Reviews

This is a little booklet, nicely packaged in quality papers. At first I found it quite simple and might not be as comprehensive as I expect. Though the book does not have huge volume, it is precisely written with some basic facts and history about belly dancing. I particularly love the part which it introduces different kinds of musical instrument and rhythem used in belly dancing. The materials are easy to understand, clearly presented but it provides what I expect to know. A practical guide for belly dance lovers.

A lovely book for your very first purchase in this area. The author is an Australian of Middle Eastern background who has now moved to Egypt, so it is obvious she loves her subject. Such a pretty book in addition to being a good read. A great gift if you know someone who is just starting classes, or if you want to encourage them to!!

This was actually a surprising little book. A quick flip through led me to believe this was going to be the typical fluffy intro to belly dance book. The typical history, basic movements, and rah rah mystical female culture sections are offered, but where this book differs from several others I've seen is in the offering of brief but nuanced overviews of several important aspects of dance which are typically glossed over by information sources aimed at the beginner. The first section I especially appreciated the chapter regarding common instruments with a brief breakdown of the mood generated by, and the motions generally driven by the instruments. This included an explanation of common rhythms (which actually goes beyond Baladi, Masmoudi, and Chiftetelli!) listing regional source, time signatures, "feel", and most common drumming patterns. The other really interesting section for me was the breakdown of commonly seen dance styles with information on area of origin, and distinguishing characteristics in movement, musical style, and costume. Belly dance is often offered by beginner books as sort of a homogeneous monolithic thing, when in reality it's a very broad collection of sometimes rather tenuously related styles. I think this book does a really good job of giving the reader a taste of the many different flavors of belly dance available without causing information overload. One caveat: while the predominantly purple and blue printing in the book is awfully pretty, some of the layout choices leave a bit to be desired. Read it in good lighting.

This book is beautifully done- from the imagery to the content and everything in between I really appreciate Keti's research, insight, and presentation. It is very detailed and interesting... leaves you wanting more for sure but hopefully she will write more on the subject. In fact, she has, if you go to her website [...] you will find some interesting articles on a vast array of fascinating subject matter related to bellydance. From sacred geometry, chakras in dance, and identifying the specific traditions in dance of different regions- she has a lot of great things to share. I have heard her style of teaching dance criticized but having used her advanced instructional dvd, I would have to say that I think, as far as instruction goes, she is one of the best. She takes all of the intricate elements of dance, theory, tradition, anatomy,geometry and really makes some elegant combinations that showcase a broad spectrum of classic bellydance (with a very "old hollywood" flair that I think is charming). Personally, I think her teaching style is fantastic- it gets even the most callow actually dancing right from the get-go without any wated time and imparts with each combination a little history & stylistic insight. You receive an introduction to her teaching style in this book (her A-Z teaching through combinations). I would consider this a must-have book for the bellydancer's bookshelf.

I actually learned some new tidbits about bellydance through this book! I was just expecting to be a nice coffee table book, which it can be, with the nice pictures, but it actually have some good info. It's not a textbook, of course, so don't expect a whole educational level of information. What's in it, is just really good for general knowledge regarding this form of dance and culture.

Reviews

Enjoyed thumbing thru this book, not a seamstress, but content, I felt was very interesting.

A great costume is essential for all belly dancers. This book helps you not only start any costume project, it also provides some ideas on how to make you items totally unique. Was expecting alittle more detail in some sections, but overall, very good resource

This is a really good book for all dancers to read. Understanding costume basics is important even if you are not making your own. I keep this in the classroom for students to look through. I put each page in a page protector and inserted them all in a notebook. The girls love using it as a reference and I recommend they get their own copies and start building their bellydance libraries.

a very good scource/reference book[let],more of it would have been good,as was bit thin on pages, but still an exellent ideas book with drawings & explanations easy to understand, i liked it.

I'm a beginning bellydancer but an experienced seamstress.My specialty is in proms/bridesmaid/formal wear.Love that this book is spiral bound for laying flat. Lots of good quick ideas, with variations & samples to enhance & create more ornate costumes. Some of the projects will be easier with some sewing experience(some of the instructions might be a little unclear at first reading) but most can be created with minimal sewing skills. It is a good starting point.I consider this book a definite plus in my sewing library for branching out into costuming.The ideas presented go beyond just bellydance and can be used in other areas of dance and/or costuming. I have several of Devine's books on my wish list.