Drum Solo: Technique & Choreography with Sadie

So you think you can belly dance and you think the moves look easy on the performance and you think it will take you only three days to get this choreography and clean it up. Guess what we all thought wrong!! This is not like The art of the drum solo with Sonia or The heartbeat of belly dance with Jenna. Basic moves to different drum beats. Almost every move is layered, isolations are crisp and you are moving pretty fast. When she is breaking down the combo's and even repeatedly going over them, the timing is much more slower than the actual choreograph music. When you do each full combination with music before beginning the next one it takes about 2 seconds to do when it took 30 minutes to practice. Fast tempo. "This is not a beginner or beginner/intermediate dvd." Intermediate/advanced and advanced students will probably enjoy there is no tutorial that break down moves you don't understand even though she does cover the moves pretty well it might be a bit much for beginner and beginner intermediate. Some of the moves can actually be broken down and used as drills of there own The title menu has the chapter list, performance and about Sadie.There are 7 combinations in the chapter list including the warm-up and cool down and performance I liked this dvd because the warm up is not over done with ridiculous yoga poses that you need an instructor to help you do.The moves she does use is regular moves you would find in a belly dance classroom setting. Not too much information was packed into every combination. With only 7 combinations you would think a whole bunch of stuff was packed in. But Sadie sticks to the routine and the combinations are not overwhelmingly packed with moves. The combinations are just right challenging enough To keep you interested and once you get them you can speed things up to match the music.The practice of the combinations were enough too, even though you may have to practice a little more on your own. There was enough repetition to at least get something in your memory. What I didn't like about this dvd is that Sadie does not always explain the moves with precise details I really can't explain it, things were explained clearly but it seemed like some instruction was lacking in some way. Even that did not deserve to have a point taken off of though because its a nit picky thing. It won't hamper you from learning the dance, the moves are broken down as usual 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Nothing to worry about. "THE INSTRUCTION WERE GOOD " just not the best in my opinion. Secondly the arm movements were sparse I know in drum solo's your pretty much trying to isolate but her arms were pretty much just out to the side the whole timeThe performance in this section is the same performance in the title menu. The "BONUS PERFORMANCE" was nothing more than Sadie doing the choreography she teaches in a pretty outfit in the same room she taught the choreography that is why I took off one point. There was nothing really new to the performance no noticeable variations or anything to make it a bonus performance.It seemed to be a marketing tool to make you feel as if you have purchased more on the dvd. The moves look very nice and even though she is smiling Sadie seems tired during the performance. Is this dvd worth $20.00 if you really want to learn Sadie's choreography yes, but if you just want to learn some drills there are other dvd's available. Maybe a little more pricey but packed with more stuff. Thrillin Drillin. This dvd is certainly not worth the $30.00 Iamed prices. For a choreography dvd it is nice and it will take practice to get these moves pieced together nicely. The about Sadie section is just a written section about Sadie its very brief its not like she is having an interview with someone and really saying things about her life.

I wanted to try something a little harder than what I had before. I didn't consider myself a beginner anymore so I ordered Dynamic Drum Solo with Sadie and I've come to realize I'm not yet even intermediary. This workout is pretty tough, for me anyway. I've gotten the hang of some of her moves and I'm still working on others.I practice shimmies or other moves whenever I can and I've noticed that my middle section has actually slimmed down some. (Which is always welcome news right?)Sadie has a wonderful way of accentuating her moves in such a way that there is no mistake what she's done, which makes it easier to learn. For the majority of the video the camera is on her from behind and to her right. A large mirror in front of her allows you to see the way her moves look from the front. She encourages repetition for muscle memory on your own if need be. The DVD is divided into seven sections, so it makes practicing the same section over and over simple. At the end of the workout she has a demonstration of the entire choreography, and it's pretty awesome.I definately feel that my bellydancing has greatly improved due to this video and I truly enjoy dancing along to this well choreographed DVD.I hope I've helped you in deciding if this is the DVD for you.

Sadie is an amazing and beautiful dancer. To be honest, as soon as I put her DVD in the player I thought--this woman teaches advanced students--what am I doing here? For beginners I recommend Jillina's "Shape Up and Hip Out" which is an exercise routine as well as a dance tutorial and drilling session. Sadie's dancing is amazing and for that alone I love this DVD. I had no idea what a Dynamic Drum Solo is, and what performing one takes, as far as tummy muscle control and isolation.

This DVD is great if you have already mastered "Heartbeat of Bellydance" and "Jillina's Level III" Instructional cd's to name a couple. Not to mention having had some instruction from a teacher of Belly Dance! I was skeptical too because of the price, but it is worth the money! Of course nothing replaces having an instructor, but you do get alot out of the DVD. The chapters are user friendly for review- which some DVD's out there are not! And the moves are broken down easily enough for an intermediate/ advanced dancer. The moves are challenging and useful. They are not bland like some combination series are. I too swallowed my tongue when I saw the performance of the choreography to be taught and couldn't wait to learn it. My only complaint is that I wish IAMED would release a cd of the music used in their choreographies on their DVD's!

I first saw Sadie perform a few months ago and was impressed. Based on that, and supporting a fellow Wisconsinite, I purchased this video. I'm only a beginning belly dancer and not too into drum solos. But this is a wonderful instructional video. The strenthening section alone is worth it! Sadie does a fine job of breaking down a dance into (mostly) manageable portions. An understanding of "down beats" and when to go "up or down" helps, but is not totally necessary. This is a tad advanced for me right now, but I will persevere and continue to watch and learn, and I look forward to growing into this video.

This Dvd was everything I read it was and more. She is very precise about each and every move and detail the exact techniques to accomplish the moves. She tells you be patient and stretch out first practice practice practice and this is why she is the expert she is. Also includes the cool down another thought out detail. I would recommend this dvd to anyone who has studied her bellydance guide dvd. I have her signature combinations as well. I think this is all I need to improve and update my belly dance techniques. She is incredible.

I have found this DVD suitable for advanced level belly dancers (I think I am intermediate and not quite there yet).This is a drum solo choreography which are categorically fast but this one is even faster.The choreography is about 3 minutes long but by no means easy 3 minutes. There are many combinations (3 or four or 8 pieces of basic moves such as hip snaps and chest lifts)Saide shows each combination in sequence and breaks down the difficult combinations without music. Then she adds the latest combination to the choreography and dances with the music while talking what is coming next. After all combinations are done she has a show which is exactly the same choreography and music.I would recommend to learn each combination to learn as a dance move and to add to your own dance rather than trying to to the whole routine.Overall this DVD will elevate your dancing skills.

Always always love Sadie belly dancer! Although I lost all her DVDs now, the way she danced and taught in the videos were excellent! Must have for belly dancers or learners. Fast delivery!

This is a lovely dance and I love Sadie and her style. It's quite complex so not for beginners but totally worth learning!

This product is exactly what wished for. The technique and choreography is fantastic. The DVD itself is brand new and works perfectly so far. And also it arrived very quickly after the order. I am very pleased.

I would classify this for Intermediate-Advanced dancers. It is a very fun and quick choreography and you can definitely see why Sadie is often called "Queen of the Drum Solo". Her style is very unique and it is a fun and challenging piece. By the end you will feel that you've had a decent workout.