Customer Reviews

Ballet Class Intermediate Level with Dmitri Roudnev

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dmitri Roudnev is a wonderful ballet teacher and dancer(formerly of the Bolshoi) and a great credit to the ballet community, much to the benefit of the Chicago area. In this DVD we are shown a full set of barre and center exercises, very nicely explained by Mr. Roudnev. The routines are demonstrated by Jennifer Goodman of the Joffrey Ballet very effectively(although it would be nice if Mr. Roudnev gave her a few corrections, such as keeping her tendus on the floor and not letting the heel be the last thing to touch the floor when closing the working leg into fifth position demi-plie; there is no shame in being corrected, in fact, most professionals expect to be corrected occasionally in class and it is very useful to see corrections in instructional videos!). Mr. Roudnev is very active in his videos and does plenty of explaining, so you are not just watching people dance as in some other instructional videos. The image and sound are very good also. All his videos and cds are highly recommended.

I came upon this DVD by chance, while searching for a good ballet class. This is one of the best ballet programs I have seen in many years. Dmitri is an outstanding teacher. I highly recomend his series of ballet classes and music for ballet classes (by the way) to anybody who is after the REAL CLASSICAL BALLET.

I really enjoy Dmitri Roudnev as a ballet instructor and his classical Russian approach to ballet. I use this DVD at home for extra ballet work so I can practice every day and when it is convenient. I really like the center work and instructor Roudnev's emphasis on form, style and grace in the lines of the body as well as the head position. I very much enjoy his instruction and style - it's what I wanted and what I need.

I really like these videos. I did listen to the warning of other reviewers. I see their point. The price is high for the quality of filming and sound. I don't think its unsuitable for the quality of a class you get here in this dvd. In short, a little expensive, but worth it if you need to supplement some classes.

It is a good product for the diligent ballet student. Ballet dance improves only with daily practice. Going to a ballet studio every day can be expensive and time-consuming.The DVD does not replace the live class but it helps compliment it.

Pretty good, it would be better if the camera angles were more user friendly for following along (i.e. you can just mirror the actions on screen).

I've been looking for a dvd like this for ever. I've been taking intro/intermediate ballet classes in professional studios for a couple of years and have some background in gymnastics. I've been looking for a dvd, which would give me a feeling of being in a real class. This dvd does it. Instructions are clear and the class is well-paced. Both sides are covered - so you don't need to rewind to repeat the other side. Overall very professional and easy to follow. Also loved the advanced class.

Highly recommend this dvd to any experienced ballet student or dancer that wants to follow along at home. Easy to follow and understand. Good workout. DVD is at an intermediate level (not for beginners).

I reviewed this dvd (and two of Dmitri Roudnev's other ballet class dvds produced by him), and it indeed was a good demonstration of an actual intermediate to advanced ballet class routine, with barre and centre work. However, the recording quality was so poor and amateurish (it seriously looked as if someone was using their out-dated home camcorder complete with awful sound quality to film the class) that I couldn't even enjoy watching it very much, and wasn't motivated to actually do the class (the barre work at least, since I don't have enough space in my living room to do the centre work). For the price (this dvd is more expensive than better-produced workout and dance-conditioning dvds on the market), I expected something slightly higher in production quality. Then again, I was given fair warning from the previously written (and more favorable) Amazon reviews that the recording quality was quite poor and that one should take from the dvd what it means to give, that is, a "real" ballet class experience. I myself like the aesthetic of a slightly more professionally done and arranged recording, and so have deferred to using other dance conditioning dvds for my exercises (even though they are not quite "authentic" dance classes). I ended up returning this dvd, and two of the other Dmitri Roudnev dvds I ordered from Amazon. I just couldn't appreciate or get myself to use it for the content alone, and felt somewhat "cheated" by how cheaply produced it was for the rather expensive price.