The dance form known as Raqs Sharqi, or Oriental dance, has evolved over the past century, blending native elements of Egyptian baladi music and dance with Western artistic influences. Modern Oriental dance is shaped by ma... more »ny international influences, absorbing techniques from ballroom and Latin dance, ballet, jazz, even hip-hop. And yet, there still remains the feeling of Egypt at the heart of the dance: the openhearted emotion, the response to the music. Modern Oriental dance is characterized by powerful technique, step combinations, floor patterns and a focus on choreography, as well as a contemporary musical sensibility. In this program, Ranya Renee, New York-based star performer and instructor of Egyptian style dance, teaches two Modern Oriental choreographies a beginner version and a longer intermediate/advanced version as the focus of this video program. Each choreography is broken into combinations that are taught step-by-step, with practice drills to get the movements of the choreographies into your body. The two drills sections - beginner and intermediate/advanced enable you to repeat step combinations, built gradually so that you can climb the steps to mastery of a wide array of variations. A special section of the program gives you helpful hints on learning step combinations, so that you can build confidence as you learn more complex step sequences and integrate them into your muscle memory. A vital part of Ranya's teaching method is its emphasis on musicality and on understanding the structure of Oriental dance music. Ranya points out important melodic and rhythmic features of the music accompanying each combination, helping you to sharpen your listening and counting skills, and learn how particular dance movements can express typical turns of melody and rhythm. You'll learn what to listen for, so you can respond to the music with feeling. Ranya s holistic approach, focused on freeing your breath as you develop your physicality, will help you build connections between the music, your body, and your expression as a dancer. Special tips for performers are interspersed throughout, to coach you in relating to an audience, while executing the steps with a sense of drama and fun. As part of the program, Ranya offers guidance in developing a strong dance posture and sense of alignment as a base for solid muscular support of new movements. Technique is described from the inside out, for a better understanding of how to fit the movements on your body, and to feel them in your core. A special technique review flow guides you through sequences of key bellydance vocabulary, classic warmup stretches, and exercises to condition the muscle groups used in Egyptian Oriental dance.« less
Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 03/22/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This 165 minute "Modern Oriental" DVD is a marvelous way to learn the current Egyptian style of dance, with Ranya Renee, an internationally acclaimed performer and teacher, giving us a clear understanding of the technique, as only she can do. Ranya has a way of making her explanations visual, as in "your foot hitting the floor like your hand hitting a drum." Her depth of knowledge and expertise combined with this clarity makes this a valuable bellydance DVD to own.
It starts with a Welcome that explains Egyptian dance and its history in an overview of what will be taught on this DVD, and then you get the basic posture, alignment, and technique in detail, as well as a good warm-up.
The choreographed piece comes in 2 levels. #1 is for beginners and is much simpler and shorter, #2 for advanced/intermediate. Both include a demonstration, a step by step breakdown and "drills" for practice. Ranya has a nice habit of saying "left-right-left" etc., so our feet don't get mixed up in fast passages and weight changes. The DVD concludes with a gorgeous costumed perfomance.
Dramatic and dazzling with her mane of red hair, Ranya is a delight to learn from and watch. She dedicates this DVD to her longtime teacher Yousry Sharif, who must be so proud of her! Music is excellent and authentic, by Mohamed Ali."
Vivacious and knowledgeable Ranya Renee makes this so enjoya
Mala Bhargava | India | 04/16/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Right from the start of my short belly dance life, I've focused on Am Cab and tribal conditioning and practically ignored Egyptian style. But if anyone thinks that means I would resist Ranya's fabulous new collection of instructional DVDs in Egyptian styling, they can think again. As a matter of fact, I can already perform the beginner choreography on Modern Oriental, Bellydance Egyptian Style.
Well can perform it because it's not a difficult or complex choreo and it's very tied into the music, so when you hear the accents, you can't help remembering the moves you're supposed to do. But whether I can perform the 2 minute choreography Egyptianly or not, is another matter. That nuancing is going to take awhile.
Modern Orietnal has two choreographies on it: a 2 minute beginner finale and a longer 7-minute embelished advanced choreography. The choreographies are set to Layalina and the Finale on Wash ya Wash Vol 4 by Yousry Sharif - who happens to be Ranya's teacher.
In this preview, Ranya tells you about how Egyptian dancers have used and expressed themselves with Egyptian music. The clip may actually give the impression that the whole video is involved and complex and "talky". Not so. This is really a big chunk of the introduction. When one third of the clip is left, Ranya tells you what you'll find on the video. I'll say this: she definitely delivers on what is promised.
