I had already been working hard on isolations with Ariellah‘s video when I got Asharah’s Modern Tribal Bellydance DVD. I was thrilled at the increase in difficulty level and the sheer length of it. For a whole year I worked with this DVD, sometimes on many chunks of it, adding up to two hours and sometimes just the warm up segment, which in itself is some 55 minutes. I realized that it’s important to stick with a particular workout to really see the benefits, so I didn’t try experimenting much with others, except for using a shorter warm up from East Coast Tribal if I was in a hurry. And I was right. Asharah’s warm up and conditioning increased my strength and flexibility in addition to getting those isolaitons truly isolated. For a video-only learner, her video has been a godsend.
I’ve used your DVD all year long – have you got such feedback from others?
Yes… and most of the feedback I’ve received is positive, which makes me really happy. It warms my heart when people say that they think it’s the best instructional DVD they own, or when non-tribal dancers say that they love the technique drills. It’s a great compliment when someone tells me that my DVD kicked their ass. So far, I haven’t seen any overwhelmingly negative reviews either, which makes me feel pretty accomplished. And now Borders Books is carrying my DVD in their fitness section, and that makes me feel proud of my work.
How difficult was it to make this video?
Planning and filming this DVD was quite difficult, before, during, and after it was completed. I spent several months going over the material on the DVD, and because I’m an incurable perfectionist, I was changing the program the week before filming. I wanted to offer something different, something harder for the intermediate dancers, but I also had to make sure it was accessible to beginning dancers.
Just to give readers some perspective: In one weekend, we spent 11 hours in the studio filming the DVD: eight hours on Saturday and three hours on Sunday. We spent two hours that Monday taking photos for the cover, during which I had to contort myself into positions that made me look taller and leaner (and it worked, right? LOL). A month later, I spent over 11 hours reviewing the first edit of the DVD. I have no idea how long it took to actually edit the footage and make sure the sound was lined up with the video.
What a lot of people don’t know is that I completely wore myself out making it. I really poured my heart, soul, and body into this project because I… I don’t compromise myself or my art. I really wanted to make this product the best that it could be, and that meant that I neglected my physical health for the sake of my own personal integrity. I was ill for two months afterward: constant headaches, achy joints, exhaustion, irritability, nausea when I tried to eat, allergic reactions to foods I normally could eat like dairy and eggs. It was terrible. After a barrage of blood tests for everything under the sun–HIV, mononucleosis, thyroid disorders, blood sugar levels, anemia, hepatitis, even vitamin D–and multiple visits to the doctor, my doctor determined that I was exhausted and prescribed that I go back to weekly yoga classes. The other thing about me that most dancers don’t know is that I work full-time, and I teach dance classes two evenings a week. So, I made a DVD in one weekend, only to go back to work immediately, never giving myself time to rest or recuperate. Don’t try this at home, kids!
Oh my god. You do look cool and relaxed in the video though. Do you remember anything amusing from the video filming?
The only incident that I can think of involves my red foam roller. I brought my therapeutic foam roller–which I use to relax and massage my muscles, particularly the iliotibial band along the outside of my legs–with me to the video shoot. Between takes, I took a moment to roll out my legs, and Neon, in her cute Russian accent says to co-producer Scott Shuster, “Look Scott! Asharah has a giant red hot dog!” I’m not sure how well that story translates in words alone, but at the time, it was rather funny.
Neon is funny – and I love her accent. How much of this video is based on what Suhaila does in her courses? And what does she think of your video?
The warm-up and technique drills of my DVD are essentially based in the Suhaila Salimpour format. The “modern tribal movement” and the combinations are mine, but Suhaila and other dancers heavily influenced them. Suhaila Salimpour, as some people know, is my dance mentor, and I owe much of my progress not only as a dancer but also as an artist, to her guidance. When World Dance New York asked me to film a DVD, I immediately asked Suhaila for her blessings and for permission to use her format in the program. She gladly obliged, only asking for acknowledgment in the credits. I think she’s proud of me that I made this DVD, that it uses her format, and that so many dancers seem to really enjoy it.
