Title: Kajira Djoumahna's BlackSheep BellyDance Format for American Tribal Style BellyDance, Level One (2009)

You Will Learn:
The tradition and meanings of the gestures used in the ATS Class "Prayer", Pranam, Centering Exercise or Moving Meditation
Belly Rolls with cue
ATS Posture
Takseem & Maya
Basis Egyptian with half and full turns
Hip Bump, Pivot Bumps, Shark and Arc Turn
Ribcage Circles with cue for direction change and how the body turns
Level Changes
¾, or Walking, Shimmy, both Full Time and Half Time, with diagonals and not
Pestle and Variations
Arabic, also with 8-count arms
Torso Twist
Turkish with ¼ and ½ turns
Circle Step
Ghawazee with ¼ and ½ turns
Body Waves - 3 sizes

ALL FAST MOVES are taught WITH FINGER CYMBALS to match the count of the music and your steps. You will learn how to find "The One" (or downbeat) and how that applies to your cymbals and dance moves.

PLUS
Both Slow and Fast Transition Practice through all moves learned, so you can follow along at home and get the idea of how this synchronized group improvisational style of dance works, and how to move from one step to another.

Level 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6juOpSbSZw&feature=related

* Any moves or combos with specific cymbal patterns are taught with those patterns. It is assumed you know your basic patterns already and can't wait for more!
* All steps and combos are taught with their cues, so you can learn to lead and follow.
* Everything is in the same order as any of my L2 Certified Teachers and I would teach it personally. This order has been fine-tuned for about 15 years, for a reason: it makes it easier and faster to learn this way, which is always more fun, too!

* Brief Review of the Class Prayer/Pranam, or Centering Exercise
* Horizontal Figure 8s
* Black Widow: in place, while turning with any number of dancers in a circle, and our famous duet pass-by!
* Down, Down, Up, Up: ¼ turns both directions and with optional ¾ shimmy overlay
* FCBD Camel
* Dawn's Camel Variation
* Old-Style Camel Walk, with optional ¼ turns
* Najla's Camel Walk Variation, with optional ¼ turns
* One, One and RockRose Variation, both directions with diagonal ½ turns
* Arabic with a Twist, a.k.a. Arabic 3 (brief review). In place and with ½ turns, both sides.
* How to do ¾ Shimmy Overlays on Turkish and Arabic steps and the info needed for layering over any other moves you desire!
* Axl Rose, or Side-to-Side Undulations

* Slow and Fast Transition Practice sections, using the moves you've just learned so you can see at least one way they can be put together, as well as to help you integrate them into your muscle memory. As soon as you feel ready, try incorporating steps from my 3 previous DVDs for lots of variation in your presentations. The ultimate goal in ATS, besides sharing your joy with the world, is to never repeat the same dance twice, even with the same dancers and same music.

* The Arabic Grandmother, with a cue that gives you a lovely, more intricate variation to use with the Slow Arabic Walk from your IAMED series.
* BSBD Corkscrew Turn, both directions
* Basic Egyptian, this time with our "cut-it-in-half" ¼ turn and our crowd-pleasing Bud-n-Flower variation!
* Traditional ATS ¾ Shoulder Shimmies, counted for you so you can understand why they're called "¾" and how they differ so much from any other shoulder shimmy or shoulder thrust out there. Includes 2 optional hip drop combinations, for orientation in either direction.
* 3-3-7 and Fiona's Variation, both hips, with pivots both forward and back.
* Dawn's Variation for Body Waves
* Spanish Walk
* Mo' Rockin' Hip Hops with 3 previously unreleased variations
* Crescent Moon, with diagonal ½ turns to both directions
* Wheel of Life Turn
* Reach-n-Sit, both hips with pivots to either direction
* Arabic with Arm Swoops
* Turkish with Arm Swoops

* Two more Transition Practice Sections now, using the moves just taught
* Closing Pranam

* Fully costumed performances by BlackSheep BellyDance!
* Really informative credits you won't want to miss. = ;-)

Level 2 Vol 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8M_HjOoJxQ&feature=related

Title: Kajira Djoumahna's BlackSheep BellyDance Format for American Tribal Style BellyDance, Level Two, Volume Two (2009):

* Any moves or combos with specific cymbal patterns are taught with those patterns. It is assumed you know your basic patterns already and can't wait for more!
* All steps and combos are taught with their cues, so you can learn to lead and follow.
* Everything is in the same order as any of my L2 Certified Teachers and I would teach it personally. This order has been fine-tuned for about 15 years, for a reason: it makes it easier and faster to learn this way, which is always more fun, too!

