American Bellydancer
Reviewed by Anala Rabari
This DVD is an awesome look at how the Bellydance Superstars became a phenomenon. Included are depth interviews with the production team of the show and the lead dancers. You get to hear the honest details of what it takes to make a living at bellydancing such as doing 6 shows in one night back to back. You also get to hear the good and bad of what dancers experience from their friends and family because they have chosen to be belly dancers. One of my favorite scenes was all the dancers in Bali, Indonesia having a round discussion about what they think is important for an audience to know about belly dancing. There is a short segment on the affects that 9/11 had on dance classes and the teachers that is further explored in the bonus footage. The history of the dance, costumes, and historical movie footage are covered throughout the production. You also gain insight into the hazards of touring such as getting cards stuck in ATMs, costume malfunctions, sharing stages with rock bands, inter-state child labor laws, accidentally driving the wrong car, and all the girls sharing a charter bus as a dressing room. There is some great bonus footage of Mary Ellen McDonald, a dancer and musician on the techniques of playing zills and tambourine while dancing. She also does an amazing job of explaining shifts in rhythms and the structures of some rhythms.