Customer Reviews

Lester Horton Technique: The Warm-Up

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got this DVD to get better in my modern dance class. If your school does Horton exercises and you want to see how they are done on your own time, this is great. It is a professional DVD presentation which first shows you a given exercise using several dancers at different angles to the camera, and then breaks the exercise down into the important things to note and keep in mind. It has good flow, so you can do the exercises as you watch them, which I do.

I am glad I got it.

I am not a dancer, but I thought who better to take tips from about warming up & stretching then people who put their body through hours of intense work daily?
Watching the dancers graceful movements was beautiful to see how the body moves when posture is correct.
The DVD runs like a copy of an old VHS from the 80s with everyone including the guys in bright neon, tight spandex. Exactly what you see on the picture of the DVD. The chapter menu is good.
There are diff exercises such as flat back stretching, primitive squat descent, lateral torso stretches & release torso swings, leg swings, deep lunges, fortifications (hamstring & calf stretches, balancing on toes, plies, hip propulsion), elementary balance (ballet style), 5/4 swings (lateral torso swing & turn w/leg in split in the air), dimensional tonus (using other moves in slower more toning way), & the first 5 exercises. (exactly what you see on the picture.) I did feel more stretched out, some exercise work as good or better then yoga or look similar to it.
The cons is first they show the dancers doing it with general stiff female voice over, not instructions how they do it so you have to the look at the screen. After is the same woman voice over with pictures of what they did reminding you some posture cues, etc., though not enough to be of that much help.
At the end they show the first 5 exercises only one after the other without stopping.
I would only recommend this to anyone who doesn't have any joint limitations or muscle/bone issues, can do squats several times easily, can swing their leg fwd to their chest & backwards & up & exercises regularly.
I took off two stars for the lack of instruction & stiff presentation & I personally love the movement itself, I don't like how each move is executed with a slow, quick, slow, quick speed. It's great for increasing precision & control, but not good for increasing fluidity & being in the moment in your body other then a logical way.

I'm a dance instructor and bought this video because I was interested in incorporating Horton concepts and exercises into my jazz warm-up.
This is an excellent introduction to the Horton Technique, the video goes through the exercises of the Horton warm-up from a variety of angles then gives specific technical information on how the exercises are to be performed. The pacing is great. The video begins with a brief introduction to the history and philosophy of the technique and its founder and ends with a Horton Family Tree that lists all of the influential dancers and choreographers (Bella Lewitsky, Merce Cunningham, Alvin Ailey) who were trained in Horton technique and were able to use it in their varied styles.
I recommend this video to anyone interested in a highly adaptable technique that emphasizes anatomically corrective movement and the expansion of the expressive capabilities of the body.
I also recommend the Dance Technique of Lester Horton

Handy videotape, especially for teachers who would like to incorporate Horton excersises in their modern classes.

After a few years in modern dance class, this material seems very old hat.
Buy it if you've never danced and want to maintain range of motion as you age, or if the Horton technique is a big part of your studio work, but for the average (active) person, its stuff you already know.