Customer Reviews

Dance off the Inches: Hip Hop Party

5 star:		(120)
4 star:		(54)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I own a number of dance workouts and this is my favorite so far. There is a step guide in a separate chapter, which can be used to learn the steps in half time. This is great because Jennifer does not have to slow down the tempo of the workouts to teach the steps in half time. The step guide is a fabulous idea and makes this DVD superior to most dance workout routines on the market. Because of my familiarity with dance DVD's, I only had to do the step guide once, but it was very helpful.

During the workouts, Jennifer still introduces each step with the feet first, followed by adding the arms. And she does the typical build of multiple steps for each routine. To learn the routines, I focus on learning the steps first and then I add the arms in later attempts.

Jennifer is an excellent instructor. She does a great job of providing good advance cues for step changes. She also cues "left or right" that is the opposite of her left or right (mirror form), so it is easy to follow her lead.

Potential customers may be put off by the fact that this is a hip hop dance routine. Never fear. I really liked mixing things up from the usual Latin and Jazz routines. But, be ready for a lot of hip action.

I am at an age (54) and weight where my knees do not tolerate a lot of abuse. I was still able to do almost all of the routines or I could easily modify what Jennifer was doing to be a little more knee friendly. (No frog stretches for me!)

All in all, I highly recommend this DVD for people who want some exercise with a lot of variation and a high fun factor.

DOTI Hip Hop Party, led by Jennifer Galardi, is a party in a box! Very fun hip hop moves...time just flew by! The workout runs 41 minutes with warmup and cooldown.

Unlike the previous DOTI's (which have pretty simple choreography), with this one you might want to actually view the step guide before jumping in...there are several moves that Jennifer says she covered in the step guide, she just starts the move in the workout with very little instruction and I was lost a couple of times!

The music in this DOTI is Much Better than the music in the other ones...it very much matched the routine. Hip Hop Party is also more intense than any of the other DOTI's...and more fun as well!

The only reason I didn't give this one 5 stars is that it's quite difficult to do on carpet. Lots of twisting movement that can torque your knees if you're doing this one on a carpeted surface. I had to modify LOTS to make this workout work on my living room carpet.

Highly recommended to intermediates with dance experience AND a non-carpeted surface to work out on!

Jennifer Galardi sure can dance. I cannot (well, not like her) and so this can be a little frustrating because you want to get the moves down, but some are involved. Having said that, this is a fun workout and even if you don't do the moves exactly, you will still reap the benefits of having done a half hour or so of cardio.
The Old-School style of dance is my favourite here. She takes some time to help you learn the moves, but you'll possibly need to watch this several times to get it right. I like the Throw Down moves and the Slithers. The 15 minute tutorial on how to do the hip hop style is helpful, but as long as you don't concentrate too hard on perfecting your moves, you'll have fun too and enjoy this as much as I do.

The first time I tried this DVD, I didn't like it. I thought the moves were much too complicated and I would never get them down right. (It should be noted that I have absolutely no dance experience and don't generally do aerobics type DVDs either.) I didn't touch the DVD again until I was getting bored with my yoga DVD. I've since done it twice, and it's grown on me. Most of the moves can be learned after a few viewings.
The Sexy Smooth Hip Hop portion is my least favorite. The steps aren't particularly hard to understand, but that section has a lot of hip rolls and body rolls. As someone who's not so good at pulling off hip rolls, it makes that section of the DVD frustrating for me. I can always skip that section, though.
The Basic Hip Hop section was the easiest in my opinion, especially after going through the step guide. I also liked the World Hip Hop section, which I thought had the most interesting moves.

