This was the first Amira Mor video that I ever purchased. I remember it like it was yesterday. I strolled into the studio for class, eyeballing the new goods on my way in per my usual custom. Brenda had gotten a new series of videos by somebody named Amira Mor. As I scanned the titles, one in particular caught my eye - Bellydance Your Way to Your Soul Mate. Huh. Whatever. I walked into the class space, put my stuff down, and got ready for class. I had plenty of time before the class started, so I went back and ever-so-casually began to read the back of the Soul Mate video box. In this video, Amira promised to help me learn to "magnetize the opposite sex" and to "walk with confidence as if I owned the world". For a mere $18, I could learn a "sexy improvisation that would mesmerize my lover and encourage passionate experiences I've only dreamed of". Those were some mighty bold claims. Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided that I had to have this video. When I got home and got settled in, I popped the video into the VCR, made myself comfortable on the couch with a bowl of popcorn within reach, and pressed "play". The video opens with Amira in shadow, undulating to the strains of some soulful tune*. The lights go up, and before me appears some exotic creature in a dazzling red costume. As I watch her sensual routine of veil play and full body undulations, I think, "Ok, I can do this; I just need to practice so that I can get through the whole thing with a straight face." And then the floor work began. Houston, we most definitely had a problem. If I had to be able to lie backwards with my knees bent and touch the back of my head to the floor in order to have a soul mate, then a soul mate I surely would not have. I munched popcorn and thought about my knee sockets.

The instructional portion of the DVD begins with a much-needed pep talk from Amira in which she encourages me to "give everything I have in me". I push the popcorn aside and grab my veil and try to follow along. Boxer, my cocker spaniel, immediately runs to hide behind the big chair in the living room. With his animal instinct, he must have known that no good would come of this.

Segment 1 is all about the veil. Wearing a beaded costume bra, sparkly sarong, and 4-inch Lucite heels, Amira shows me how to drape myself "like a goddess" and how to unveil myself elegantly. She then demonstrates various undulations, isolations, arm movements, turns, and other movements using the veil. Veil work continues in Segment 2 with more complex moves like "Sunshine", "Champagne", and The Walk. Floor work is introduced in Segment 3. Amira offers several different ways to melt to the floor and several sexy options for what to do once you get there. Prior to watching this video, I had never seen any floor work, let alone any quite like this. To say that my attempts at doing the movements were pure comedy gold would be a gross understatement. Nevertheless, I gamely followed along while Amira did hip circles, horizontal undulations and waves, slides, and "Cleopatra rolls". By the time we got to the backbend stuff, however, my thighs were burning, my knees were popping, and I realized that I was out of my league. I sat back on the couch; Boxer came out from hiding.

In Segment 4, Amira demonstrates how to get up gracefully and how to use sexy arm movements to make the transition. The next portion includes traveling hip circles, traveling undulations, lower body isolations, and some suggestions for beautiful endings. Segment 5 is an open invitation to practice what you've learned and join Amira in a sensual improvisation. There are two versions of combinations that are sure to help you "take your relationship and love life to a whole new level", just like the box says. The blue one is my favorite. By the end of the video, I had given up all pretense of doing the moves and merely sat with my eyes glued to the screen, taking in the "Arabian cowgirl" costume and the sensuous, fluid motion. Amira dances with passion and refreshing abandon like a woman completely in touch with her feminine power. As the credits roll, I find myself imagining what it would be like to have that kind of confidence and openness - not to mention flexibility. I decide that I need to go back and start from the beginning; and thus, my Amira Mor DVD collection began. If you are looking to add a little more va-va-va-VOOM! to your dance repertoire, this DVD is for you. Pick up a few moves to integrate into your taxim pieces or get inspired to put together a sexy show for the one you love. A piece of friendly advice: start working on your Valentine's Day presentation *now*. *The music featured on this DVD comes from Omar Faruk Tekbilek's Whirling (Celestial Harmonies) - track #5: "Long Wait". Dawn :o)