* Brief review of our Class Prayer/Pranam, or Centering Exercise
* Propellor Turn, both directions
* Vibrational Overlay options for the above, as well as over Figure 8s and Ribcage Circles, with the info needed for you to apply this type of alternating shimmy (not a ¾ shimmy, "vibrations" are 4/4 shimmies) to any move you like if the music calls for it.
* 2 new Torso Twist Variations
* Percussive Maya
* Over, Over, Up, Roll Down with NEW applications from the IAMED DVD that make those diagonal ¼ turns much easier
* 2 Forward, 2 Back, both sides and with ¼ turns
* The Rachel (a.k.a. The Egyptian Goddess)
* Kathak Turn, starting from either side
* Orbits with 3 variations, for varying numbers of dancers!
* Tribal Feat Single Arm Turn, both sides
* Spider Arms with both Takseem and Maya, facing front and with ¼ turns and variations for those.
* Ribcage Infinity with optional turn cue
* Wagon Wheels
* Basic Egyptian with Calibrated Spins, BSBD style

* THREE Transition Practices now: 1 slow and 2 fast! Get ready to dance, keeping your cymbals handy

* Barrel Turns, slow and with an optional fast one
* Princess Turn, both directions
* Jiggy
* Frederique's Combo
* Contrary Combo
* Backwards Turn
* Tribal Moon Backwards Turns for either stage orientation
* Switchback Combo
* Arabic Partner Pass
* Salsa, with optional cue for a turn

* More formations not previously recorded and demos in and out of them, including our eye-catching Cluster

* Slow and Fast Transition Practices of the steps you've just learned
* Closing Pranam
* Two performances by BlackSheep BellyDance!
* And those super-cool credits you can't tear your eyes away from!

Level 2 Vol 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSanfoIM7XQ&feature=related

*"Underbelly" is a fascinating documentary about my friend, Princess Farhana, and her exploits over the course of one year. It includes interviews with many other famous dancers including myself and footage from all the places Princess traveled during that year. It includes lots of bellydance footage as well as burlesque. DVDs are for sale through me because I love the film and feel it's a fun and important addition to anyone's library. It's $30 including shipping within the U.S. OR add $5 for shipping outside the U.S., unless ordered at the same time as my personal DVDs above. Then shipping is no extra charge.

You Will Learn:
*A Brief Discussion of American Tribal Style Belly Dance (ATS) and Group Improvisational Choreography
*4 Types of Crunches
*Posture for ATS
*Thorough Breakdown and Demonstrations of the Following Slow Movements, Their Cues and Variations, including Transition Practice between each Movement:
*The Vertical Figure Eights with Arm Variations, Level Changes and Rhythmic and Arrhythmic Practice
*Ribcage Circles, Both Directions, with Turns and Level Changes
*Cross-Point, Simple and with a Turn Combination
*Pestle and Pestle Variation, both with corresponding Turn Combinations
*And a "Follow Along" Section Using all Slow Movements Taught, with Transitions and Cues

*Thorough Breakdown and Demonstrations of the Following Fast Movements, Their Cues and Variations, including Transition Practice between each Movement:
*3/4 or Walking Shimmy, Square and Diagonal
*Egyptian with Full and Side-to-Side Turns
*Hip Bumps with Original and Direction-Changing Vines
*Mo' Rockin' Hip Hop, Simple and with a Turn Combination
*And a "Follow Along" Section Using all Fast Movements Taught, with Transitions and Cues
*Fully Costumed Performance by Kajira, Najla and Seana of United We Dance
* running time: about 2 hours

You Will Learn:

A Brief Introduction defining American Tribal Style Bellydance and Group Improvisational Choreography and an Explanation of What's to Come
*Thorough Breakdown and Demonstrations of the following Slow Movements, their Cues and Variations, including Transition Practice between each Movement:
*Slow Arabic, Side-to-Side and with a Turn Combination
*Tribal Bodywaves, angled to Either Direction, Turning, Three Size Possibilities, Rhythmic and Arrhythmic Applications
*Spanish Turn, with Angles and Attitude
*Over-Over-Up-Roll Down, in Place and with Diagonal Half Turns
*And a "Follow Along" section using all Slow Movements Taught, with Transitions and Cues

*Thorough Breakdown and Demonstrations of the following Fast Movements, their Cues and Variations, including Transition Practice between each Movement:
*Arabic 2, in Place, Turning and with an Optional Shimmy Overlay
*Arabic 3, in Place, with an Optional Shimmy Overlay and a Third Turn Combination, all Both Directions
*Turkish, in Place, with Half Turns, Plain and with Optional Shimmy Overlay, all Both Directions
*Up-Up-Drop-Drop, in Place and with two different Turn Combinations
*Pivot-Shift-Step, in Place and with two different Turn Combinations
*And a "Follow Along" section using all Fast Movements Taught, with Transitions and Cues

*and MORE:
*Chorus Innovations
*new ideas for Variety in your Chorus (and Explanations of What That Is and how an ATS Performance is typically staged). This section has Several Classroom Assistants to demonstrate what I'm saying as well as Additional Bonus Footage of United We Dance performing at Tribal Fest 3!

*A fully costumed performance with Kajira, Najla and Seana of United We Dance
*running time: about 2 hours