It’s a long, long program to do on an everyday basis though, isn’t it?
Yes… You’re right! It is a long program! I never intended dancers to do the entire DVD every day, but I do think that the warm-up and conditioning could be done on a daily basis if someone really wanted to be hardcore. I wanted to make a DVD program that gave dancers options and that challenged them. I was getting a little bored with the DVDs in my own library, and I thought, “If I’m getting bored, other dancers are certainly getting bored.” I think I might have gone a little overboard in just how much material I crammed on to one disc, but the length of the program seems to be something that people like about it.
I don’t suppose you’re thinking of another DVD yet, are you?
Well, at this point in time I do not plan on making another DVD. Making the first one wore me out so much, and it took me away from my own personal practice. I currently don’t even know what the next DVD would focus on, so that’s sort of a great unknown.
So, what direction do you see for yourself next in dance?
What direction? FORWARD! UPWARD! Breaking through barriers and preconceived notions about who “Asharah” is. Haha… OK. Really…
Currently, I find myself attracted to music with classical elements, such as Venetian Snares’ song “Számar Madár” which samples Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor as performed by Jacqueline DuPre (if you haven’t heard the original concerto, it’s gut-wrenchingly beautiful), and a remix of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata which moves me to tears. I’ve also been collaborating with a good friend of mine, cellist Samantha Hegre, in performing three movements from J. S. Bach’s cello suite in C minor, where she plays the cello and I dance. That was her idea, but I also always wanted to dance to Bach, so it works out.
I also see myself becoming more emotional, more open, more me on stage. I want to move my audiences. The best compliment someone can give me these days is that my performance made them cry. That might sound a little sadistic, but to me, that means that I connected with them, and that my audience connected with me. And that connection is why I make art.
I can’t wait to get the DVD
Asharah, your sooo cute! I have yet to buy your DVD, but this will push me to do so! Knowing you put your heart and soul into this DVD really makes me happy to be part of such a beautiful art form! I really hope i get to meet you again, and take a workshop from you this time!
Hugs,
JaeJae
I should have put availability information, I think.Asharah’s video was released sometime early 2008. World Dance New York now sells directly, so that may be a good way to get it.
Ya and WDNY charges no shipping cost worldwide, so that s a great deal.
I do have her program, but have not looked into it a lot coz it s out of reach for me so far.
Will need to look at it tonight I think – she sounds like such a great person and artist!
Thanks Mala
I’d really like to understand very much why you think it’s out of reach. That would have implications for the way I review things because I seem to find this video equally suited to beginners and advanced dancers. As long as beginners don’t try to do entire huge chunks at a time!
hmmm I m pretty “shy” with my level.
correctly, you do get the movements only while drilling?)
Like I feel I can’t do many of the beginner movements “properly”, so I’m afraid to “drill” them at pretty high speed like I ve seen in Michelles and tribal WDNY trailers (which might be a contradiction because if I understand you more advanced “movers”/dancers/drillers
Thing is many of the drills look pretty tough on the joints sometimes, especially when they go down with a movement. So I always feel “This is for later, when I got the basics perfectly”. Wrong conclusion?
I did have a look at a friend’s Ariellah drills – I must say while the shoulder movements looked horribly tough to do at her speed, I could imagine working with them VERY cautiously. I m even shyer with drills involving the legs since I got very sensitive knees (past injury), and am pretty much afraid of making them ache again (which they sometimes do at strain, although I am not supposed to give up sports – it s actually good to “push” them a bit into improving flexibility again, although it s a fine line between “good” and “too much”).
I do actually take your advice very seriously, please don’t change your review style!, and will start with Sera and Ariellah once I overcome my fear to start something new
I m a coward, that s it I guess!!!!
Look what I m doing is Jenna s beginner moves, a live class which has helped me a great deal in the past 3 months, I can shimmy a bit now
Last week I tried Luscious, the tutorial (premiere!). And realized how much of a beginner I am, I did only the undulations and while it looked SO easy, I had a bit of trouble following. I do think after a couple of runs it should be better though.
