18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great DVD, Great Workout!, April 16, 2005
This review is from: Hula Workout: Weight Loss (DVD)
I bought this DVD to add variety to my workout routine. I am a grandparent, overweight, and now working out regularly for health reasons. I really like dance routine based exercise for working out at home, or while travelling. I became interested in this DVD for its "new slant" on an old idea.
This one is a welcome change. I read from other reviewers that it may not be authentic hula. However, I think the instructor has made appropriate modifications to make sure the routine has an aerobic component. All dance instructors I have encountered do this. She also warns against overwork for beginners, and suggests modifications. She covers all the bases.
It's fun also to be transported to Hawaii for a few minutes in the great photography, and also in the contemporary Hawaiian music.
I found this a very fresh approach and a worthwhile purchase. Highly recommended.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Got this years ago when it was the only hula workout, June 28, 2006
This review is from: Hula Workout: Weight Loss (DVD)
It comes in 5.1 surround sound & just her at the beach. It has chapter choices, bonus features of her dancing an authentic dance & trailer for her Hula workout: beginnerseight DVD.
Most of the moves were authentic, such as the Kaholo (walking bellydance vertical figure 8), Ka'o (bellydance vertical figure 8), 'uniu (bellydance outward figure 8), hela (leg forward/back), 'uwehe (knees together & spread them), ami (small hip circle), kawelu (step forward w/half figure 8).
She's in great shape, good cleear voice, seemed nice & straight forward no small talk except to give her many good cues. She teaches the step first in it's most simple/bare bones in 1/2 time, then slowly speeds it up & then building up the hips, then the arms to it's graceful finish. The music seems like a fusion of native Hawaiian & american country twang, not bad, decent beat simple, not too fast.
The bad part that everyone hates is the dance routine you learn tells a story like all hula do & this one is a 60s american music style, called "Hula Sunshine"& Rockette style kicks added in. This is only about 15% of the dance, but kinda kills it a bit. Luckily the song only plays at the end. Otherwise I'd give it 5 stars.
After a 4 min intro including seeing the dance of what you will learn, is a 5 min warm up with some basic stretching & also learning some of the basic steps like the Kaholo & K'ao until your hips turn to stone ;-) It ends with a 5 min cooldown w/some yoga poses & back stretches & other muscles stretched for a full 38 min.
Her new "Island Girl" hula workouts are more authentic. Just like her other ones, you get a great workout, your abs burn, your hips, legs get a nice workout. It's all authentic dance moves with some added quick squats, etc. added in so you barely notice it for adding toning. The authentic drum Hawaiian music is beautiful & does keep you stimulted too keep going just like a dance/rock beat would.
I had no trouble following & learning the steps, there are plenty of dance DVDs that I have had trouble with, but she breaks everything down well & shows it slowly several times before speeding it up. She even cues YOUR left & right, not hers.
There's a trailer for her "Hula Workout" DVDs & another authentic Hula workout like this called "Island Girl: Hula Abs & Buns" at collagevideo.com
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22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
One star for the scenery, January 4, 2003
By A Customer
One positive about this video is that it got my heart rate up... mostly due to frustration from incomplete instructions on how to do the moves, poor transitions, and a pace too quick given former problems. The instructor seems to be in her own world with little regard for the fact that people are watching the video. There is no slower breakdown of a series of movements before a gradual progression to full tempo, and she throws in moves and variations with little or no warning to the viewer. (For instance, during one of the moves, she starts migrating forwards and backwards with no explanation.) Then, sometimes the verbal cues occur after she's already executed a move. Also, unlike the excellently produced Bellydancing tapes by Veena and Neena Bidasha, this instructor does not separate the arm movements from the legs movements, later inviting the viewer to add the arms movements at will. She'll say something like,"Extend the left arm, extend the right arm, lift those hands to the sun" or "feel free to add those arms." She never says how to extend the arms (with a turn of the wrist for instance) or which arm movements would be appropriate for you to "feel free to add", so you're already following the poor verbal cues and just putting your hands out there like you're doing the hokey pokey. Then you see her gracefully turning her wrists and arms to the music with arm movements which were never taught. Yet another bad thing about this video is the tone of the instructor. At one point she says, "Let's go through the entire routine...from the tippety-top" and "Smile!" I suppose there's nothing wrong with a fitness instructor telling viewers to smile, but by that time I was I was ready to eject the tape.
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