Customer Reviews

Christy Lane's Complete Guide to Party Dances [VHS]

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

 

 

I ordered this video intending to use it for my university English club--something for the students to do that is more active and fun, while also help break down their shyness. I figured, "party dances" --means more adult-aged parties, appropriate for college students. Unfortunately, it is geared for primary school gym teachers or very old cruise ship passengers--and I mean very old--the average 50-yr. old would find these dances too humiliating and degrading to do in public.

I^m sure Christy Lane is a fine person, she is enthusiastic, energetic--but nothing can hide the fact that her moves are cheesy, the dances dated, her outfits corny, the music and production of the video second-rate. Anybody between the ages of 12 and 70 will cringe when they see this video--and cringe even more when they view themselves aping her hokey moves.

The video states that in order to keep costs down there is no original music used--there is someone playing a set of drums to provide the music, and the overall effect is simply tawdry--lighting is dark and dismal, and there is no footage of an actual "party" -- all the video is shot either in a dank cavernous gymnasium or in an overcrowded elementary school classroom.

If you have very young children you need to organise for group physical recreation, or very old senior citizens whom you would like to help become more active--this video would be OK, but for the outrageously inflated price and low quality, you would be better off purchasing a different dance video and adapting it to your needs. For those of you seeking a video that will help you feel more confident on the dance floor, save your money and give this video a pass! I made the mistake of buying it--no need for anyone else to, either!

I don^t like being so negative, but I was quite disappointed with this video--Christy Lane is misleading when she describes it as the "complete party dance video" -- she needs to state clearly that the only parties these dances will be found at are for 2nd or 3rd grade kids (and nowadays many of them will find it hopelessly "uncool").

note to Christy Lane: why don^t you redo this video--make one totally for kids similar to this video and another for adults--using college-aged and above adult dancers and nightclub-style settings, and check out MTV or something to see what people wear nowadays to dance!

Lisamarie

I hold my own on the dance floor, but have never learned any specific, structured steps -- something I had longed to do for a long time. It seems so many people out there on the floor inherently know what they're doing -- but how? (They probably have Christy's videos at home.) I was not comfortable asking one of my friends to teach me right there during the party, at the risk of being embarrassed in front of a whole crowd of people. Christy's video allowed me to learn at my own pace in the privacy of my own home. And it was SO enjoyable! Christy's enthusiastic teaching method made me feel like it was all actually going to be easy, and it was! She is very clear, she details every step (and if you miss something, you can always rewind), and makes learning these dances FUN. It is obvious by Christy's confidence that she loves what she's teaching up there on stage, and this confidence spills over onto the participant, enhancing the enjoyment of the learning experience. I was surprised to learn Christy has many, many instructional dance videos on the market, and I look forward to purchasing more of these in the future. Christy makes learning FUN and EASY! I can't wait to show off my newfound confidence on the dance floor. Thanks, Christy!

I used this video before I went to my sister's wedding and it worked! I was the hit of the dance floor! These nostalgic dances are easy and fun...they can make anyone look good! Highly recommended!

This video is mostly for family fun. Your kids school dance is about the only place I can see any one using these steps. What I wanted was some 90's dance steps that I could do in a bar without looking funny, this is the wrong video. Most dances are the older ones like the bunny hop, robot, hokey pokey, hand jive and others. They have some 90's dance steps and they are way to fast like the hammertime and, very few, others. The music that I want to learn how to dance to is the new stuff like "The Bad Touch", "Genie In A Bottle", "Baby One More Time", "It's Gonna Be Me", and all the awesome songs that have come out in the past year or so. This video is not worth the money. If you know of a video that teaches this kind of dancing please let me know (b_train_98@yahoo.ca).I REGRET BUYING THIS VIDEO, I WISH I COULD RETURN IT FOR A FULL REFUND!

These dances are also done at weddings, reunions, etc., so that was not the disappointment. The problem is:

She starts each dance with a description of the moves (so far so good). Then she says,"Let's start the music and dance". But you don't hear any music!! Instead there's some narrative of the history of the dance or some such useless. You see some of the audience dancing, and they even tease you with a band playing. After the short (about 1 minute) narrative she moves to the next dance. Supposedly they don't play the music in order to save money on royalties, but c'mon - Shouldn't the Chicken Dance be public domain by now?

This video seems mostly an introduction to a more expensive tape - this one with real music.

Oh well, live and learn.

So, I picked this up thinking, this should be funny....and it was. Christy Lane must be one of the most sheltered people in the dance scene. She changes outfits for each section, for the 60's section she opted for the hawiian shirt? She also had a section about the "techno/club" dances, in which she sported a vest that could have only been made w/ the Bedazzler. She's an ok dancer, not that this should have any effect on the hilarity of the video. Her robot is the worst thing I have ever seen, her Hammertime is not much better. However, just the fact that she decided to include these 2 party dances is a testiment to how silly this video is.
The best part of the video are the people that are dancing to her instuctions though. They don't make many appearances, but when they do....Oh my.
I don't recommend buying this unless you have the capacity to laugh @ people being absurd over and over again. Although, If you EVER see this video for rent, or perhaps @ your local library...then I suggest picking it up. If you are seriously trying to catch up on the latest dance moves, do not get this.

I bought this video and accompanying CD to use in my PE/Dance classes at the middle school level. In 30 years of teaching PE and Dance I have never found a more useful, versatile resource than this "party dance" tape/CD. I have found it to be a smash hit among my 6th-8th grade students. The dances on this tape are very easy to learn and are comprehensively taught by Christy Lane with an unbelievable level of energy and enthusiasm. In the past 4 years I have had students with "special needs" (disabled, Down's Syndrome, etc.) mixed in with my regular classes and they have benefited most of all!! This tape will provide ample and varied dances from five decades of novelty dances that have brought "fun" into dance, which previously only brought groans from students. I couldn't recommend this product more highly, especially if you are a teacher of K-12 students and need to fulfill the dance requirement of your PE curriculum standards. Thank you for such an invaluable resource!

my husband checked this out at the local library and we watched and learned with a couple of friends. while christy lane is not as informed on the current, that is "current 90s", dance crazes and trends the video is very entertaining! i highly recommend watching it with a couple of friends and even if you think its a joke, chances are you'll learn a couple dance moves you might actually use!

This tape is not that good if you are looking to freestyle. However, if you want to learn older, out of date dance steps and line dances then this is the one for you.