Hmm does this make you understand my stage a bit better?
I do think I need to start drilling “chunk-wise” though. Maybe the movements I m more comfortable with, which is especially upper body movements. I’ll be looking at Sera more closely, and might be getting Ariellah s soon.
One thing that has kept me from Ariellah’s: I ve never done yoga, and understood from quite a few people who do it regularly it s not so advisable to start it with video-only. I do know a few yoga poses though, from stretching in class I realize! But no pro-instruction so far.
That was long pheew!!
Dina!
You must absolutely go at your own pace and let no one tell you otherwise. I’m only trying to figure out if I’m wrong about what’s really beginner and what isn’t. I no longer know how it would feel to begin with Asharah’s workout because I worked with it 3 or 4 years into dancing. Also I did do some jazz for a while, so that does give one some amount of preperation.
But like you, I too have sensitive knees. i think I injured one of mine while dancing a lot of salsa on bad floors in high heels. What’s almost-fixed that is a) knee caps while dancing always b) cod liver oil capsules and c) listening always for the slightest twinge of pain.
With this in place, you can take small parts of almost any program and work at it slowly.
If you have back problems, yoga on your own is not a good idea. I have done some yoga though not with a very good teacher but I told him not to let me do anything in multiples or faster unless the pose was picture-perfect. I always checked my poses carefully in the mirror (ditto isolaitons) and did this so often that any deviation from the move now immediately makes me alert. That protects from injury.
Of course it doesn’t ALWAYS work and i have a slight pull in my side (around the waist maybe) for the past two days. I overdid something or the other. So I’m letting it rest.
Ariellah’s video is totally doable and you don’t have to do her yoga until you’re ready. You can always do whatever warm up you usually do.
heey mala thanks for all the advice
unprofessional (Latin) teacher, unprofessional guidance, too much “wanna do it full power” from my side.. *sigh* I think I ve forgiven myself in the meantime.
those capsules sound interesting!! need to look out for them.
I did my knee injury after a few years of thai boxing while dancing samba in sports shoes in a Latin fit class
c) listening always for the slightest twinge of pain.
Ya I m absolutely doing that. Overdoing much of the time I think, but better too much than too little.
I ve grown extremely conscious of the joints and the slightest bit of pain, also elsewhere, through exercise or dance..
Ya 4 years is a lot of previous training for the drills
if I count everything I ve done I m probably at 1,5 years of interrupted bellydance practice.
)
It s hard for me! Even Sera s trailer looks scary (the movements towards the floor
AAAWWE I looked up cod liver in curiosity.. yuk! I m glad they come in capsules, I d hate having to eat them “in real form”
This DVD is a must-have!!! It’s changed and improved my drilling a lot, and also my teaching. Asharah is very clear in her explanations and has chosen very good exercises to drill. Buybuybuy!!! And the music on it is great too!!! (Maduro rules, but we knew that already, right?)
I love this dvd too. It’s one of my regulars, and I’m not really a tribal gal, but this has helped my technique a lot.
Asharah is also an amazing teacher, with no bad habits! I’m very picky about my teachers teaching well, especially if it’s on a dvd and I need to watch it over and over again. I give it 6 stars out of 5.
I’d recommend it for all levels as well, there is so much material.
“during which I had to contort myself into positions that made me look taller and leaner (and it worked, right? LOL).”
I’d LOVE to hear more about that!!!
Ah, I’d love to be leaner and taller permanently. And have my hair get thicker and reach my knees. Sigh.
Oh that s nothing to feel you are not slim enough if the photographer lets you assume the most painful poses and remain there for hours. If you are very slim, like in modeling, you have to do that too.
)
It s a pain (tried it at age 17 and decided it was a lot less glamorous and a lot more painful than I d thought!
Nadira – haha! Basically it was: twist your chest more… more… ok…. lift your chest… more.. ok… now move your hips this way… more… more… ok… now hold it!!! *click click click click click*
Times a billion.