Customer Reviews

Dance Workout for Dummies

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

 

 

I have to admit I have never cared for Michelle's workouts in the past. But, I love the For Dummies workouts so I decided I'd give this a chance. What a pleasant surprise! I love it! It is broken down into 2 sections. You can do one or both. Michelle is easy to follow and cues well. The music is good but not overbearing. I enjoy the tips presented in the dummies workouts. Michelle has just the right amount of enthusiasm and fun in this workout and it did get my heartrate up there. It will be a fun workout for a day when I want to move and do something but don't feel like killing myself. It's a keeper.

I've loved Michelle Lemay's Jamaica Me S'wet dance workout from years ago, it really helped me to let go & feel the music. She is a great dancer with great body awareness, fluidity & love of dance. I didn't care for her Spirit Flow series which is an easy 30-60 min repetitive stretch workout, though sure help give body awareness to others. I am happy again with Michelle here. She's a great instructor, she really lets her enthusiasm shine through which keeps you from being bored & she has a great empowering personality. She's one of the best, if not the best at helping you feel the beat & your own rhythm flow & not be afraid.

Menu: Play, Into, Workout 1 (20 min), Workout 2 (20 min), Tutorial
Tutorial - 20 min - Michelle on set with no music teaching you the dance moves more slowly for those who need it. She gives a lot of details & moves even slower at first & only does full speed 1-2x.

Workouts:
Here she alone is on a simple stage with wood floors & simple wall behind. A simple beat plays for for each workout, a different beat for each workout. She does a 2-3 min warm-up & cool-down for each workout. The warm-up is as dancy as possible while still stretching. I have to admit, she knows how to stretch correctly & get the important muscles in the short time. She teaches 1 move, practice, teaches another, practice, practice both moves to develop a routine. Each move is taught from it's basic step touch basic core lower body to keep you moving & then adds the upper body, then the style to it's more complex finish. During the teaching, it's all done 1/2 speed so you can feel it first, but never slower to keep you moving. Michelle cues YOUR left/right, not hers. During the practice you do move full speed. With this style of teaching, I did not need the tutorial at all. The moves are old school, but still used in clubs, & there was only 2 moves in workout 2 that she did walking around in a circle & 2 hops then a nice shoulder & hip bumps that I thought it was too silly to do & wasn't happy. All the others I enjoyed.

I hope she makes move with more different dance moves. Some of these are also in her old Jamaica Me S'wet & would love to see more variety, she's a great teacher. This is great for beginner exercisers or those who need help letting go & feeling the beat.

Trailer:
collagevideo com (shows move moves of both workouts & style of teaching) totalfitnessdvds uploaded to youtube com (this shows only part of the end routine that includes the walking in circle & hop move that I didn't like)

This DVD was a disappointment mostly because it was not what I expected. I was looking for an exercise DVD with good dance music and dance movements so that the workout would be more fun. This DVD does not fill that bill. This is an instructional DVD for dance steps. You would use this DVD to teach yourself some moves so that you look better on a disco floor. But it is not a workout program per se. Whereas dancing can be great exercise this is not interesting and the workout is not more fun.
The music is very dull. The dance steps are not really impressive. But if you follow the instructions you can look a lot better on the dance floor. I worked up a nice sweat but it was not what I was looking for.

This DVD is a fun and easy way to get in a quick workout. The tutorial guide is easy and fun. The steps are broken down, although it is not necessary to review because she breaks down the steps in the "routines" anyway.
I got this DVD as a way to start getting active and this does just that. The first 20 minute routine is easier than the second and took me only a few times of doing it to where I felt really comfortable. The second routine is a little harder - it took me a little longer before I felt really comfortable with that one.
I would recommend this DVD to someone who is just starting a fitness regimine. My only dissatisfaction is that as the routine progressed (and yes,I was keeping up with her), by heart rate seemed to decrease instead of increase or stay at a good rate. Also, the first routine has a small cool down period, whereas the second, it has over a 2 minute cool down period so they're not consistant in the amount of active activity.

Dance Workout for Dummies is a DVD offering two different 20-minute dance workouts, featuring easy-to-follow foot patterns and arm movements. User-friendly tutorials worthy of the "for Dummies" brand name characterize this straightforward introduction to dancing for improved fitness and overall health. World-renowned choreographer Michelle LeMay leads the way in this fun addition to fitness libraries for novice and experienced dance enthusiasts alike. 44 minutes, color.

This steps are still difficult, even for Dummies. Don't buy this expecting to learn classic dance steps this are very modern techniques. Not a good workout for me, I miss so many steps.

A very good 2 twenty minute dance DVD workout. Some of the dance moves are what you may already use on the dance floor. I use this DVD as an additional workout to my regular workouts. It's been a fun way in ending my workout routine. I find myself just bouncing around the house when listening to my iPod or the radio using the combination of dance moves. I wish the instructor had a second Dance DVD for dummies. Michelle LeMay is a really good instructor and the learning pace is great for beginners.

It turns out that I am WAY too old for this program - I tried the first few moves and my knees screamed. Looks good otherwise, probably five stars but not for me (or for other deluded 75 year olds.)

I guess I'm worse than a dummy because this workout is still hard for me, a beginner!

Didn't care for this one- too much twisting in the lower back. Didn't really feel like a workout, either. Was very disappointed. I do not recommend this video.