Customer Reviews

You Can Dance - Lambada [VHS]

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

 

 

There are three major styles of Brazilian Lambada. Maranhao/ Bahia/ Rio. This video shows the Rio style. This is the only style taught in the USA I believe. This is a very basic but very detailed video. It covers the most basic turns. Vicki counts the beats then dances the Lambada to two speeds of music. After each new move is learned they are then joined into a pattern with all the moves shown. This is a good length video with clips of her other dance videos at the end. The only complaint I have with this video are. They show their ballroom background in the rigid dancing. Lambada is a street dance you should move the arms in time with the rest of your body ( no fixed arms ). There needs to be more hip rotation in the street style. Lambada is not always a fast dance. It also can be a medium pace.

The context: I avidly study over two dozen types of dance and have viewed at least a hundred dance training tapes by various instructors, so I've had a chance to see what's out there, including the teaching skills of various instructors.
The content: Moves taught include: single time basic, double time basic, the sit, eggbeater, the back bend, the body roll. The moves are very clearly taught and the tape would be appropriate for a beginning dancer, although some unexplained dance terminology was used and there was insufficient explanation of frame (how to hold your partner) and connection (how to physically communicate moves to your partner). Clearly filmed, shown from different angles. Too much time spent reviewing the same material, without adding further explanations.
The cons: A full quarter of the tape consists of advertisements for other tapes in this series, so of 20$, you've paid 5 to view their advertising. Actual teaching time is 45 minutes out of the 60 minutes of running time. Only 6 moves are shown. This is an exceptionally low number of moves for the cost. A much better value in dance training tapes may be found on the web -- try DanceVision, for example.