I don’t really do Egyptian style belly dance, but I’m always on the lookout for varied instruction. I also like to compare movements across styles, so I thought I’d check out this instructional by Hilary Thacker, a UK based Egyptian style belly dancer and instructor.
I think this is one of her very first videos and it is kind of weird. The video launches right into instruction without much of an introduction, and has a homemade sort of feel. It looks like it was filmed against a fabric backdrop in somebody’s home.
That in itself isn’t bad, but it’s just not filmed really well, the lighting isn’t good, the sound quality is poor and the instructor seems a little out of focus.
Hilary’s instructions are OK, I guess. She begins with some hip circles and then rib circles, which are easy enough for any beginner. She also adds some simple arm movements.
Pretty quickly though she adds a horizontal figure eight and then gets into some layering and moving in a circle with her feet while doing the figure eights. I think that’s way too much layering for a beginner!
Hilary progresses into vertical figure eights and again, I think it moves too fast for the newbie. She then covers hip drops and an Egyptian walk. The hip drops are then doubled in speed and doubled again and become a shimmy. She doesn’t call it a shimmy though, she calls it a “wobbly” which is confusing because we all know what a shimmy is.
I suspect she may be a lovely teacher in person, but this video isn’t one of my favorites for instruction or for inspiration. Nothing in the video is in depth enough to be of any real help to a newbie dancer. Even an experienced dancer will find this lacking.
I think a better instructional DVD would involve a breakdown of a particular movement followed by a two minute drill of the movement. So many instructional or workout dance DVDs just kind of launch into movements and layers or combos and give you no chance to practice a movement before moving on.
Hilary also just disintegrates into what I just seem to hate about most Egyptian and cabaret style dancers in general-it just seems so sloppy and loose to me. Particularly in the arms, hands and posture. I’ve studied primarily ATS which seems very structured in comparison.
I suppose ATS would seem stiff to an Egyptian style dancer, but I really hate the arms and posture I see in so many belly dancers. Despite solid chops in the shimmies, great zills, or crisp hip locks, many belly dancers seem so loosy-goosy with flailing arms and floppy wrists. It just kill it for me!
Overall the low quality, both in the instruction as well as in the production value, are just not up to my level of expectation. I cannot make a buy recommendation on this one.
Egyptian Belly Dancing For Beginners with Hilary Thacker
2007 (53 minutes)