CHAPTERS (Note: The chapter listing in the booklet is incorrect and leaves out the World Hip Hop chapter. This is the chapter listing from the DVD itself with my notes on the contents and length of each section.)
1. Introduction - This is basically what you see in the video preview on this page - Jennifer's introduction of the DVD. (1.5 minutes)
2. Warm Up - Marching in place, shoulder rolls, isolation stomach moves, hip rolls (4 minutes)
3. Basic Hip Hop - Slides, punches, butterfly, throw down, pelvic thrusts (10.5 minutes)
4. Sexy Smooth Hip Hop - catwalk, hip rolls, kickball changes, body rolls, drags (11.5 minutes)
5. World Hip Hop - lunges, salsa twists, box step, chest pumps and pops, heel digs, shimmy shakes (11 minutes)
6. Cool Down - breathing exercises, pliés, stretches (4.5 minutes)
7. End Credits (1 minute)

Also included: Step Guide (15.5 minutes, despite the fact that the box says it's only 10 minutes)

PROS
- The instructor seems to be genuinely enjoying herself.
- The moves are pretty fun and interesting, so it's not boring.
- It's actually a good workout.
- You don't have to lie on the ground or own any weights, bands, or other supplies.
- Most of the routines consist of one movement to which she then gradually adds more movements, so you have a little bit of time to get used to doing the movements and transitioning from one to another.
- The movements match up well with the music, so if you get off it's easy to pick back up again.

CONS
- Some of the instructors comments are annoying: "Show me what you got!" "Smooth like honey!" "You guys are getting hot!" "Oxygen is free, guys!" "Like you're taking off your shirt!"
- A couple of movements may be difficult for people with bad knees, particularly the butterfly. Overall, though, I think this workout should be doable for most people.
- Like some of the other reviewers said, there are a couple of moves that are difficult on carpet, including the slides. For these, I just accept the fact that I will not be able to slide as smoothly as she does since I'm on carpet.
- The step guide would have been better if it had gone a little slower and included more practice of the steps. The box boasts that the step guide is it's only ten minutes (which is wrong, it's 15.5 minutes long), but I think it would actually be better if it were longer because that would mean that she was taking the time to teach you the moves thoroughly. Think about it - she has to teach you 10 different moves. Even at 20 minutes, that would mean she was only spending 2 minutes on each move. She does a good job with the time she has, starting with the legs and then adding the arms, but for some of the moves she only puts it all together and does it at tempo once or twice, so I found myself skipping back a few times before I got them right. I would have preferred if she repeated the moves a few more times so that I would have time to mimic her and then make any adjustments necessary to get the moves down completely.

This is a great DVD. It's a lot of fun and one that you won't dread doing if you add it to your collection. However, I have been dancing for over 20+ years, all different styles, from ballroom to hip hop and I have found it difficult to get all the steps down my first time trying this workout. That doesn't mean it's not doable, but it WILL take you a few workouts to get the choreography, arm movements and flicks. In the meantime, you should listen to Jennifer and do what you feel rather than worrying about how you look.
Having said that though this is still a great heart-pumping cardio and even if you don't get every move down, you will get a good workout since you are constantly moving. The step guide tutorial is helpful but doesn't allow too much practice (you practice a step 3-4 times before moving on) so repeated viewings help, but nothing is better than doing the steps in the workout itself.
I love Jennifer Galardi's workouts, her choreography and personality. And am I the only one who thinks she looks just like Jennifer Aniston?? lol Her cuing and form are great as always and she has just the right amount of pep. And I love her process of starting off a move and then building on it so you can perfect the base move and then add arms and styling.
This is a great DVD if you are looking for a little more of a challenge in your dance workouts (those of you who use the 10 Minute Solution DVDs know what I mean), the time goes by rather quickly and she does incorporate some great, fun and sexy dance moves. Go Jennifer!

Set in a large stage set to look like a living room w/Jennifer & 4 backup girls. The production/lighting/camera is very good, it shows the feet when need be & doesn't linger on faces. The music is better then most workout dvds.

