics for beginners as the author suggests and that is what it does! showed the steps of belly dancing and what a great workout it can be, after trying this, move on to more advanced dvd's if you want, but this gives me a good a#@ whipping workout!

Author wishes it were different
As the author of this book, I'm sorry that people are disappointed with the items enclosed in the kit. Unfortunately, I had no say over this - it was strictly the publisher's decision as to what was included. In its defense, the book and kit is geared toward beginners - those interested in learning a bit more about belly dancing to determine if they want to pursue it further, and the price is low. It's meant to be an introduction to the art. In any event, I hope the writing is at least enjoyable!

ITEM DELIVERED IS NOT AS SHOWN!
I was very disappointed in my recent purchase of two copies of the
publication THE ART OF BELLY DANCING by Melanie Votaw with Valerie
Rushmere, ISBN 0-7624-1814-1. Two items in this Belly Dance Kit were
certainly not as shown in the promotional photo on the Amazon web
site. One item shown was a sheer veil, which was advertised to be 72
inches long. The photo does show a generously sized red veil.These
are normally about 72inches long by 36 inches wide. WHAT I RECEIVED
was a 72 inch long, 2-inch wide strip of cloth in sheer red material.
A SASH MAYBE....NOT A VEIL, and certainly NOT what was in the photo.
The other item that was not as illustrated was the CD. It was shown
to be inwhat appears to be a jewel case with cover art. What I
received was a CD in a cheap, clear plastic envelope rather like
heavy saran wrap. The CD plays in my portable CD player, but not on
the player in my computer, which makes me question the quality of
this copy.
Overall, a very disappointing transaction. I am sure that
many other dancers have also been equally disappointed. I hope that Amazon
will notify the publishers that the contents of this item DO NOT
match the photo shown. I believe that use of this photo constitutes
misrepresentation if not outright fraud. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Get ready to start dancing!
Phyllis Weikart's "Teaching Folk Dance" is an immense bookfilled with ideas, techniques, steps, and suggestions for teaching folkdance.At first I was a little confused with the language to dance termsbut after reading a little bit more I'm understanding a lot better. This book takes you through the steps of learning and teaching the folkdances included throughout the book. (Some are even choreographed by theauthor)The dances are from around the world and range from beginner tointermediate.Weikart tells you how to read box notation in dance, as wellas giving you a step by step written version.One thing I REALLYappreciated was a section in one of the appendixes giving suggestions towhich dances you should include within the same lessons. (There is asequential set of lessons laid out)This is a great resource to have. ... Read more

Product Description
Simple text and photographs introduce some of the different types of dancing done by people around the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Dancing is Great!
I really appreciate this series of books and Dancing will make my students very happy.Dancing is a big part of many cultures and students from around the world will be able to identify their dances.Really nice. ... Read more