Customer Reviews

Ballet Boot Camp Stretch

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't know what I was expecting, exactly; perhaps more flowing ballet-style stretches. While there were plenty of ballet-type stretches, there were also plenty of yoga- and pilates-inspired stretches as well. The workouts consists of 9 chapters, and you can skip to any of them at will. Here is a rough breakdown with approximate times: (1) Isolations: this is a fun 5-minute warmup working down from your neck to your hips; I loved the rib rolls and hip rolls, it sorta reminded me of bellydancing; (2) Standing Stretch: this 10-minute stretch routine included some flowing stretches, some static stretches, and some yoga-inspired stretches; (3) Seated Stretch: a short 5-minute mat routine with ballet-style stretches; (4) Ab Work! I was surprised to find 6 minutes of yoga- and pilates-inspired ab work in a stretch routine, but it worked here! (5) Cat Stretch: a 1-minute quick break from abs; (6) More Ab Work! More pilates-inspired ab work, including single and double stretch legs; (7) Reclining Stretch A: 6 minutes of yoga, pilates, and athletic type stretches in which the instructor demonstrates her amazing flexibility by going into a backbend (the other exercises did not do the backbend, so I didn't feel bad about not doing it, either!) (8) Reclining Stretch B: 7 minues of ballet-style stretching, mostly for legs; (9) Splits Preparation: A final 5-minute stretch done in a seated position. Again, the instructor is able to get her legs completely parallel, but the others do not; so again, I didn't feel so bad about not being able to do it myself!

All-in-all, this was a more strenuous workout than I was expecting, but I did thoroughly enjoy it. Jessica sounds a little raspy, like she might have lost her voice from giving so much instruction, but she is very pleasant. No time is wasted demonstrating the moves, so if you don't know what she means by "down-dog" or "passe", you will definitely have to watch it first. I very much enjoyed this fusion-style workout, as well as the classical music which played throughout.

I own both the element ballet dvd and the ballet bootcamp stretch dvd. They are really different! The element ballet dvd has a lot of standing exercises and it's more like a ballet class at the barre. Sometimes you have to do a lot of repetitions and you feel that your muscles are getting sore! So if you like that kind of workouts, buy it!

I really prefer the ballet bootcamp stretch dvd. It doesn't have too many repetitions and it helps to improve the flexibility (for example with the splits). I'm 42 years old and recently started ballet class for beginners. I think both these dvd's are very good for a ballet beginner, and I would advice to buy them both!

I also have Jessica Sherwood's Ballet Bootcamp II dvd. It's also a really good dvd. I hope she'll make some new dvd's in this serie, I'm quite a fan of hers!

As a dancer of 20+ years I was excited to try out this dvd to maintain my flexibility and learn some new stretches. While the dvd offers a good variety of stretches, there's nothing here you haven't seen before if you're a dancer. If you're not a dancer I think this is a do-able exercise if you know your limits and are able to modify as needed.

As I said, this does have a nice mix of stretching exercises that are influenced by dance, yoga and pilates, and it's hard to find a good dvd that works primarily on flexibility. While it tends to focus on the legs and hips it also works your core and back and even some foot/ankle stretches are included, an area that's often neglected in workout dvds. As someone with weak ankles this was a nice addition. However, there are some things that may make this difficult for non-dancers or those who aren't as flexible. First of all, she doesn't offer any modifications. While it may be common sense to only stretch to your potential and not push yourself too far, it might have been helpful if she offered gentle reminders and alternatives for those who can not fully go into some of the stretches. Beyond offering modifications, in general she could have given more tips and instruction on proper form. Instead she just tells you where to move next, with little commentary. Also, she uses dance terminology with no explanation. If you don't know what a passe or degage is, for example, you will need to follow along visually quite a bit rather than rely on her cuing. I don't think it would be difficult to follow along in this way, i.e. the steps aren't advanced, it would just perhaps be an annoyance to those who aren't familiar with the terminology. Also, the production cost (and therefore quality) seems somewhat low. It looks as though it were shot in a small, local dance studio on a cheap camera. The music is classical ballet, bordering on cliche (a couple of Nutcracker tunes) and it is very quiet and almost inaudible at times which also makes it seem as though it were done cheaply. The women doing the workout in the background came across to me as flexible women, but ultimately untrained dancers who show incorrect form at times. I'm not sure if this would be noticeable to others but I found it slightly irritating. This combined with the production made it all seem somewhat amateurish. I wish some of the stretches were held longer and I had to do my own cardio warm up before doing this dvd in order to make sure my muscles were warm enough to fully do the stretches without risk of injury. Even with all of these concerns, I still think it is a worthwhile stretching routine and a good purchase.

