Product Details

• Actors: Kym Johnson
• Directors: Cal Pozo
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• DVD Release Date: March 6, 2012
• Run Time: 55 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00709GTR2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,657 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Dance Yourself Slim...No Partner Needed! You've seen celebrities shed pounds on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" and now its your turn! Join professional dancers Kym Johnson and Mark Ballas for CARDIO DANCE FOR WEIGHT LOSS. Start dancing your way to a lean body with these three easy-to-follow routines based on the fat-burning moves from the show. Learn the basic dance steps in the Warm-Up and then really burn some calories with the sexy Samba, hip-shaking Salsa and high-energy Swing!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun way to get a work-out..... March 12, 2012

By Colleen M. Schneider TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

I have tried about four of the Dancing with the Stars workouts but have only purchased, one, which was the Dancing with the Stars "Dance Off the Pounds". Here's my take...Each I felt were well done, but it really depends on if you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced exerciser.
The one dvd I do have is an intermediate/advanced workout. I do have dance experience, I like a fast pace and I get bored easily and need to be challenged. If you are looking for an easier one that I liked, the Latin Dance one with Cheryl Burke is a good one for a beginner.

This dvd is good, depending on what you like. Some of the basic moves you will use in each dance are outlined by your instructors, Kym Johnson & Mark Ballas in the 7 minute warm-up sequence. I'm not sure I love the warm-up and the instruction in that section, but it is not a huge deal. The three types of dances that you will do are the Samba (17 minutes), the Salsa (16 minutes) and the Jive/Swing (15 minutes). The instruction is good and the slower segments are the first two segments. Once you get to the Swing/Jive, Mark Ballas really shows you how to make the dance really become a fat burner. This was by far my favorite. I would say intermediate on the first two sections and intermediate/advanced on the last one if you are following Mark. It is very fast paced in some sections. I loved it but I am thinking for a beginner this might be an exercise in frustration.
There is no cool-down at the end of the work-out, it just ends, which was different from the dvd I purchased. I would recommend some hamstring stretches after just to keep things loose, but that is my opinion....

If you have done the Dancing the Pounds off dvd then you will remember some of the swing steps as they are the same, the Suzy Q, the triple step and the rock step. I was a little disappointed there until I saw Mark add in a few other steps and then saw them working together. The music is exactly the same as the Dancing the Pounds off music. Strange, but maybe that is the best music to teach by...who knows.

Overall, I enjoyed it and am thinking about purchasing this one. The samba/salsa is really fun and great for the abs and the swing/jive is great to keep the cardio up and to get you sweating. As Mark will demonstrate you can really amp it up with making sure you have the swing/bounce and your knees really lifted on the steps. He is a great instructor for this dance.

So, if you are looking for a beginner work-out, I would not pick this one, try the Latin Dance first and you can work up to this one. If you have enjoyed the Dance of the Pounds, you will probably like this one and it is fast enough to keep you a little more challenged.
The workout goes quickly as for me dance feels more like fun and less like work. Good instruction on the workouts and good pace overall. Read more ›

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mark Ballas has ENER-GY March 27, 2012

By M. Montalti

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This latest DVD from the DWTS DVD line has become one of my favorites. Again, I like to see different instructors and it's great to see Mark Ballas as an instructor. He does a great job, breaking down the steps and doing them slowly, at first.
The first section in the Samba, which focuses on the abs. Next, both instructors lead the Salsa, which is good. I like doing a different routine. But the real workout is the swing/jive, led by Mark. This is fast action, high intensity cardio, which will enhance weight loss.
The front of the DVD says: "Perfect for Beginners!" but I would classify this as an intermediate workout because the last section is very intense.
AS another review pointed out, the warm-up section is sort of a "dance lesson", which is fine, but do you keep wanting to "learn" th moves to warm up?
The DVD also lacks a cool down segment, which you need after burning up the dancefloor during the swing/jive.
So I do my own stretches, no big deal.
Despite these 2 criticisms, I really like this DVD and have been doing it 2-3x a week.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Has something for almost everyone May 26, 2012

By JJ TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This DVD has quickly become one of my favorites, however I do have to call it out on having false advertising. On the front it clearly says "perfect for beginners," and as other reviewers have said, that's not exactly true. With that being said, this is still an intense workout that will definitely give you weight loss and a whole lot more.

There's about a seven-minute warm up to start things off. It may be what the producers thought was perfect for beginners, because it breaks down key steps of each dance style. Mark Ballas and Kym Johnson, the instructors, really teach fundamentals of the first few steps they'll actually show you in the dance routine to come. Was it a warm up? Not really. There's no stretching or anything that will particularly get you loose and ready to go. After viewing this the first time, I now skip it and warm up with the beginning of one of the routines.

