Bellydance by Dolphina

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Dolphina's new book, on UK release in January 2005, is a step-by-step introduction to the art of bellydance. It is aimed towards the beginner market, although I believe it would be of most use to those already attending a class or aspiring teachers looking for new ways of explaining the principles of the dance.

The book is full of colour pictures which are used to demonstrate each move and is very professionally presented. However, this book is far from perfect and has its bad points as well.

The warm up routine provided is rather ambitious for a beginner and includes 360 degree head rolls and flat back stretches which I consider to be extremely dangerous, especially for those not accustomed to physical exercise. Encouraging these kinds of movements is even more irresponsible when the student is not learning under the watchful eye of a careful teacher, but alone in their front room.

The warm up aside, Dolphina does seem concerned with teaching the bellydance movements safely and her “Tips and Technique” boxes are generally useful, particularly for improver level dancers looking to tidy up their technique.

As Dolphina is American, many of the movements that she breaks down will not be familiar to UK dancers and are of the American style rather than Egyptian or Turkish. This makes it a useful resource for dancers wanting to add to their repertoire or those particularly interested in the American style.

One down side of this is that although Dolphina has revised the appendices for UK release, the vocabulary is still very much American and may confuse new dancers by referring to the familiar movements by different names to those used by UK teachers. For example a ‘hip pop’ appears to be a sharp hip push and a ‘hip snake’ a vertical 8.

This book would be useful to students of the dance who are looking for something to accompany their classes. It can be used to remind them of the movements they have learnt so they might practice at home, or to extend upon their range of movements, and at £9.99 it is quite good value compared to many other bellydance resources.

For people completely new to bellydance, I firmly believe that interactive learning provided by an experienced teacher is much safer than trying to teach yourself at home. The social aspects of the dance that one gains from attending a class are also tremendously important and add to the enjoyment of learning. However, I appreciate that for some attending a weekly class is not practical, in which case I would recommend going for a DVD rather than a book which would be much easier to follow.

For the novice interested in taking up bellydance but unsure what to expect, this book still has its place. Although I am sceptical about the merits of teaching dance through a book, this one does portray the spirit of the dance quite well. Don’t be put off by the well-toned LA models pictured in the book, the text is correct in stating that anyone can bellydance and at classes you will find a supportive, feminine community.

If you really must try bellydance out in the safety of your own home before plucking up the courage to join a class, please remember the golden rule of any form of exercise; if it hurts, don’t do it! Listen to your body and don’t try anything you are not ready for.

Click here to buy this book from Amazon.co.uk