Customer Reviews

Dance Hot Salsa DVD 1 (levels 1&2)

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

 

 

First point: check out the extensive reviews of the VHS version of this DVD if you want to know more. It's an extremely popular series, as is reflected in the reviews.

Now the drawbacks: The sound and picture quality are quite mediocre-- and it's a shame they had to over-dub the 1-2-3-- 5-6-7 counting on top of the way she originally counted! It's the more common way to count (at least around here), but it is distracting to have it added in as an afterthought.

Second drawback: the first five minutes of this program are a little cheesy and stiff, but don't let that stop you, because here begins the good part. First of all, the instructor presents a guide to posture and positioning that is invaluable. Then come the clips of combinations: Josie and her assistant make these ten moves look so fun and sexy that you can't wait to try them yourself. Then each move is broken down. I'm not a dance teacher, so I'm not sure why her way of breaking things down is so clear, but it just *is*. A side benefit: the teacher on this tape is the woman, but her assistant still gets to speak and contribute-- unlike some old-style videos, like the one by Ron Montez, where the woman ends up looking like a silent bimbo rag doll to be thrown around. (P.S. Also skip the Ron & Bethana Rosario series and Marlon Silva series. The first one is slow, and the second one is painful to watch.) Here everybody gets to have a brain *and* be sexy.

In general, the best part of this program is how manageable it is: with one set of ten moves and then another set of fifteen moves, you'll feel like you can be perfectly presentable on the dance floor. Despite the so-so sound and picture quality, this program is highly recommended. I also recommend the "New York Salsa" beginner DVD, which is high quality and tons of fun but maybe just a tiny bit overwhelming. Between the two of them, you'll be stylin'!

The second disc in this series is good too.

Yes, this video as stated in other reviews is made with poor quality. It's obviously out dated in terms of production value. Ok, ... now that we have that covered.

The instruction in the video is good to average. They are great dancers but explaining those need to know things, that she does so well, doesn't happen as clearly as some others videos acomplish them. Would I recomend this video to someone trying to add some new moves, yes, but only if they had a good deal of time dancing (one year +).

Who I don't recomend this to is that person just starting out and trying to do everything they can to learn, there are just simply to many well produced cd's out there to pass up before you purchase this one.

Bottom Line: Looking for easy CDs to learn initially, skip these. Looking for additional moves to add-on, I still would not recommend these but they are not bad. Hope this helps.

Josie is such a good teacher, most recorded lessons are fast, and hard to understand, but not Josie, she makes it so much fun and as complex as Salsa is she makes it appear so much easier! I was upset about paying the hefty 30 dollars for 45 minutes, but I must say it is worth every penny especially when you are learning in the privacy of your own home! But, when you feel you've learned a bit, do get personal lessons to brush up, after practicing with this lesson you will build the confidence to do so!

As another reviewer suggested, do read the VHS review of this series to get a fuller picture. General consensus among reviewers is that this series is the current benchmark for LA style salsa instructional video. It is somewhat fast paced, and some reviewers suggest that this is better suited for advanced beginners (I agree). This is a very good "reference" video as there are many (25 in all) steps and variations, and mastering all of them will take a lot of time. On content (number of steps and variations) and competency in teaching alone, this DVD gets a solid A.

Unfortunately, it's not all good news. This DVD is not very fun to watch because of poor video and sound quality. On certain TVs (and TV settings), dancer's feet are nearly cut off at the bottom. The background is unnecessarily dark. Sound quality is abysmal (yes, the overdubbing 5-6-7 counting is still there!). I have not seen the VHS version but I suspect that the only improvement this DVD offers over VHS is the ease of going back and forth between moves or repeating a certain segment. To be fair, this probably is enough of reason to buy the DVD over VHS because with the fast pacing, you will find yourself repeating most segments over and over again.

I bought a cheap $10 VHS version of this in the late 90s. it already had a dated 80s feel to it. the teacher and her male assistant are mysterious characters. but funny. the teachers voice is unique (im being polite) and the repetition of her voice is something else...

for a beginner, i would recommend learning from a class. not this video. maybe if you had experience with leading or following another social dance...

most dance videos ahve iffy productino value. theres no money in that business unless its connected with a tv show or something. theyre typically projects of passion. either the producer LOVES the dance. Or theyre some dance groupie. Or made by bad business people who quickly discover theres no money in dance videos. so i would say this video has above average production value.