The segments included are as follows:
- Isolations (5 min): Straight forward warm up consisting of shoulder rolls, hip rolls, head/neck isolations and chest isolations. She moves somewhat quickly through these though when some of them should be done more slowly to avoid injury and pain, particularly the head rolls.

- Standing Stretch (10 min): Gentle dance and yoga inspired standing stretches that work the back, chest and legs. Nothing too intense here, the most difficult is probably a standard forward bend. Kind of a nice additional warm up and intro to the stretching.

- Seated Stretch (5 min): Dance inspired floor stretches that mostly work the hips and legs. Includes a straddle stretch.

- Abs Part 1 (6 min): Pilates inspired ab work that fits in well with the stretches because she incorporates leg and back stretches into the core work.

- Cat Stretch (1 min): Fast break from the ab work. Even though I didn't find the ab work too intense I was surprised at how good the cat stretch felt stretching out my abs afterward which makes me think the ab section worked my muscles harder than I thought!

- Abs Part 2 (5 min): More abs. Includes reclining leg stretches while holding abs. Also includes putting your legs back behind your head and rolling slowly down the spine to work your core and stretch your back.

- Reclining Stretch A (6 min): Yoga and pilates inspired floor stretches that focus mostly on the back. Includes a back bend.

- Reclining Stretch B (7 min): Dance inspired floor stretches focusing mostly on the legs and hips.

- Splits Preparation (5 min): Lunges, hamstring stretches, splits and a final straddle.

All in all it adds up to about an hour. Although it's somewhat pricey and could do with some improvement, Ballet Boot Camp Stretch offers a good variety of stretches in a market where options for pure flexibility workout dvds are limited to little beyond yoga. It's a welcome addition to my exercise regimen and a nice change of pace.

This video is ok if you're looking for a relatively gentle head-to-toe yoga type stretch with some ballet influence. I was looking more for a targeted lower extremity stretch to help me improve my ballet extensions and turnout. I'm not an expert on videography, but the quality in that regard is a bit harsh -- like it wasn't filmed through a soft lens. The "hoarsness" in her voice that another reviewer complained about sounds like it may just be her natural voice -- didn't bother me at all.

I am rather flexible due to a martial arts background and I was looking for something a bit challenging to keep up my flexibility. While I can do the splits, it is not without serious warm up, concentration, and effort. This workout is the perfect level for me. I believe the moves include a mix of ballet, pilates, and yoga. It wasn't cardio but I had worked up a light sweat from the effort at the end. Great for my break/recovery day between higher intensity workouts. I had first tried Ballet Boot Camp 2 (which wasn't for me, unfortunately) but I liked the instructor and decided to give this a try.

I really like this DVD. I was almost exactly what I was looking for. I am new to real stretching and I wanted more stretches that will lengthen the muscles I use in ballet, and ultimately increase my flexibility. I believe this DVD will do it if I do it regularly. The background is plain, they are in a studio that is pretty nondescript. The music is classical and appropriate. The instructor is obviously very flexible. My complaint is this: there are several chapters and each time a new one starts they are already in the pose and stretching and you have to rush to get in whatever position and do it. That is a bit annoying. Also, she doesn't give modifications for the section on learning the splits. This is fine if you know where your limit is, but she also does not help you safely come out of the some of the stretches. She assumes you have complete flexibility to move out of it the way she does and this is dangerous. I have felt my knees about to pop trying to get out of the move in time to get to the next position. I do not like that at all and may have to stop using her video for the splits and backbend although I want to learn both very much. I will have to find a book or something that gives better decriptions on modifications and coming out them safely. You can really injure yourself it you don't. Other than that, I feel fully relaxed and stretched and all of the other stretches are great. The abs section is tough but effective. If you are highly flexible, you will have no problems. If you are only somewhat flexible, know your limitations on the backbend and splits sections.

