Shimmy: The Complete Second Season

This product arrived undamaged and quickly. Honestly, we are just retyping the same review as we gave to Season 1 since every aspect is just as good and relevant. "My wife and I remember this show on Fit TV years ago and when we came across it on Amazon, we knew it would be a good purchase (to switch up from her yoga and pilates DVDs). First off, we are both physicians and admire the warmup exercises that are presented before each lesson. They utilize common postural stretches in a manner most can relate to. The only unfortunate aspect is that the stretches are not fully instructional. We wish they would tell the person not to over do the stretches, what the proper postural positioning is, and that you should only do a stretching feeling a mild pull/stretching sensation (other than that can cause physiological stress and/or damage). Remember, they are experts, and you are beginning. Do not expect to be as flexible as them, at least not right away. However, this is just two physician's point of view, and honestly, it is more informative than any other exercise video we have seen. My wife discovered, it makes you aware of muscles you never think of (lower body, core, and upper body) while teaching you "basics" in belly dancing (the shimmy aspects). The backdrops are beautiful, the lessons are clear and concise, and the music is placid. Admittedly, sometimes the camera view makes the first time of learning difficult via occasional lacks in visualization of the movements, but overall, its a great system. We recommend both season 1 and 2 to anyone who wants a great workout at home, while expanding your dancing horizons to placid music. We hope this review helps."

I have been a dancer of Middle East and Persian dance styles for many years. This is an excellent program for beginners or for low-impact exercise. It's fun and the music is great. Each movement is carefully and slowly demonstrated so you won't feel "lost" when trying to follow along. There are several warm-up exercises before each set of dance movements. The backdrops in the video are varied and visually interesting. The dancers are not just demonstrating in a bare classroom. This type of dance is made for a woman's body. It's sensual and very feminine. Give it a try, take your time and have fun with it!

These tutorials/workouts are a freaking dream! I love how they're paced, how they're taught, the locations, the time they take to do each section - they're just amazing. And the most awesome thing is, it's VERY visually interesting. You never get bored. Each episode combines about 4-5 basic moves into a short choreography. Starting with a warmup and ending with the complete choreography, the amount of time and work is just so apparent in every episode. There are some really challenging moves that are broken down very nicely. I would recommend this second season for anyone that's ready to move on from the beginning stages of belly dance. There are 13 episodes. Here's the table of contents: 14: Shimmying Circles 15: A Camel in the Cabaret 16: Hops through Flames 17: Slides, Turns, and Layers 18: The Camel's Garden 19: Turns with a Bounce 20: The Camel and the Snake 21: Ethnic Fluidity 22: Turkish Delight 23: Rippling Round 24: Down the Nile 25: Slithering and Circling 26: Bumps, Pops, and Hops You can see a more full explanation of what you'll get with each episode from Shimmy's website at: [...]

This is the most beautiful exercise on the planet. The filming, costumes, narration and locations make these DVDs worth watching. But, the work outs are out of this world. You think it looks easy then you do them. WOW! This is a whole body workout. And, way more fun than any exercise I have ever done. Shimmy 1 and Shimmy 2 have two full length DVDs and a huge variety of different workouts to choose from. I'm loving them all.

I'm really pleased to have found this series again after it was canceled from Fit TV. Each Season contains 12 episodes each. What I love about the Shimmy series is that it breaks down the basics of belly dance over a span of episodes, not just an hour DVD. I have purchased several belly dance workouts in the past, hoping to get some practice and lessons outside of the classes I took in person and was always disappointed... for serious learners, this is a must series. In Season Two, although several new moves are introduced, it's lovely that it also serves as a refresher of Season One. Unlike some reviewers say, the series does build upon itself, not episode by episode, but with basic moves reoccurring in newer episodes in order to be added to a more comprehensive dance at the end of the episode. (You get to see how moves from past episodes can combine with newer ones). Every move is broken down to the bare basics with baby steps, detailing which parts of your body should be moving at each moment (The narrator is very specific and makes such a big difference in this series). Each episode teaches about 3 to 4 main moves, and then at the end, you combine your moves into a beautiful dance using everything you just learned (the narrator leads you through each step of the final dance). It's really enjoyable and highly recommended.

I did this series when I was on FitTV and loved it! I was very sad when I could no longer do the workouts when my DVDR pooped out. SO happy to have bought these DVDS! Each workout is about 23 minutes long, harder than it looks, and very well produced and fun to watch. My husband will even watch this while I do it without a fuss lol. Get it!

I loved watching Shimmy on Fit TV, and was so sad when it was no longer available. As soon as my package arrived I couldn't wait to dance! For anyone who has difficulty following dance, this will be super easy! Every move is broken down and thoroughly explained. My favorite part is the free dance at the end! As soon as Season 2 is available, I will order it as well!

This series is beautifully shot and the lessons are concise, easy to follow and creative. It's a great morning workout.