Customer Reviews

Dancing With the Stars - Cardio Dance

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(43)
2 star:		(35)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

I had high hopes for this video; too high, perhaps. As another reviewer stated, the moves do go pretty fast after Maksim's part. My biggest problem is that there are no real explainations or instructions of the steps, the instructors just say, we're going to do this now, toss in a dance term, and then they do it. I had such a hard time trying to figure out what the steps were by the time I sort of figured it out they had moved on. This workout would probably be a good workout, provided you understand the moves and can execute them at the speed the dancers on the video can. I found it to be too frustrating and will have to be desperate for some exercise before I pop this in the DVD player again.

The most positive thing I can say for this DVD is that it allows you to "customize" your workout- you can play all seven sections for a 60 minute workout or less depending on how long you want.

1) 5 minute warmup led by all three- Ashly, Maksim, and Kym. Pretty good warmup but too short to be of much benefit.

2) 10 minutes- paso doble led by Maksim. Not too bad. Pretty easy to follow along. A lot of lunges- hard on joints, especially knees. For me, I would do a different step for that part.

3)10 minutes- an extremely fast cha cha led by Ashly. I found her voice too high and chirpy; she kept repeating steps ie. back, back, back. Very annoying. Ended up skipping all together because too hard to follow.

4)10 minutes- samba led by Kym. Fairly easy to follow. A lot twisting and jumping type moves- you definitely feel the "burn" in your hips and buns! After more practice it'd probably be easier. I'm a bit uncoordinated so I may need more time than most.

5)10 minutes- jive led by all three. Really fast, more complicated steps. Needed to be broken down and done slower (at least to start out with). A lot of jumping and kicking. Not too bad on your joints. Again, following along may become easier after more attempts. This dance is probably easier for more experienced dancers... At least I'd hope- the pros make it look so easy, their movements smooth and fluid... Gotta give credit to the stars that manage to pull off this dance- it's not easy!

6) 10 minutes- "improv" led by all three. This section is a complete waste of time. They're just doing whatever they feel like. The other two have a hard enough time following the one leading- and we're supposed to follow?? I'm going to be skipping this part in the future. (Though, it is fun to watch the interplay between the three- their competitiveness, one wanting to stump the others.)

7) 5 minute cooldown. Not bad- some good stretches but too short.

Overall, I don't see this as a good enough workout to keep you moving and your heart rate up. Maybe it would be better with more dances and less time spent on each and nixing the "improv" section and longer warmup and cooldown. I see myself doing this workout only when I'm not in the mood for anything too strenuous. Though for only $10, I guess it's not that bad; you could do worse. Dancing with the Stars fans will delight in seeing some favorites showcased. The workout is filmed on the DWTS set- it's weird seeing it without all the sparkling outfits, the band, spotlights...

This DVD has Ashly, Maksim, and Kym from Dancing with the Stars more or less leading an aerobic dance workout on the Dancing with the Stars stage that does not require a partner. The first section is Paso Doble and it seems to be more aerobic than dance, but that is to be expected as this is a workout DVD, not a dance one. Maksim leads this routine and out of all the dances, this is the easiest to follow, even though it does go fairly quickly. Ashly then takes over with the cha cha and goes super fast. However, after repeating the DVD several times, one should be able to get it. Kym then leads the samba, which involves a lot of bouncing. Then all 3 take turns leading a jive routine, and one should probably be in fairly good shape already before attempting this routine. There is also a bonus challenge where Maksim, Kym, and Ashly basically improvise a routine and goof off a little. Note: Although some cool dance moves can be learned from this DVD, it is not an instructional dance video, it is a workout video, so if you're looking for an instructional dance video, look elsewhere. There isn't much in the way of extras, just trailers for Denise Austin DVDs, Healthy Eating tips from SlimFast featuring Tysonia from season 3, and credits. I was hoping there would be more insight into behind the scenes at Dancing with the Stars, but unfortunately there is not. All in all a good DVD, but probably too fast for most untrained dancers.

I wanted this DVD from the first time I read about it. I ended up being a little intimidated by the reviews here because they said it was `so hard' and there was no explanation of the moves. So I hesitated to buy it. Then a friend gave it to me as a birthday present (I'd put it on my wish list anyway). Am I ever glad she did!

This is one of the best workout DVD's I've ever had (definitely the best dance DVD), and the previous reviews don't do it justice. Yes, it's a DANCE workout -- and yes, they just show you the steps and then get it on with the routine. However ... if you've EVER done any formal dance moves, you'll know or can pick up most of these moves anyway.

I'm not a dancer, but I've taken aerobics dance classes, a line dance class, and recently an intro to ballroom (yes, because of DANCING WITH THE STARS). I had no problem at all following this tape. When they showed a cha-cha step or a triple step or a turn, for instance, I already knew it. (BTW, it was not the ballroom class that taught me this, but the more general dance aerobics). The few steps I didn't know I just watched. The dancers repeated them several times (and the camera shows them full body), even if they didn't break them down and show them to you slowly. I caught on.

