Customer Reviews

Latin Grooves: Workout [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Instructions were unclear at times. Videographer often focused on close up shots of feet which made it more difficult to follow. There are better latin workouts on the market. Crunch has one with the same instructor that is better.

I relaly like this workout. Though it is hard to follow at first, at least it gives you something to aim for, unlike many other exercise videos I've tried. After a few workouts you really get the hang of most of the moves, while still finding something to challenge you throughout the video. Her style is upbeat and fun (unlike so many boring instructors I've seen in videos), which I find motivational. I'd recommend this video if you like to have fun while working out, and learn some Latin style moves at the same time.

I didn't like this one as much as her Urban Heat, the music was pretty good, better then most workout dance dvds, but the moves didn't keep me as inspired as her hip hop one.
This is 34 min with 7 min warm up & 7 min cool down. The chapters are warm fiesta (warm up), tribal, flamenco, espiritu, carnival, eclectic sounds & cool sensation (cool down).
It's set on the same stage as her Urban Heat, has the same 4 other female dancers, 2 along side her which look like they have had years of professional dance training (great to see the fluid look the moves are suppose to have) & 2 young background girls who show the modified versions in the back.
The camera moves WAY too much zooming on women's faces or torsos & it's hard at times to see the feet which can kill the inspiration.
Gloria reminds you to keep your abs in, head up, chest out, etc., like a real dance instructor. She does what most don't do: She starts a new move in half time & counting in it's most simple form, then adds to it slowly to it's complex finished look. Too many fitness-dance or reg dance workouts only do normal time, barely counting & not explaining anything such as Madonna Grimes's African Beat, Crunch's Dance Party or Crunch's Hip Hop workout.
I reviewed this 2 years ago before I tried out Prevention's dance workouts, Self, Kathy Smith, Denise Austin, etc. who aren't fluid in their movements, very little body awareness for dance, boring dance moves & the feel is "let's sweat" not "let's learn to dance & let go into the moment/your body". Compared to them, this blows them away.

Check the trailer at collagevideo com

I actually really like Gloria and the workout she has created. Her personality is quite pleasant and the variety of movements it's pretty good. The pace is just perfect. I like the fact that her style is more of the old traditional, authentic salsa rather than the new latin style that comes from the Latin hustle of the eighties. The one thing I don't like about this DVD is that it would be a lot better if I could choose music only without Gloria speaking or moving her lips.

I found this DVD very difficult to follow. She moves way too fast to follow the steps. I felt frustrated so many times. It was a waste of money.

First I must state that this is the first dance dvd I'm doing. The steps were difficult at first and she doesn't really instruct, but after a few runs I was able to get the steps down. It does make you sweat and when you get the moves it's fun for a while then I needed to move on to something less annoying. The instructor is okay at best, the music is terrible, and forget about the videography. When I was trying to follow the steps the camera would shift from showing their feet to all of a sudden showing their faces. So basically I was able to get the steps down only by rewinding over and over to the few moments they showed their feet and the actual steps.

It was hard to follow and I didn't understand the move.

She was just keep dancing and did not explain about the move. It was very unclear.

This DVD did not help me at all.

I had hoped this would provide some fun aerobic exercise to the sort of Latin music that makes you want to move, with the leader showing me some Latin dance moves (tango, cha cha, etc.). I didn't recognize any of the moves - or music - from watching ballroom-variety Latin dance on TV. That would have been a disappointment but not a total loss - if I were able to follow the leader in whatever it was she was doing to whatever music. I wasn't. Why does no one ever place the camera behind the leader once in awhile so that the viewer can copy the moves without having to mirror-image them first? I gave up on this video and went back to my old Gilad videos. No music, but at least he gives you a chance to learn the moves.

I really like to dance and I'm not that bad at it either. The moves in this video are fun, although the instructor is rather annoying. She basically talks to much. That said, it does get your heartrate going a little. It's good for intermediate dancers if you can stand the instructor. One interesting thing about the video is the gender-bending back-up dancer.

Glad I rented this first before buying. She does introduce the steps little by little, but between the horrible camera angles and those whispy pants she wears, it is very difficult to actually see what her feet are doing. She'll say "watch my feet" but the cameraman zooms in too much and its hard to get the whole picture - the bottom of her pants are very long and whispy and cover most of her feet - you only see material swishing around.... I got frustrated not being able to see how she was moving - I spent most of my time yelling at the non-existant camera man to pull back! The music was good and her instructions were good (although sometimes too quick) but for me it isn't worth buying and trying to figure out.