To begin at the beginning, Ranya first takes you through a detailed instruction (about 10 minutes of it) on posture and alignment, obviously with special emphasis on Egyptian style. Then you have a warm up combined with technique review. It's a warm up, not a hardcore conditioning workout. I'd recommend that anyone who's using this DVD go through it because you will become accostomed to the way Ranya moves and the terminology she uses. Anyway, you need to warm up and this is a gentle stretchy session of about 15 minutes.
Next thre's a unique 2-minute section with lots of tips on working with the step combinations. Where should you focus, how do you use the beat and stay on it, how to get over getting confused with the left and right foot.
And this leads straight into an explanation of how we will work with the choreographies.
A demo (in training gear) begins our work with the Finale to Layalina. Ths is a charming and perky piece of music and I really like it. The instruction follows a familiar World Dance format - learn with explanations and then dance along twice with music.
Ranya is a good instructor. Just the right mix of everything,r eally. She is very thorough and tells you about all the details, particularly which muscles to use for this style and how to interpret the music. The detail would be a lot to take in if she weren't so well-paced, so natural and vivacious. Even funny at various points. You instantly feel completely at ease with her. She has what I call good video presence: unself-conscious, relaxed and just like she's talking to you and you only.
The Finale has 7 combinations. There are repeated patterns but the choreography doesn't look repetitive. Can absolute beginners pick it up? Well, sure, probably. But it won't look the same unless there's been a few months of isolations. Nevertheless, no harm attempting it at all. If you need drills, there's a segment of drills of movements from the choregraphy after the instruction. Recommended. If you're not used to Egytpian, like me, you can do with repetitions of how to make circles and hip drops etc look way jucier and how to get the baladi bounce into it.
Ranya tells you all about the rhythms in the music as we go along and really makes it meaningful. Wonderful little choreography, in my opinion.
And then... we get to the meat of it all. The more advanced choreography. Same format, same detail. It's just that this is a longer choreography and full of layers and detail and nuances. Ranya mentions that you can choose to develop your dance gradually with this choreography. It's totally connected to the first choreography and some steps are the same but are made more complex now with decorations. Here you can see the inward moes and embellishments that make this dance different. After 14 combinations, we end up with the Finale, or the first choregraphy. But here the Finale is a little more layered and accented.
After the whole Layalina instruction, Ranya gives you an option for a veil entrance and she tells you how to modify movements to come in with the veil. Nice!
There are some tougher drills after this for the advanced learner. Six of the.
And finally, the Layalina performance in costume.
Ranya enjoys herself. And I think so will anyone who learns with her."
Great video for Modern Egyptian
Shara of Desert Dance | KS | 04/13/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a fabulous video on modern Egyptian belly dance! It is for intermediate and advanced students, but it would be good material for a beginner to watch in order to understand the music and the dance concepts. I'm really looking forward to the next video in this series. The whole series will be required viewing for my students! These DVDs are packed with information! I like to watch DVDs through, take notes, then go back and work with them. You may want to do the same with Ranya's videos, because they have so much information that you will want to remember."
Beyond Choreography
Shannon B Davis | Arlington, MA United States | 04/06/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Ranya Renee's "Modern Oriental" DVD is a single DVD focusing on Modern Oriental style of bellydance. The DVD is intended for intermediate dancers, or at minimum, beginner dancers with other classroom or DVD experience.
Ranya begins the DVD with a discussion of music for Oriental dance, and how it has changed over the years. These changes have affected how dancers respond to the music. The historical background provides the viewer with an understanding of what differentiates Modern Oriental from other styles of bellydance.
Ranya also includes a valuable section on how to best learn choreography. I put this into use already this weekend at a Yousry Sharif workshop (Ranya's dance mentor). This video, like her baladi DVD, includes a useful posture section.
Then Ranya teaches a choreography to Layalina by Yousry Sharif. First, she teaches the finale choreography, for beginners. Then she has an intermediate section with the entire song. Each section contains both choreographic instruction and practice, as well as drills to build ones skills. Ranya does not merely explain the movements, but she explains where your weight is, the "feeling" of the move, down to the angle of the head. Not only that, but she tells you why she wrote the choreography this way. She also discusses the music, and how the movements go with the music. The DVD is packed with so much more information than your typical choreography DVD, and Ranya's delivery is entertaining, never stiff or boring."
A Must Have
Anne-marie Sanchez | Toulouse in France | 07/30/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Lovers of Egyptian Style Bellydance, this DVD is fantastic.
It has everything because it covers not only the technique, but also the feeling of the music witch is so important, the rhythms, the Egyptian attitude.
The choreography incorporates a lot of essentials Egyptian moves with a lot of travelling steps.
