Product Details

• Actors: Melissa Lowe
• Producers: Dennis Hedlund
• Format: NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Kultur Video
• VHS Release Date: October 22, 1991
• Run Time: 83 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301556011
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,238 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The title is somewhat a misnomer: this 83-minute video isn't a "workout" so much as a ballet class. If you've taken ballet in the past--or if you've always wanted to--pull on your tights and leg warmers and enjoy this video. Melissa Lowe, a former soloist and principal dancer with several ballet companies, leads two levels of workout. Level 1 is for those with little or no ballet training; ballet experience is helpful for level 2. Each level has three segments: floor work (stretches to warm up the muscles), barre work (standing exercises and positions done holding onto a barre or chair), and center work (more intense conditioning with balance, traveling, and some jumping). If you're not already flexible, you'll find the stretches daunting, even at level 1. This is a 1984 video and doesn't have the production quality you find in more current videos, but ballet is timeless. The music is solo piano--just like in ballet class. The lithe, willowy instructor doesn't smile or try to engage the audience, but she sure knows ballet, and her flexibility and grace are awe inspiring. --Joan Price

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth my time and money, February 26, 2004

By 

Shelley Ashfield (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ballet Workout [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I started dance classes three years ago at the age of 38, and bought The Ballet Workout to help develop more muscle control in my hips and legs. I've done yoga, Pilates, belly dance, aerobic dance, but really, nothing compares to ballet for gaining the strength and muscle control I'm looking for.
Melissa Lowe is a good teacher. Her voice is pleasant, and her descriptions of movements were very precise, complete, and not at all redundant. As a beginner-level adult, I needed that level of explanation so I could execute movements correctly without injury.
Some things, like Ms. Lowe's stage makeup and poker face may seem jarring to the 21st century viewer, but keep in mind that this tape was produced in 1983, one of the very first dance instruction videos, before teachers had much collective experience before a video camera.
For me, the moves are difficult to execute, even at the tape's "beginner level", perhaps because of my age and inherent lack of flexibility. I would have appreciated being able to see what the exercises look like when executed correctly, although the dancer cannot yet achieve complete turnout or raise the leg fully. Melissa Lowe's verbal description was a great help for me to be able to make a good guess, but a demo would have worked even better.
I look forward to seeing more of Melissa Lowe's video instruction, as in these last twenty years, she will have become a prodigious teacher.

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for Toning Legs!, September 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ballet Workout [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I love the workouts on this tape. I've been using this tape for a year now - which is proof that it works, it's easy to stick with, and the workout is as challenging as you make it (there's always a technique or position to improve). You see and feel results right away. Whenever I see that I'm gaining a couple of pounds or my legs are losing their shape, I just follow this workout for a week or two, and I fit into my jeans again. I can't wait to try the second video by Melissa Lowe!

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great workout for your body!, April 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ballet Workout [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This video is for anyone who is trying to tighten things up. In only a few weeks I noticed a difference. After the first workout I felt great! It shows some really good stretching exercises. It also makes you more aware of your posture so you stand taller and look thinner. The moves are so easy that my two and three year old children love to do "ballet" with me.