This Sunday I spent about 2 hours digitizing 'Layali Yasmina' VHS that I recently got on sale from Nourhan's website. Now I have all the choreo bits as separate videos, and I put the first 2 parts on repeat and practiced them over and over again for about 2 hours. Damn it! This choreography is too fast for me, and it combines elements that are extremely difficult to execute even on their own. I genuinely suck at spinning (barrel turns), and this choreo is loaded with spins and turns, one on top of another. Our thick carpet doesn't help either: I'm afraid of injuring myself, but then, where would I practice? I was thinking of taking private ballet classes to focus on spins, turns and transitions, but now I truely believe that nothing will help, until I correct my posture, and it might never happen.

Regarding the video: it's definitely geared towards advanced students. I dare to say that at times I don't agree with Yousry's interpretation, but then I don't have the CD with the music, so I might be missing accents here and there. I really like Nourhan's instructional style: she gives lots of performance suggestions, advises on variations and costume choices. I also find her pleasant voice very calming, compensating for the fuzzy background they decided to use (I wish Nourhan would have performed the choreo in front of a mirror).

Overall I find the video very challenging and I doubt I could have practiced the choreo playing the VHS itself: I just wouldn't have the patience to constantly rewind. Perhaps the DVD version would be much easier to navigate through.