The workout was incredible! The individual dances are really long (ten minutes each of continuous movement), plus a warmup and cooldown which were each five minutes. The DVD has some excellent features, among them the opportunity to program your own custom workout. I did the warmup, the cha cha, the jive and the cooldown, which was 30 minutes total, and I could feel it in every single muscle when I was done. Also, you can choose to do the workout with and without the dancers' instructions, which I think I'll try later when I'm more familiar with the routines. It's well thought out and well put together.

The DVD features routines for the cha-cha, the paso doble, the samba, the jive and a bonus freestyle routine. I especially wanted to do the jive as it was never taught to me and I always loved it on the show. And when it was over -- I was SOAKED!

The dancers are familiar to us all from the show, and they're very personable and fun to dance with. They treat you as a fellow dancer in that they just show you what they're doing and expect you to follow along. They also tell you a little about the origin of each dance as they're starting it, which I liked. (You probably already know this from the show, but I appreciated hearing it again.)

Granted, this is NOT a workout for someone who's never danced and who needs the steps broken down bit by bit. But if you've had even a little dance training (or danced in clubs) and have seen the show, you'll be delighted at what this DVD can do for you. I seldom feel my workouts in my back and hips, but I feel this one! And because the moves are fun and high-energy and you already know the dancers, it doesn't feel like work (I HATE doing something just because it's supposed to be good for you!) It's a truly remarkable full-body workout, so your entire torso, arms and legs will get the benefit. And don't say I didn't warn you: Be prepared to hit the shower immediately afterward, because you are going to sweat!

In sum -- be aware that the DVD is not for complete beginners. But you can have a minimal amount of dance knowledge and do fine with this. If you give yourself time to learn to do it well, it will be an amazing workout for you very soon. As someone who loves to dance, I know this will be a regular part of my exercise routine for a long time to come.

Bravo, Maksim, Ashly and Kim!

This video was terrible. I thought I was going to have so much fun, but I was left in the dust. Usually exercise videos involve instruction and explanation; these people felt no such need to do so.

They are professional dancers; we know this; there was no need for them to prove to us how wonderful they are. But I bought the video to be included in on the dancing fun. By the last song when the girls were laughing about how they were going to "make it up as we go along," I was ready to throw the DVD out the window.

If they wanted a video of them showing off, the least they could have done was included a beginners program as well.

I want my money back.

:)

I am a HUGE Dancing With the Stars fan and the moment I found out about this workout DVD I raced to the store and bought it. It turned out just to be a way for them to make more money, not a way to whip your body into DWTS shape!

It starts out with an upper body Paso Doble workout. This may be a workout if you're over 65 or severly out of shape because I didn't find it elevated my heart rate at all.

The improvisational section at the end was terrible. Each star took a turn adding dance moves in but they didn't explain them and you could not follow what they were doing.

The Jive and Samba sections in the middle were ok. Afterwards I didn't feel like I'd gotten a whole body workout. I find the Biggest Loser DVDs to be much better.

Save yourself the money and watch the Stars on TV - where they belong.

I really enjoyed this tape, although it could've been more cardio. The sheer length of the workout altogether made it cardio, not it's intensity. I did enjoy doing it again and again, and learning choreography, but the challenge was a complete waste of time, impossible to follow, and there for the 3 dancer's mutual admiration.

All and all it was a fun DVD. Worth it if you want to understand the steps of the different types of dances, especially the Jive.

I would purchase this DVD again. As others posted it can be hard to follow at times, as there is not much instruction on how to do what. On the other hand if you plan to use it over time that kind of instruction gets dull. I think it would be nice if there were side segments on how to get started with some of the more challenging moves - something you could just watch once or twice. Overall, I think Maks is pretty easy to follow and enjoy all the segments.

I like the feature of being able to turn off the instructions and just hear the music. Nice option, especially once you are more familiar with the moves.

One question right off the bat - is it just my version or is everyone experiencing a sound issue at the beginning of each segment?

I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered this. I enjoy dancing and was looking forward to being able to combine a workout with dance style movements. The warmup was a little disjointed - there is a brief pause between some of the various stretches and we change leads. I enjoyed the first section Paso Doble as it seemed to be a decent blend of dance and workout. Maksim also made this the easiest to follow. My only complaint is that it seems a bit short. Next up was the cha cha and that was much faster. Most of the step are fairly easy but it will definetly take some time to get it all. Then there is the samba. It was also fairly quick but with time, should be doable. The most difficult was the jive routine. There is a lot of off the floor steps in this - and because I have RA - the higher impact moves are more difficult for me so I will have to modify the steps on my own. It would have been nice if they had included some lower impact options in this segment but I guess since they are touting it as a "dance workout" they couldn't. All in all, it isn't bad but it isn't my favorite. I will still turn to my Turbo Jam DVD's when I want to combine a music and dance-y style workout.

I was dissappointed at the lack of instruction in this DVD. There is an assumption that you already know how to dance. Dance terms are bandied about such as chaissez and plie, and potubourais as though we have had years of ballet training. It is a good cardio workout if you can catch up and learn the steps quickly. It seems more like a vehicle to showcase the 3 dancers from the show rather than to teach anyone to dance.