The Happy Drunk Reviews: Bellydance with Veil-Sarah Skinner

I told you guys I was the Happy Drunk Reviewer. That I love mostly everything I review..... but sometimes you come across a DVD that is ALL bang for little buck. I think I owe Sarah Skinner and THIS DVD a formal apology when I said in an earlier post that compared to Shoshanna she was the workin' girl's veil teacher. I was wrong.
     I am SO SO SO impressed with this DVD. Rarely do I find a DVD that is great for ALL levels of dancers. Rarely do I find a DVD that I say all dancers should own. This is just that DVD.
     Most veil workshops/DVD's are "samplers". There is just so much you can do with a veil, and so much you can do with each movement, it is nearly impossible to cover it all in one or two hours. Well, if you want to retain any of it. I really hate that in most DVD's/workshops, you feel like instructors are trying to cram a weeks worth of material into one hour and you find yourself going home saying " um....how do I do that wrap again?" Not so with my new friend, Sarah Skinner. The way this DVD is broken down is so user-friendly, but so comprehensive, I found myself running immediately afterward to Amazon.com to put all of Sarah's DVD's on my wishlist.

pic found at happyhipsbellydance.com

      Take the veil move "the envelope" for instance. She manages to teach the basic envelope, give several variations, then show it with some turns, also. She isn't just teaching one move, she is teaching it with motion, variations and leaves it open to possibility.
     The possibility in veil work is one of the things I find so frustrating. For each movement, there are so many things you can do, and I get overwhelmed. I find that this DVD gives just the right amount of possibility without being overwhelming.
     AND I even loved the section on picking out a veil. How many times have you been to veil workshops, seen DVD's etc.where they are like "and this is silk, and this is Georgette, and this is chiffon", the end. She talks about cross threads, dyes, and quality. I found myself listening intently to a section that usually either, A.bores me, or B. bores the shit out of me.
       I am excited to do this DVD. I can't wait till Monday when I will have some time alone to break it out again and get in some practice. Yay Sarah Skinner! Sorry for calling you Melanie Griffith.

If you like veil, have mixed feelings about veil or just walked by a veil, buy this DVD. It is the only veil DVD you will ever need. For reals.