Customer Rating:  
Summary: Joke or verguenza?
Comment: Although in the age of YouTube, it is great to be able to share homemade videos of amateurs practicing their hobbies, it is not OK to try to pass yourself off for something you are not. Miss Gloria Maria is not qualified as an instructor of flamenco dance, not even for beginners. She has no soul or deep understanding of the totality of the art of flamenco. On this DVD she presents isolated bits of wimpy and inaccurate technique that add up to less than the sum of the parts. Also, the camerawork is shaky; it drifts and cuts off head and feet at inopportune moments; the lighting has a green florescent tint; the sound is like in a bathtub; the editing is laughable. This DVD is what in the Spanish language would be called a verguenza, a shameful thing. Miss Gloria Maria may be just ignorant but she is disrespecting the art of flamenco with this rubbish DVD. The performances are shockingly bad and silly. Finally, the music is probably pirated; there are no music credits which means that the producer did not purchase rights to recorded music and/or that the music is not original from compensated musicians, composers, sound editors etc. This is a violation of copyright and the producer could get into big legal trouble.
If you are looking for DVDs in English suitable for beginners in flamenco dance, the series by Puella Lunaris (World Dance New York) is excellent, or try to find Teo Morca's series.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Flamenco
Comment: This dvd is great; it's a great review of all the steps I've had in various Flamenco classes over the year. The benefit of having a dvd with the instructions is that it's like having the instructor right there at any time. The instructor (Gloria Maria) covers compas, El Marcao, Floreo, Llamada, Brazeo, Taconeo, Pata de Mula, and Brincos. This is an excellent dvd either for the beginner or more advanced student.
Customer Rating:
Summary: clarity
Comment: I concur with the review above. The DVD is very amateuristic, but who cares? As a dancer - advanced in Oriental dance, but complete beginner in Flamenco - I don't want to sit on the coach and gaze at a wonderfully edited DVD. I want to practice and dance myself!
This DVD contains for at least 2 months Flamenco practice for me. For the price of one single workshop.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good instructions for beginners
Comment: Looks like this video is not done professionaly, there are poor picture quality and sound. Nevertheless, I am giving it 4 stars, because instructions are very good. Every movement broken down to small steps, that are easy to follow for any beginner. In short time I was able to learn the whole dance lesson. If you are not easily put off by the absence of shiny wrapping, this video is for you.
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