In this DVD, you will learn a Modern Oriental Egyptian Style choreography named Layalina made of different segments:
* The Finale version 1 for Beginners and version 2 for Intermediate and Advanced
* The full choreography including the finale with full of layers for Intermediate and Advanced
* 2 variations for the entrance with veil
The menu is:
* Posture & Alignment
* Warm-up & Technique
* About step combinations
* Layalina 1 for beginners with: about the choreography / choreo demonstration / choreo step by step / Modern Oriental Drills 1
* Layalina 2 for Intermediate and Advanced with: about the choreography (full version with finale) / choreo demonstration / choreo step by step / Modern Oriental Drills 2
* Veil entrance (with 2 variations)
* Layalina Performance
During the step by step explanation, Ranya Renée gives you the maximum of tools covering the posture, the technique, the rhythm, the musicality and expression and a lot of tips. The combo sections are short with first the explanation followed by the combo drill with music 2 times, so it's easy to learn.
Everything is very well explained and easy to understand.
And after you will drill the combos with the drills section.
As an Egyptian style bellydancer with 10 years of experience, I can say Ranya Renée choreography and approach is truly representative of that style.
She is a wonderful teacher and dancer who know what she's speaking about.
And as always with the WDNY excellent quality production.
French translation:
Pour les amateurs de danse orientale égyptienne, ce DVD est fantastique.
Avec ce DVD, vous apprendrez une chorégraphie orientale moderne égyptienne.
Il contient toutes les informations nécessaires à l'apprentissage de ce style, à savoir la technique mais aussi et ce qui est caractéristique de ce style l'approche musicale et rythmique.
La chorégraphie enseignée « Layalina» comprend un large choix de mouvements typiques de ce style avec beaucoup de déplacements.
Elle est décomposée en 2 parties : le final (avec une version pour débutants et une version pour niveaux intermédiaires et avancés) et la chorégraphie en entier pour niveaux intermédiaires et avancés (final compris). 2 variantes avec voile pour l'entrée sur scène sont également proposées.
Pour chaque niveau, la chorégraphie est découpée en plusieurs segments avec une partie de démonstration, une partie qui explique pas à pas les combinaisons et une partie en musique pour pouvoir pratiquer ce qu'on vient d'apprendre.
Les segments étant de courte durée, il est facile d'apprendre au fur et à mesure.
A chaque combinaison de pas, Ranya Renéé donne un maximum d'informations sur la technique, la posture, les muscles sollicités, le rythme utilisé, la musicalité et l'expression ainsi que de nombreux conseils.
Pour chaque version (débutants et intermédiaires/avancés), une session d'entrainement reprenant l'ensemble des pas est également proposée.
Je suis danseuse orientale du style égyptien depuis 10 ans et je peux dire que la chorégraphie proposée est bien représentative de ce style.
La production de ce DVD est de grande qualité et contient énormément de matériel.
Le DVD se termine par la prestation en costume de scène de la chorégraphie enseignée.
Ranya Renée est une excellente danseuse et enseignante qui connaît et maîtrise parfaitement son sujet.
Spanish translation :
A todos los que aman el baile oriental egipcio, este DVD es fantástico.
Con este DVD, aprenderéis una coreografía oriental moderna egipcia. Tiene todos los elementos que se debe de conocer para este estilo, o sea la técnica pero también la descripción de los ritmos utilizados y el sentido de la música.
La coreografía se llama "Layalina" y esta compuesta de pasos típicos de este estilo con muchos desplazamientos.
Tiene 2 niveles de aprendizaje: uno para principiantes que aprenderán el "final", y uno para intermediarios y avanzados que aprenderán la corografía entera incluyendo el "final" con variaciones más difíciles. También se nos propone 2 variaciones de la "entrada" con velo.
Para cada nivel la coreografía esta recortada en varios segmentos con una parte de demostración, una parte que explica de forma detallada las diferentes combinaciones, y una parte de entrenamiento con música. Los segmentos son cortos de forma que se aprende fácilmente. A cada vez, Ranya Renée nos da un máximo de informaciones sobre la técnica, los muslos solicitados, los ritmos, la postura y muchos consejos.
Al fin de cada versión (principiante y intermediarios/avanzados) hay una sesión de entrenamiento que incluye todos los pasos aprendidos).
Yo soy bailarina de estilo egipcio desde hace 10 anos y puedo decir que esta coreografía representa muy bien este estilo.
La producción de este DVD es de grande calidad y contiene mucho material.
El DVD se acaba con Ranya Renée bailando la coreografía en traje de escenario.
Es excelente bailarina y se nota que conoce perfectamente el tema.