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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good 30 min workout, some good & some bad dance moves, October 22, 2007
This review is from: CosmoGirl! - Get Fit and Fab with Jillian Michaels (DVD)
Length:: 2:44 Mins
The workout has 8 girls who can all dance well: hip hop, pop & locks, break dance & krump which they show off well at the end the workout for 3 min taking turns.
This is set in like a gym of a school, or dance class room with windows behind & wood floor. The production is great, good sound, lighting, angles with close ups only when needed & not on girl's stomachs though none are showing too much skin which is also good. The feel of the workout is that they did the entire 30 min w/o any stopping of video or at least tried to which gives a better flow & a good feeling of being there yourself & not taking a break yourself. During the teaching & practicing sections of the routine you'll learn as you go is a semi decent beat "music" that is a bit too low in volume, way too slow in speed & is definitely looped after only a min, which got on my nerves & wasn't much better then nothing at all & no music is bad as well.
Jillian leads the intro & introduces them, but admits she can't dance & was taught for a few weeks by a couple of them. It's great she admits this & lets two of the girls demonstrate the new moves as she gives out the verbal cues. She does this well, she actually calls out, "left foot out, right arm to the side..." unlike most dance routine videos that only have counting. She always counts to 8 before starting any section or starting from the top which got on my nerves, 3-2-1 is fine enough. Now considering the above, when teaching a new step, if one of the girls doesn't jump into the last move shown fast enough, she practically yells at them, then laughs it off like she's playing. Jillian still lets her ego get in the way & takes away from the great energy of the workout. Kind of like Kathy Smith.
Pros:
production, good cuing of what body parts to move as taught, the great energy of the girls, great talent of the girls, soome of the moves.
Cons:
Jillian's ego, they should teach in slow motion flowing, not fast, stop, fast stop, needs more complex moves or different moves, some were great, others I didn't like at all, more practice more often after a few steps before moving on even then this even though better then other dance routine videos, very looped basic beat music that feels slow so doesn't inspire you to want to dance more.
I'll admit hip hop isn't my favorite & I'm more at ease/natural with latin, hula & belly dancing.
Overall I'd say definitely worth a rental, try online rental, or your library first. The moves aren't THAT hard, definitely easier compared to most hip hop dance routines. The girls are great, I hope they make another one w/o Jillian & with more practice before a new move is taught, more like aerobic PACE w/o watering down the move like aerobics workouts do.
More video clips on Youtube.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good dance routine, but steep learning curve and too intense, June 18, 2008
This review is from: CosmoGirl! - Get Fit and Fab with Jillian Michaels (DVD)
Starring Jillian Michaels of Biggest Loser fame-- and aimed towards teenagers-- "CosmoGirl! - Get Fit and Fab" is a cardio workout vid in which viewers are taught to dance in a hip hop style.
On the whole, I liked the casual, laid back, and fun atmosphere of the video; it felt less like an exercise video than a dance class. I also liked the fact that it was teaching you a genuine choreographed routine, as opposed to some videos that are really just aerobics moves with some dance moves thrown in.
In spite of its strengths, I found a few problems that knocked it down from a 5 star to a 3. First problem: learning curve. Like I said, the cardio workout teaches you a fully choreagraphed routine. It does this by going through it step by step. First, you're introduced a move in half time, then asked to practice it 2 or 3 times at actual speed. That's all well and good, but sometimes some of the more complicated dance moves are rushed through before you have a chance to really get them. As a result, there's a steep learning curve on this video. You might have to view it at least 3-4 times before getting your footing and even then it might be another 2 viewings before you can actually keep pace with anyone and have it all memorized down pat.
Another problem was the pacing and intensity of the workout. Basically, when you're taught the routine, you're not just performing each new move at least 3 times; every so often you're restarting the routine "from the top"-- and you're doing all of this without a single break. Then right after you're taught all the moves, you're immediately asked to perform the routine from start to finish for something like 4 times in a row. As if that wasn't bad enough, the pacing of it all is extremely fast. Between the lack of breaks and fast pacing, you'll be sweating profusely and gasping for air halfway through the video.
One last problem I had with this video was the "exuberance" of the dancers. Many times Michaels would have you practice a new move from the position of the one you'd just learnt. Unfortunately, whenever she'd count down sometimes some of the girls would start showboating, strutting, and vamping for the camera instead of positioning themselves. This made learning the routine confusing at times. After all, it's very hard to remember what position to start from when practicing a new move, if all the dancers aren't taking up that position to begin with because they're too busy ogling the camera.
So all in all, this video was a mixed bag for me. On one hand, it offers a genuine dance routine with the right kind of atmosphere to motivate and inspire. On the other hand, it has a steep learning curve, can be confusing at times, and a little bit too physically challenging. I wouldn't totally pass on it, though. My suggestion is to rent this video first and if you like it enough to buy it, to keep that pause button ready when things get too intense.
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bring It On!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, March 28, 2007
This review is from: CosmoGirl! - Get Fit and Fab with Jillian Michaels (DVD)
I loved this video, I happened to be in Wal-Mart and came across this video and I love hip hop, I know it sounds funny coming from a 26 yr old SAHM of 3 kids............LOL, my husband had doubt that I would do it more than once, but the workout is so much fun that I look forward to doing it, I have lost weight and inches and feel great about my self. Thank you Jullian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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