SAMBA - 17 minutes - Kym leads Samba, and I think she does it very well. This section is very bouncy and probably what I would call the intermediate part of the DVD. If you're familiar with the Samba section from the older Dancing With the Stars - Cardio Dance DVD, then you'll recognize some of them here. If you're completely new to Samba, Kym begins by teaching some very basic steps and kind of breaking them down for you. Each move gets progressively more difficult with some of the final moves being a bit complicated and fast. This (and every other) section is broken down into three parts: combo 1 (5 minutes), combo 2 (5 minutes), and combo 3/put it all together (5-7 minutes). This format keeps viewers from getting bored and taking it from the top all the time....

SALSA - 16 minutes - Mark joins Kym to teach the Salsa section, although they don't dance together; like the box says, no partner is needed. For the most part, this is a very beginner=friendly section since the moves are relatively simple and compact. I use this section as my warm up since I don't find that it spikes my heart rate that much. Near the end, some VERY fast advanced steps are introduced, but before that time, each move is basic salsa that many people may have seen before if they've ever done Latin dancing. Mark and Kym have good chemistry together and act cheesy but fun. Kym is better as explaining each move while Mark is excellent at cuing. It's also nice to see both the feminine approach to dance moves as opposed to the more masculine approach.

SWING/JIVE - 15 minutes - Once again, the DVD case has a bit of false advertising; this segment is called Swing, but apart from the first five minutes, it's definitely Jive. For those who don't know the difference, Jive is about 2x as fast as Swing. While this means that this is an intense workout, it's again not very good for beginners. In fact, I'd almost call this routine advanced. Mark leads viewers through complicated, fast, and high impact choreography. Get ready to kick, jump, and hop almost constantly for fifteen minutes. If you've seen the Swing/Jive section on Dancing with the Stars: Dance Off the Pounds, then this segment is very similar; the music is actually the same from that DVD, too. If you've never done Swing or Jive before, then I can almost guarantee you will get lost and feel frustrated most of this segment. It's a fantastic challenge; I'm in great shape and have difficulty finishing it. It really makes the DVD a worthy purchase for advanced exercisers.

There is no Cool Down, and that really disappointed me. In any workout, a cool down is necessary to stretch muscles, prevent soreness/injure, and feel good. I usually add a cool down from another DVD, but I really wish the producers had at least tacked on some stretching on the end. Why does it seem so hard for the makers of this series to put both a warm up AND cool down on the same DVD?

Overall, this DVD has a little something for everyone. Salsa is (mostly) good for beginners, Samba is an excellent workout for intermediates, and Swing/Jive is a cardio challenge for advanced. True, it's not 100% for beginners, but I like that each section is so diverse. All of the moves are REAL dance moves and a blast to do; I never find myself getting bored with this DVD. I recommend this DVD to mostly anyone with a word of caution to beginners: you may struggle with this DVD a bit at first. However, if you're a fan of the show or ballroom dancing, this is a fun workout purchase for you to try.

A preview clip from this DVD can be found at collagevideo(.)com. Simply search the DVD title, and you should be able to easily find it. Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars not for beginners... May 22, 2012

By Bm

Format:DVD

I tried the warm up and all three dances (salsa, samba and swing) they move WAY too fast for any beginner to catch on. I would watch myself in a mirror as i tried to mimic their steps....just became discouraged. Going back to my pilates, yoga and running. Would not recommend.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars it was ok March 22, 2013

By nancy williams

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

it was o.k. the music was good ,but the dancing was not easy to follow.i was worn out trying to follow

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I find myself having fun February 2, 2013

By Amazon customer

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

The reviews for this video are all over the map, so I will add yet another opinion. I had no difficulty in picking up the moves, but I can see that some people would. I consider it advantage is that they don't spend a huge amount of time on the moves. So while it might take a few viewings for you to learn the moves, it will have more interest after you learn them. So if you pick up moves fairly easily or have the patience to work through it, you will probably like the video. If you are a beginner who would find not being able to follow along immediately discouraging, then I'd suggest waiting before trying this.

Even with that said, I find in some sections they break down the moves enough where my heart rate could drop. So in those spots I will continue doing the moves already covered, or some other simple but energetic moves (eg, jumping jacks) for a few moments.

I think Kym is probably the better instructor, but Mark's section is really enjoyable. I find myself having a lot of fun every time I do this video. And it is a good workout, as long as you are willing to keep moving when they slow down slightly.

The review here by JJ is very informative and I recommend you read it for more information on the sections and dance types. (Now I know the difference between swing and jive!)

The volume is a little off on this; the music is fairly quiet compared to the voices. It has a music only option, which I haven't tried yet. This and the 'false advertising' (see JJs review) are why I only give this 4 stars, even though it is 5 stars for fun. I generally use Just Dance for Wii for my aerobic exercise; this is one of the few videos that I think can compete with that series.