Are their any online Bellydancing instructions??? that includes downloadable vid

Question:

Are their any online Bellydancing instructions??? that includes downloadable video??

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: There are several online sites with descriptions of moves and a few online instructional videos however before I tell them to you I have to throw in this little disclaimer. A video, book, website, etc... is no substitute for quality live instruction coming from the personal interaction between an instructor and student. Only a qualified instructor will be able to help you with proper posture and breakdown. Using other methods of learning by themselves may lead to serious injury. If you can I highly recommend finding an actual local instructor and taking either classes or private lessons and then useing resoureces like those listed below for supplementary matierial in addition to your lessons. OK that being said here is my (in no way complete and quite condensed) list of resources (starting with directories where you can locate local instructors)

WEBSITES (for finding teachers/classes)
http://www.shira.net - probably the most extensive directory
http://www.middleeasterndance.net... - my site which has a decent sized directory as well.
http://www.bhuz.com - another large directory as well as a great forum which can answer pretty much every question you will ever have about bellydance since it's comprised of bellydancers from all over the world.
If you can't find lessons looking on these three sites their may not be any in your area.

WEBSITES (for learning moves on-line)
http://www.middleeasterndance.net... - my own site look under the movements section, there will be enough to keep you busy for a long time. Also please read the before you begin section with the disclaimer, warm-up, cool-down, and basics about posture.
http://www.shira.net - don't mind what the other person said about this site I doubt she even knows how to bellydance. Shira's site is an extensive collection of articles written about and for bellydancers and can provide you with a wealth of information that will be very beneficial. It's one of the oldest and most respected sites on the Internet and is referenced by bellydancers world-wide. She has a specific page which tells you how to do some moves as well as extensive links to other sites that offer on-line lessons as well.
http://www.venusbellydance.com/vocabular... - More movement descriptions.
http://www.aleena.com/miramar/ - go to on-line dance lessons there are several articles about dancing there.
http://www.zilltech.com/onlinelessons.ht... - Another old, well, respected website full of information you should check out. She offers a few instructions for several basic moves.
http://www.kawakib.com/page-30.html... - more of a technique lesson but might be helpful after learning some basics.
http://www.raqs.co.nz/moves.html... - has some descriptions of select movements.

BOOKS
Belly Dancing Basics by Laura A. Cooper (ISBN: 140271078X) - newer book, not great but not bad either.
The Art of Belly Dancing by Dahlena with Dona Z. Meilach - This book is out of print but shows up on amazon and e-bay from time to time. It's ok but it's written for a different time the history part is especially questionable but the moves are pretty straight forward.
Grandmother's Secrets by Rosina-Fawzia Al-Rawi (ISBN: 1566563267) - An interesting read has several descriptions of dance moves as well.
A lot of books have been coming on the market recently and most of them (excluding out of print books) are available at Barnes and Nobel or borders books as well as other chains and smaller stores.

ON-LINE INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS
http://www.trybellydancing.com/... - Like a mini instructional video available online. It's not bad quality.
http://www.expertvillage.com/interviews/... - Several mini instructional segments on various moves as well as zills, costuming, and musicality.

VIDEOS
Precision Motion Workout Series by Suzanna Del Vecchio - offers good posture basics as well as quality instruction on many moves.
Bellydance for Fitness Series by Neena and Veena Bidasher - this series is very cheap and available from major retailers like target, walmart, borders, and Barnes and Nobel but the quality of instruction is low. This is more of a workout for beginner dancers who already have had some training. The videos are a good quality as far as picture and sound but these are not good for an absolute beginner.
If you have any questions about bellydancing please feel free to contact me through my site http://www.middleeasterndance.net...