Menu
Step Guide/Tutorial: 15 min
Jennifer alone breaking down the moves
Workout -- 42 min
Warm-up: 5 min
Basic Hip Hop: 11 min
Sexy Smooth Hip Hop: 12 min
World Hip Hop: 11 min
Cool Down: 4 min

Each chapter teaches diff styles of moves, but you will always repeat previous learned moves from that chapter & also previous chapters.
I liked the moves, they weren't watered down or if they were it was only a little. Jennifer is relaxed here, she was never annoying in my opinion, she only mostly gives you cues to help move your body right which is what you need most, no fake encouraging or weird personal tidbits others might give. With the step guide, I had no problem following & though I didn't get it perfect, I never felt frustrated because I knew I'd get it within a couple tries for two reasons: The step guide was a great help & helps to keep the pace going so you don't get bored or lower your heart rate & because the actual speed of the moves is a little slower then it should be. The moves are done more like 3/4 speed & I felt like I was a little stuck on learning speed. It wasn't that annoying, but I swear I could tell even Jennifer wanted to go a faster rate. If she did, this would be perfect. As it is, this is great for beginners & a lot of fun.

Previews: collagevideo com & totalfitnessdvds com (which the clip is also on youtube)

I got this in the hope that it would help me loose some inches and somehow help my bellydancing(not sure where I got that notion from). However, this DVD is very fast, I would suggest some background in hip hop before attempting this DVD. I even went to the section of the DVD with individual steps, she goes over them once and then speeds it up. It then proceeds to the next step. It's very hard to keep up with. I believe if you have some general background in hip hop however, you may find this DVD helpful and fun. But if your just testing out other dance forms or are a beginner to hip hop, I wouldn't recommend this.

I'm 52 and had no idea I'd love Hip Hop style dance exercise so much. Jennifer Galardi is great and what I love most about this video is that there is a step break down guide for all of the steps used. I ran it through twice to learn the moves and that was my workout for the day - INTENSE! It was extremely helpful to go through the step training so when I actually ran the exercise session, I was able to follow with little difficulty the first time. With nerve damage from botched back surgeries, I have no feeling in my feet and a weak ankle. I'm able to execute all the moves on this video. I highly recommend this dvd for beginners and those with limited abilities as well as everyone else.

If you're looking for a fun, great cardio workout this is it. I just received my DVD today and finished the workout. I have a vast collection of workout DVDs and have never been compelled to write a review about any of them. But this by far, hands down is the best most fun workout I've done.

About the video:

First, it would be very beneficial to view the Step Guide. The steps aren't difficult, but it makes everything gel together better when you know what's coming up next for the routines.

Second, Jennifer's cues are way better than a lot of the other aerobic videos out there. She has high energy and makes you want to dance. The best part is if you miss a step just dance, shake it, pop it, feel free to express yourself any way you want and step right back into the groove of the routine.

Third, the music is great. I'm very picky about my music and this makes you want to dance. It's not that fast techno stuff, or the "typical dance aerobic" music with a sped up tempo to make it fast enough to "dance" to. The beat of the music just makes you want to POP it!

Fourth, it's just plain fun! You're getting a great workout, legs are burning, abs are tight, heart rate is up there. It's not like the usual boring cookie cutter aerobic routines that still remind me of the 80's and 90's even though it's 2008 and videos produced within the past few years still have that 80's and 90's feel to it.

Usually it takes me a while to warm up to a workout routine because I have to workout and working out is monotonous and boring but good for you. But this one quickly hooked me. It really felt like I was at the club back in the day with the girls, and when a good song came on we'd all scream "I love this song," run out to the dance floor shaking our booties and just having CRAZY, SEXY, SWEATY FUN!

I love this DVD! You can learn the more difficult steps ahead of time by using the instructional portion of the DVD. Then you learn 3 different styles of hip-hop for the aerobic part. The whole DVD is a lot of fun and you forget that you are exercising because you're just having a great time!!! This DVD is for beginners and intermediates. Advanced exercisers may need a little more.