Product Details

• Actors: Laurie Ann Gibson, Alicia Keys
• Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Xenon
• DVD Release Date: June 7, 2005
• Run Time: 104 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00096S408
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,388 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Laurie Ann Gibson, one of the world’s top choreographers and star of MTV’s Making the Band 3 presents this new dance instructional sensation. Over the course of the program, Laurie Ann takes you step-by-step through a variety of dance routines. From basic through advanced moves seen only in today’s hottest music videos and movies, Laurie Ann will give you the style, skills and confidence to dance just like a superstar.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short content, but good moves, December 28, 2005

By 

Touch Remedy "TouchRemedy" (Nassau, NY) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Breakin' It Down With Laurie Ann Gibson (DVD)

The dvd is set on a industrial looking space with Laura getting help from dancers. It comes in 5.1 as well as regular stereo.
First she shoes a music video for a minute that only had a few moves of the ones you'd be learning.
She introduces the dvd for 3 min & then there's a very short warm-up (if you can call it that) for 3 min. of just head rolls, hip bumps, arm circles & side stretches.
The beginning moves is only 13 min. with 6 male & female backups. She shows you the moves with music real-time first, then goes slower time & breaks it down move by move w/o music. She doesn't give that many cues, but she uses good analogies. She will go through each move 1-3x depending on complexity. This is not meant to be an exercise video, just instruction with her knowing you can always rewind if you forget quickly. After 2-3 moves, she will ask you to try them together calling out the names of the move as you do them to music sometimes. Then she breaks down another 2-3 & then you put those together with the first 3. She only goes from the top at the end only one time with music.
The Intermediate is only 10 min. with 4 male & female dancers which again, she shows you how it looks first, then breaks it down like I said above.
The advanced moves she says if you can do it, you should be a dancer. This is also only 10 min with 2 guys as backup.
This makes a total of about 36 minutes of warm-up & dancing. After is 4 minutes superstars & freestyle where they show a couple examples of how to take some of the moves you learned & add it to your own dancing at a club.
The music was great, too bad she didn't have it playing softly in the background as she taught. I didn't have a problem with her voice or speaking style. I didn't find the moves that complex, I got a few easily the first time, but to get it down would take practice of course. She does cue your left & right, but I'm so used to mirroring anyhow. The only thing I could wish was more repitition (cheaper for them to tell you just to rewind) & a few more cues when breaking down each move.
There's another menu choice called "club remix" after the "class selection" where they show how to move to House music for 4 min, Reggae with teaching 3 moves for 6 min & Salsa for 3 min in a club. Mostly it's very talented dancers showing off & giving you ideas if can do it just by watching.

There's a trailer at collagevideo com

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Hip Hop Instructional Video, June 13, 2005

By 

Gina Cordova "Big-G" (JACKSON HEIGHTS, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Breakin' It Down With Laurie Ann Gibson (DVD)

I purchased this video yesterday. I go to clubs a lot and got bored with my 1-2 Step. This video is great!! Laurie Ann is phenomenal teacher. There's a begginner, intermediate, and advanced level section. Each has a different dance routine. There's also a free style section, a warm up section, latin, reggae sections. The free video is really cool, you get to see an audition for a brandy video, which shows even more steps for a very advanced professional dance routine for Brandy's tour. You learn TONS!! of steps in each section. I can't say enough about how good this video is! You will definately not regret buying it. I bought the NY Ballet Workout video yesterday too (don't recommend that one, very choppy, and the narrator talks in a creepy monotone throughout, really weird, who produced that video?? There's no instructor in the ballet workout video, just dancers doing ballet positions and not explaining what's going on, you have to know ballet already to make sense of anything) Anyway, I just totally loved Laurie Ann Gibson's hip hop DVD. Hope there will be more videos soon like for reggaeton, latin, house etc.. Seriously, buy this Video if you want to learn to dance hip hop. You'll will find yourself smiling throughout, it's Ultra positive high energy and most importantly FUN!!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not so much, March 24, 2006

By 

Alexandria Cross "Mousie84" (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Breakin' It Down With Laurie Ann Gibson (DVD)

Wasn't impressed. When I buy an exercise video or dance video I feel the purpose is to teach you. The fact that she doesn't mirror the moves makes it difficult to learn. Laurie does relie on the fact that you can rewind. The warm up was horrible, a few head rolls and hip movements. I didn't get past the begginers part for a while because it was confusing.