This review is from: The Method - Dance to Fitness (DVD)
Workout Description: Jennifer's "Body Rhythms" = 22 minutes dance warm-up, 8 minutes of dance aerobics, and 5 minutes of cool down and stretching for a total of 35 minutes; Lisa's "Body Lines" = 6 minutes dance-inspired warm-up, 15 minutes jazz dance aerobics, and 12 minutes yoga inspired cool down for a total of 33 minutes
Workout Level: low to mid-intermediate; low impact; fairly complex choreography
Instructor: Jennifer Kries (Certified Pilates instructor; has taught and choreographed a variety of performances; founder of the Balanced Body Center at New York's World Gym.) & Lisa Wheeler (Has a degree in Dance and Theatre; certified personal trainer; has performed professionally for over 15 years). Both instructors are low key and cue well. They are instructing their class rather than the viewer, so when they say left, you have to decide whether to follow along or mirror them while ignoring their clues. Both use dance terms liberally without much explanation of their meaning.
Class: Jennifer's class has 5 women and 2 men; Lisa's class has 4 women and 2 men. All class members are professional dancers.
Music / Set: The music is performed live and is (bongo type) drum-heavy instrumental. The interior set is fairly dark, with brightly-colored columns draped with swags.
Equipment Needed: sneakers, jazz, or ballet shoes, although I often do this barefoot
Caveats: Be careful if you are on carpet, particularly with pivots (turns). Some of the camera angles are not helpful, cutting away to the musicians or focusing on the dancers' faces instead of their feet. You may have some difficulty figuring out Jennifer's leg moves because she wears a long filmy skirt. These routines will take you a couple of times to get down completely: Jennifer's because you will not be able to look at the TV a lot and Lisa's because it will take a few times to pick up the choreography. I recommend previewing both segments before attempting them. Dance experience is helpful but not necessary.
Additional Comments: You will need a lot of space for these workouts. Ideally you should be able to take two fairly large steps forward and back and three fairly large steps to each side. Jennifer's aerobic segment takes more room than Lisa's, which I can just barely squeeze in my 6' by 8' space if I do a lot of the moves diagonally.
This is a strange workout in that those beyond high beginner-low intermediate level of cardiovascular fitness won't get their heart rate up much, yet the moves are complex and quick enough that those new to exercise will have a lot of difficulty completing the routine. As a mid-intermediate exerciser, I find these routines perfect to use as warm-up routines (particularly the warm-up and aerobic segment of Lisa's routine) or on days when I want to take it easy. I've only done Jennifer's class two or three times, as I much prefer Lisa's dance routine and instruction.
The DVD allows you to select Jennifer's workout, Lisa's workout, or Lisa's yoga cool-down. The only extra is a weblink for The Method.
