I'm in favor of anything that encourages people to get off their duffs and start being more active... especially women, who all too often are subtly (or not so subtly) encouraged to stay away from sports and exercise. Bellydancing isn't my personal cup of tea, but it's been popular for thousands of years and seems to be enjoying a bit of a renaissance in the modern era, so with that in mind, I was happy to take a look at a couple of bellydancing exercise DVDs.

Bellydance Boogie, featuring Rania, is part of the Natural Journeys series Bellydance Fitness for Weight Loss. The DVD case notes that Rania is a certified aerobics instructor as well as a bellydancer, and it shows. She is able to explain how to do the moves in a clear and easily understandable manner; it's obvious that she has experience in teaching physical activity. I was also pleased to notice her attention to doing the moves correctly; on several occasions she reminds viewers about how to do the moves correctly and what to avoid, such as avoiding putting the knee over the foot in the lunge position.

Overall, I was pleased with the quality of the program. It opens with a short warm-up session, in which Rania leads a number of stretches and warm-ups that effectively target exactly the areas that were used in the actual workout. Her stretches are very good, and in fact I recognized most of them as ones that I already use in my normal pre-fencing warm-up.

The main workout runs thirty minutes, and incorporates movements such as the chest drop and hip drop into combination moves such as the camel or hip figure-eights. Adding a few other moves such as turns, snake arms, and lunges, Rania makes three main sequences that she repeats several times, giving the workout a dance-like feel. The music is pleasant to listen to, with a nice rhythm that matched the exercises well. The camera work is well handled, changing angles for variety but always showing what I needed to see to model my actions correctly.

I'm reasonably fit (I'm a competitive fencer) but not in particularly great shape at the moment, and I found the workout to be very low-key but not a complete pushover. My heart rate did go up, and if I repeated the program often enough to know the moves and do them at the same pace as Rania, I'd probably break a light sweat. Still, as far as effort level is concerned, it seems very mild, and certainly it's absolutely nothing like the cycling workout videos I've used in the past, which taxed my muscles, ran my heart rate up to the max, and left me dripping with sweat.

The program ends with a short cool-down that incorporates another set of excellent stretches. While I'm not sure how effective this program would be for weight loss in particular, my impression is that it would do a good job of toning the muscles of the arms, abdomen, and lower back, and increasing general flexibility.

The overall "feel" of the workout is best described as "serious fun." Everyone involved seems to be enjoying herself, and Rania is obviously enthusiastic about the program, but fortunately there's no New Age stuff about "releasing your feminine side" or "communing with the Goddess," and Rania's outfit is a fairly practical halter top and pair of workout tights (livened up with a snazzy scarf). In other words, the emphasis here is on the body and the bellydancing moves, not on frilly costumes and sets, which I appreciated.

One nice aspect of the Bellydance Boogie workout is that Rania is accompanied by several other women doing the workout with her. These women are, like Rania, already fit and knowledgeable about how to do the moves, but they don't seem to be quite as expert as she is, which is helpful: it's very useful to be able to see several other people doing the moves and notice the variation among them.

While it's not billed specifically as a beginner workout, Bellydance Boogie appears quite suitable as an introductory program. Rania focuses on introducing a fairly limited number of specific, fairly straightforward moves, and then leads viewers into doing variations on these moves and linking them together into sequences. In that way, the program isn't overwhelming for new viewers, especially since her voiceover does a good job of explaining how to do the moves (experienced viewers can choose the music-only soundtrack).

The DVD

Video

The picture quality of this DVD, which presents its image in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, is reasonably good and certainly quite sufficient for an exercise program. The colors are bright and clean, and the image overall is free of noise and flaws, though it's a bit on the soft side. Some edge enhancement is visible.

Audio

There are actually three audio tracks available for Bellydance Boogie: two Dolby 2.0 tracks and a Dolby 5.1 track. The first Dolby 2.0 track contains both the music background and Rania's instructional narrative, while the other two tracks are music-only. This is actually a very good idea and adds to the rewatchability of the program, so that viewers don't have to get tired of hearing instructions over and over again after they've mastered the moves and are able to follow along visually. Another good point in this regard is that the instruction is provided via a voiceover; Rania isn't speaking as she leads the exercises, so the music-only soundtrack is completely natural.

Both the Dolby 2.0 and 5.1 tracks are clear and easy to listen to, with Rania's voice always at a nice level, calm but understandable and with nice expression. The 5.1 does add a substantial level of immersiveness, with the music being very nicely spread to the side channels.

All three audio options can be selected on the fly, which is convenient considering that the "audio features" menu isn't very well explained.

Extras

The chapter selection menu shows that the program has separate chapters for each move and workout sequence, allowing viewers to easily repeat or skip to particular segments of the workout. On the subject of menus, though, one thing the Natural Journeys production people need to get over, quickly, is the idea that "interactive full motion menus" are a special feature. The menus, once they sit still, are perfectly usable, but the "full motion" image of Rania that we get between all the menus gets old very quickly.

The best special feature is a bonus workout, "Dancers' Legs and Buns." This workout runs approximately ten minutes, and is considerably more challenging than the main feature. It includes a variety of great leg lifts that work a variety of leg and abdominal muscles, and makes an excellent addition to the main workout.

The "audio features" menu gives viewers the option of a 2.0 and a 5.1 soundtrack, without explaining that the 5.1 track is music-only. This menu also doesn't explain that there's a third track, a music-only 2.0 soundtrack.

A large selection of trailers for nine other Natural Journeys bellydance DVDs is also included. The trailers are all fairly long and offer a good look at the style and intensity of the workout of each DVD; viewers will be able to get a clear idea of which other DVDs in the various bellydancing series they might want to buy.

There are two performances by Rania included: a sword dance and a cabaret-style dance, both showcasing her athletic and artistic ability. One last (and rather silly) special feature is a photo gallery, which simply has various shots of Rania in assorted poses.

Final thoughts

While Bellydance Boogie didn't convert me into a bellydancer, I can see that it would be a very enjoyable workout for those who are interested in this form of dance and exercise. Rania offers clear, knowledgeable instruction on the moves that are used in the workout, and leads viewers through a fun exercise sequence that should help tone up the back and abdominal muscles, though it isn't much of an aerobic workout. I would certainly recommend this series, with Rania, over the competing Goddess Workout series; the instruction is much better and the program is more interesting and more coherent. Especially considering the inclusion of a bonus workout in the special features, this DVD is recommended for those who are interested in bellydance (both beginners and more advanced dancers).