Belly dance to shape and tone

Dance-based exercise programs have taken the fitness world by storm. Everything from hip-hop to ballet to salsa has worked its way onto videos and into health clubs as an alternative to traditional aerobics and cardio machines. These low-impact workouts help tone muscles as well as provide cardiovascular benefits. Now, even belly dancing, once considered exotic entertainment, has crossed over into the world of fitness.

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“Goddess Workout: Bellydance With Veils”: This new DVD, part of a belly dance series, gives an upper body workout through graceful, repetitive arm movements and the use of a light chiffon veil. Dolphina, owner of the Goddess Center studio in Marina del Rey, discovered belly dancing’s fitness potential when she was performing in New York City and studying at the American Academy of Dance and Drama. While belly dancing, she saw her own body change. “It tones and sculpts,” she says, “but in a very feminine way.” The 25-minute video includes a warm-up, veil techniques, routines and a cool-down.

Price: About $12.95; available at Target, Borders or at www.goddesslife.com.

-- Jeannine Stein