Customer Reviews

Alvin Ailey Dance Moves!: A New Way to Exercise

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This book is intended to give the reader an idea of the work that Alvin Ailey dancers and students go through to prepare for the style of dance they perform. It is not going to teach you how to be an Alvin Ailey dancer (sadly).

According to the brief history and description of the Alvin Ailey style, the company borrows from a diverse range of techniques, everything from ballet, jazz, modern (specifically the work of Lester Horton, Katherine Dunham and Martha Graham), to African, Caribbean, Indian and West African traditional dance. In addition to studying movements from those techniques, Alvin Ailey dancers also use movements borrowed from yoga and what is referred to here as "body conditioning". Again, you're not going to learn any of those styles of dance here, but the influences on the exercises are apparent.

The book is divided into Warm-Ups, Posture and Alignment, Stretch, Strength, Balance and Coordination, and Relaxation and Rejuvenation. The full program is said to take 60 to 90 minutes, but options for shorter programs (20 to 30, as well as 7 to 10) are also offered.

What I enjoy the most about this book is the emphasis on a loosening of the spine combined with the need to constantly stretch. Some of the stretches, while nothing revolutionary, are a nice twist on some traditional yoga postures, and I've started using some of the warmups before I begin my Pilates practice.

Much of the Strength section will be familiar to those who have been exposed to Pilates and ballet, and the Balance and Coordination session borrows heavily from dance and yoga. They lost me a little bit on the cool down, where they have one move where you might end up literally running around your room (how is this cooling?) but otherwise I liked almost all of the exercises in this section.

The photographs were very warm and clear- it was very easy to see what the dancers/models were doing, and the setting (a white living room/studio) looked like a nice place to workout (that setting seems to be the trend these days). The dancers themselves, while of course thin, trim and flexible, seemed to have more attainable bodies than those featured in many other dance books. It was also nice to see a very ethnically diverse group.

This is not an overly strenuous, straining workout, and you would probably want to supplement some other work for the upper body (do dancers really only use pushups to develop their arms?). However, it is a relaxing workout with an emphasis on alignment and spinal articulation. A nice compliment to yoga and Pilates workouts.

This book concentrates on stretching and other warm-up exercises used by professional dancers. Although I would have preferred a different order, meaning all floor exercises first, then sitting, then standing exercises, I find this book to be very useful. Each pose, in its various stages from start to end, is shown in clear photographs so you know exactly how to do the exercise. The accompanying descriptions are easy to understand. Overall, a very good book.

This had some very good illustration and explanation of basic movement. I purchased it because I am teaching a "dancersize" class at the local hospital for a rehab program and wanted some more anatomical information about specific target excersizes! Helped a great deal

I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for my 12 year old niece who is a dancer. She loves it as does the Director of her dance school. It promotes movement and dance.

It turns out that this book outlines the dance warm-up we did in my Jazz classes in college. The moves are gentle but, if done regularly, will tone and streamline the physique, making you strong and supple.

I LOVE this book. It demonstrates a fantastic dance workout in clear steps and with well-chosen photographs.

The cover of this book makes a reader think that there are instructions and details to learn a variety of "dance" moves. I found that a majority of the moves are static stretches and toning. I was really looking forward to this book to add to my morning routine, but it wasn't much help really.
It would really be useful for people wanting to learn toning exercises and stretches. Pilates would be usefule here also.