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HMC-DVD-8700
Running Time: 63 min.
Available at: Hollywood Music Center

Aziza Raks! The Passion of Belly Dance is one of my favorite DVDs. Aziza dances to a variety of Egyptian music styles including Saidi, Classical, Balady and a drum solo. In each dance, she captivates the audience with her grace and charm.

Some of my favorite “Aziza-isms” which are beautifully portrayed on this DVD include:

• The way she dances as if the studio is filled with her best friends - her expressions convey her playful communications with the audience.
• Her unusual opening of Sallam Alay which begins with a veil wrap. I have not seen that done with a Saidi piece before, but it works wonderfully. Her flirty and coy attitude is a joy to watch. Her veil movements are fluid and gorgeous. And the bouncy Saidi dance is fantastic!
• Aziza can draw circles with her hip fringe! It's true! Watch her go in Tamr Henna.
• The Drum Solo Head Shake Surprise - where she allows an accent move to go up her body and ends the sequence with a little “uh-uh” head shake. It's too cute!
• And of course, that impossibly fluid float. It must be magic. It seems like her feet aren't touching the ground.

Many times I have been late for dance rehearsals because I popped in this DVD to watch just one dance, and got so caught up in Aziza's performance that I had to watch more.

I was lucky enough to take a workshop from Aziza a couple years ago when she was in San Diego, and she is as kind, playful, fun and beautiful in person as she appears on this DVD. Her genuine emotions and beauty shine through her dancing, and it is inspiring to watch.