Customer Reviews

Tap (Dance) with Ginger: Beginner level

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

 

 

I live in New York, where all the kids in the so-called Beginner classes have had at least 1 to 3 years' training. Beginners, ha! Well, there was no way I could enter, much less keep up with, any of these classes, without some kind of supplemental training and at long last I've found it! It goes by the name of Ginger of Paris, and yes, she does have an adorable French accent, but don't let this mislead you. She's a spectacularly good dancer, and far more important for my purposes, a spectacularly good teacher. Everything is repeated at least five times--very slowly, then up to tempo. The teacher faces forward--just like in a real tap class--and you move up from the most basic shuffle to the wow-the-folks-at-home shim-sham. I learned this all in a couple of lessons, and now can I not only keep up with my classmates, but truth be told--I'm probably even better.

Sara

Queens, N.Y.

Sometimes, this kind of videos tend to be too sophisticated, giving you too many advices to chew on, and you get lost. Here, none of that. You just follow what you see, with simple instruction to follow each time. It's intelligently done. I have taken some classes and it was not as easy to follow the steps as it is here. Now, I can enjoy it. That's it. Just great for me!

Wow, is this an awful video-- the quality is poor, the dance INSTRUCTION is minimal. You are supposed to mimic and somehow magically "get" it. Not a chance for beginners! I am a former dancer and have never seen anything with so little instruction. Yes, Ginger tells you-- in a VERY thick accent that is difficult to understand sometimes-- about the steps. Yes, she demonstrates them. But she doesn't really give you tips on VERY important aspects of dancing-- such as balance, timing (other than counting out things-- we need tips here, lady), body position, arm position. And quite honestly, I was apalled at her own lack of grace and balance. Yuck. Do not waste your time or money. Check out Bonnie Franklin's "I Hate to Exercise, I Love to Tap" if you want clear, fun, fluid dance. Franklin knows how to make tap enjoyable and simple without making you look like it's amateur hour. Now, if I could only get that hour back that I've lost with Ginger!

This is a good instructional DVD. It introduces some basic essential steps as well as a version of the Shim Sham routine that is nearly identical to version taught by my tap instructor.

The excercises are clear and easy to follow and are repeated several times for practice. Each is presented in a seperate chapter that is accessible from the main menu so you can easily select the parts you want, and create a workout of whatever length you desire.

Most importantly, the video gets quickly to the menu with minimal introduction; likewise the chapters focus on the excercises without unecessary or lengthy explanations. This is important, because when you are using the DVD for continued practice over the course of weeks or months, you will not want to have to wait through long intro scenes or a lot of extra stuff that you already have learned - you just want to get to the excercise. That is what this video does.

My husband and I think this is so bad real bad....can'r beleive she's a teacher......Tap dance made easy is the best...I am new Ginger please explain the steps...what the heck is a shuffle to a beginner....Oh I see you want me to quess....save your money folks