Product Details

• Actors: Elise Gulan
• Directors: n, a
• Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: ANCHOR BAY
• DVD Release Date: December 4, 2007
• Run Time: 51 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (135 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000WC38BO
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #469 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Movies & TV > Fitness & Yoga > Stretching
  #4 in	Movies & TV > Special Interests > Self-Help
  #4 in	Movies & TV > Musicals & Performing Arts > Ballet & Dance

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The instructor, Elise, was kind enough to answer some questions from Amazon.com about the Element line of DVDs.

Why do you think the recent trend for women is to seek the dancer’s silhouette?

Elise: A dancer’s silhouette is the ideal physique for a woman today. It provides strength through lean, elegant, streamlined muscles. The strengthening of the dance conditioning movements will help melt away fat while creating lean musculature that is still feminine and graceful. The stretching element of dance creates length, not only in the muscles, but in the spine as well. Training with ballet conditioning will give a woman a strong, tall slender body.

How did you manage to create a ballet conditioning program that doesn’t use a barre or any other equipment?

Elise: I created a workout that uses the strength of the core to create balance and stability in the body. The sequences on this dvd are both accessible and challenging for anyone! Many ballet conditioning exercises actually don’t use the barre as a weight-bearing tool—it’s only for balance. In this DVD a beginner can use a chair to aid in balance, as they build core strength. A more advanced practitioner can do much of the series without the aid of a chair, simply by bracing the body with the strength of the abdominals, and a lifted, elongated spine.

Who is this workout good for?

Elise: This workout is amazing for women and men of all shapes and sizes! Ballet Conditioning uses one’s own body weight as resistance, so it is safe to do every day, for women AND men… from the strongest athlete, to the ultimate newcomer to fitness. It works to build strong, lean muscle, raise the heart-rate, and speed up metabolism. Dance also helps create rhythm, grace, and balance while building a supple flexible spine. .

What do you think consumers will find different about Element DVDs from other workout programs?

Elise: I know that consumers will enjoy the pure elegance of these DVDs. This is what truly sets the ‘element’ series apart from other brands of DVDs. The Element DVD’s encourage a solid mind/body connection, which encourages practitioners to explore their physical edge, while being truly mentally & emotionally present in the moment. These programs are fluid and graceful in their movement, and provide a HUGE physical fitness element in a nurturing and encouraging environment. .

Tell us about the connection with this DVD and the efforts to reduce global warming.

Elise: Element DVDs support the harmony of mind and body, which encourages a social and global awareness. This harmony encourages us to do what we can to make a difference in the world. For every four Element DVDs sold, a tree will be planted in a national forest. Consumers are therefore doing their part to reduce their carbon footprint, and the dangerous effects of global warming. If we work together, we can spread health and happiness one deep breath at a time.

Product Description
Ballet Dancers always have slender bodies that are both strong and lean with lovely proportion and gorgeous body lines. One of the greatest secrets to a dancer's body is ballet conditioning which focuses on all muscle groups. In this unique program your muscles will work smoothly in unison to create a long streamlined silhouette with flat abs a lean lower body and beautifully defined curves. Moving gracefully and fluidly through this series of exercises you will strengthen and stretch your way to a dancers body. Elise Gulan has over 18 years in dance education including Ballet Pointe Tap and Jazz. She was a principal soloist for the Virginia Ballet Company where she danced for seven years appearing in productions such as Copelia Swan Lake and Nutcracker Suite. She brought her love of expression through movement to her new career as a certified personal trainer and instructor of Yoga Core Fusion® and Core Energy Flow®. Elise enjoys helping her students to find their inner strength and to energize their joy of life through physical and mental fitness.

Element is proud to support the Arbor Day Foundation. For every four ElementDVDs purchased a tree will be planted (up to 20000 trees annually). In addition to generating oxygen trees provide air pollution control and decrease atmospheric carbon dioxide levels thereby reducing global warming. www.arborday.org.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic :->, January 22, 2008

By	Little Miss Cutey (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

I have to start out by saying that I'm not normally a ballet fan or have done ballet since I was 4 or 5, but I wanted to try this to mix up my current routine and use different muscles for some cross training. I am really happy with how great this workout is.
It's an intense lower body workout with ballet inspired moves. Because you work deep into muscles, it's designed to help you get that long lean body look that ballet dancers have. Elise is a good instructor with great cuing so you know what to do next at all times. I love the outdoor setting (instead of the inside of a studio for a change); it's great to do a workout that has been done outside to make you feel like it's Summer all year round and motivate you that little bit more.
I never thought this would be a workout that would be for me, but it's very enjoyable and fun and you feel the next day all those muscles you've used and I can't wait to see the results from this. I love it.

72 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally Something Different, December 5, 2007

By	D Rock "D Rock" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

For someone that has tried just about every home workout genre out there. This DVD finally offers something that is refreshingly new to my living room! This workout is ideal for those who have danced for years and people that have never even tried on a pair of ballet slippers. The DVD is simple to pick up, and challanging to get through. The filming is elegant and the instruction is far from the cheesy power workout "motivation" that irritate me so much. After you've completed this workout, you feel like you've, not only toned up, but also learned a few things! For someone that has grown tired of the home workout video, this couldn't have come at a better time!

59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid workout with a relaxing effect, December 23, 2007

By	R. Glasure (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I didn't really know what to expect when I tried this dvd. I am an intermediate/advanced level, but I knew that it would be challenging, as I have never tried ballet before. Even so, this was a very pleasant, yet rigorous workout. I definitly feel like I worked out and I also broke a sweat. I know that this workout will contribute to toning and slimming my legs, which is an area I personally would like to improve, as well as the rest of my body. The ab section incorporates many pilates type exercises to tone and tighten the midsection. Even though I regularily do pilates, I really felt my abs more than I expected. The setting was beautiful and the instruction was very pleasant and relaxing without causing you to lose focus to exert yourself. I enjoyed this workout, thought it was effective and enjoyable. Anyone who is involved in dance or who wants to maintain or obtain a long lean physique will enjoy this workout.