Tribal Fusion NYC [DVD] [2007] [NTSC]

Capturing the worldly, global, and futuristic vibe of New York City and inspired by the dashing diversity of New York s theater and dance, Tribal Fusion NYC offers instruction in the popular genre of Tribal Fusion bellydance sparkling with the vibrant urgency of the great metropolis. Created by NYC-based star soloist and instructor Darshan, the program blends the timeless aesthetics of bellydance with the urban edge of today s music and the many flavors of world dance. A vital feature of the program is an open-level dance workout designed to condition the body while reviewing the basics of bellydance technique and freestyle dance movement. Darshan emphasizes optimal carriage and alignment, and aims at conditioning the muscle groups that produce ease, effortlessness and precision in bellydance movement. The workout section includes Darshan s signature torso articulation drills and the upper body flexibility and articulation that makes Tribal Fusion style so distinct. In the instructional section of the DVD, Darshan introduces an emphasis on styling and expression, as she teaches pacing, restraint, and projecting the mystique of the dance. Darshan teaches four combinations step-by-step and the demonstrates them in one dance sequence easy to follow for practice. The combinations let you explore different substyles of Tribal Fusion Bellydance: Combination 1: Contemporary Tribal Fusion Combination 2: Tribalesque Combination 3: World Tribal Fusion (adding a salsa/samba flair to Tribal Fusion) Combination 4 is offered as a pattern for a contemporary-flair wide-stance switch transition that can be used between combinations.

Good production. Good exercise session with challenging chest and torso (ondulation) moves. Darshan teaches 3 combinations each with a different dance influence (tribal, world - samba etc.) in which she breaks down the moves involved. Darshan then puts these moves togethet in a short and straighforward little dance combination which repeats itself automaticaly- that's a brilliant idea for those who might want to keep practising this routine for a while. Darshan is graceful and teaches very well. The music is modern something or the other, not oriental. Darshan gives a lenghty solo permance at the end, which showcases her particular style of dance. Overall, worth adding to one's collection of Tribal Styles. --amazon.com (US)

Found Sera's East Coast Tribal a little more useful and educational, but this has some great stuff re: posture and much more comprehensive with arms. The warmup is a pretty good one. From a production point of view, the dark background is a tad on the creepy side (smacks of a snuff film being shot in a warehouse) but the quality of education is good and certainly I have no regrets on this purchase. A good supplement to other tribal training. --amazon.com (US)

I have been taking cabaret classes for 3 years now and this is my first DVD on tribal fusion bellydance. I loved the way Darshan explains how to do the moves in easy to understand step by step break down. She does them slowly at first, explains the use of muscles involved and then does them at full speed so that you can see what it is supposed to look like once the move is mastered. I liked her constant reminders to keep breathing and tucked for I get so involved trying to follow that my form often starts to suffer. True beginners might have a little trouble following along- for example, she doesn't explain what a hip drop is or how to do it. I however, found it fun and easy to follow and I especially improved on my undulations and learned the chest figure eight for the first time. I also liked the break down of the combinations as well. She built them up slowly so that I could easily memorize them as she went along. I didn't have to keep going backwards on the DVD to see what she did because she repeated learned moves and then added new ones to the combination. The intro is very informative and interesting. Darshan speaks clearly and has a nice voice, but used the word "um" quite a bit and the camera angle cutting was a little odd. Don't let that stop you from enjoying her dancing, teaching and her performances at the end. Over all, this DVD has a good warm up, helpful drills and some nice combinations that can be incorporated into one's dance. Nice little samples of a variety of moves in 3 combinations with 3 different styles: Contemporary Tribal Fusion, Tribalesque and World Tribal Fusion. Advanced tribal fusion students might find this a good review, but may end up not getting enough new stuff from it. --amazon.com (US)

A lifetime student and lover of dance, Darshan began studying American Cabaret Style with Aurelia, and added Tribal Style to her repertoire when she found Gypsy Caravan. She joined the Caravan in 1995 and traveled to perform in WA, CA, AZ, LA, FL, including Peter Gabriel's WOMAD and the Bumbershoot and Folklife festivals. Meanwhile she continued to hone her solo dance skills in bellydance, exploring Egyptian and Turkish Cabaret and many folkloric and 'Gypsy' styles, also adding studies in Flamenco, Samba, Salsa, Capoeira, aerial dance, modern, and quite a bit of yoga to her movement vocabulary. She earned her massage license in Oregon, and an Associate of Science in premed. Studies in anatomy as well as further studies in fitness and movement design deepened her understanding of movement and stillness in the body. This awareness of the sense of the body adds depth to Darshan's teaching style. After a trip to Morocco where she danced in the village and learned from the Gnawa how to play qarqaba, Darshan moved to New Yor, where she has had the pleasure of studying with masters of dance. Darshan continues to research dance ritual and the dancer's body, in an effort to expand and deepen her dance and awareness.