I am not, in any way, as flexible as the woman who demonstrates the stretches on this DVD, but you know, I like it anyway.

It's nice to watch myself getting millimeters closer to being able to do the stretches as far as she does, and I like having the evidence before my eyes that human beings really can do things like that, so one day I'll be able to too. And not all the stretches are beyond my abilities by any means.

She does not show alternative ways of doing a stretch if you're not flexible enough for her way (this IS a Boot Camp DVD), she just assumes you'll go as far as you can. I can imagine many people not liking this, but I don't mind at all. I like being left to my own devices instead of having her say every stretch, "now, if you can't go this far, then just go as far as you can with control," or something like that. I can figure that out for myself.

She does not explain what the different ballet terms she uses mean, she just does them, expecting you too keep up, which is all right when you remember that she can't stop you from rewinding the DVD a time or two. Besides the ballet, there's several other influences as well, including yoga, pilates, and the every-day stretches you learned in gym class. I like her approach of using whatever works best while avoiding being too new-age-y or too boring. There are plenty of stretches I've never seen anywhere else--especially for hips and quadriceps; they're wonderful! I have very tight hips, so it's great to finally find stretches that focus on them.

The abdominal workouts are amazingly challenging. I've worked them into my strength training regiment and then skip them when I just want to do the DVD to stretch. But doing them with her in order works too; there's plenty of stretching both before and after the ab workouts, so you won't be sore.

All in all, this is a challenging, diverse, and no-nonsense stretching DVD that's wonderful for leading you through a thorough stretch for any fitness level.

I was a dancer until I turned 18. Now I'm 37 and I love how great of a stretch I get from this work out. I don't like yoga because I'm always dying for an old school dance class stretch that addresses all your major muscles in a direct way.

I've owned this dvd for a while, but I've become addicted to it because it feels so great to get a full body stretch. Plus, it's nice on the days that you don't want to work out so hard, but you still want to do some sort of exercise. My flexibility is increasing everytime I do it - looks like I'll be able to do the splits again soon!

Might not be so good for someone without ballet training...

If you want to get more flexible, This is a terrific stretch. Classical music to listen to, the production is not high quailty BUT, I'm glad I purchased it, do this Video at least 3 times a week,you can do every other day. It WILL deliver results!

Jogging and a bit of weight-lifting combined with the addition of a few extra years (ie, middle age) means retaining flexibility is becoming a consideration for the first time in my life. I also like the idea of something invigorating but not jumpy and hyper for a morning routine...this and one other ballet video fit perfectly. At least for me, yoga is simply toooooo slow and prone to make me sleepy before I get going for the day. On the other hand, loud music and jumping all over the place is simply not on my agenda at 6 in the morning. This is a perfect blend of the two.

Now for the actual exercise...I do not have the flexiblity to properly perform each however, almost all are designed to allow you to do the exercise to the best of your abiltiy while increasing flexibilty and maintaning tone. There is a good alternate between tough and easy which allow you to keep pace with the video more or less right from the beginning. I have no official ballet training so the modifications don't bother me one bit and I actually like the abdominal selection for the all important mid-section. It's not overdone and mixes it up just enough. The other full body selections leave me feeling refreshed, invigorated yet relaxed for the day. Great AM selection or could also be used for a relaxing end of the day routine. Highly recommended for those seeking low impact routines, anyone intereste in flexibility and those gals (or guys) above the bouncing/kicking pop-rock age.