Rating: 
Summary: Work Out With the Beautiful People
Review: There is a certain hopelessness that sets in as you watch the perfectly sculpted bodies of New York City Ballet dancers performing beginning ballet and stretching exercises with seeming effortlessness as you fumble on your living room carpet... but it is inspiring too. Because maybe, just maybe, if you do what these incredible athletes tell you to do, you can achieve a small bit of the grace and beauty that they possess. The workout is easy to follow, and a lot of it is "floor barre work" that is done lying down (great for apartment dwellers who can't get away with aerobic stomping.) The workout is narrated by voiceover and alternates between visuals of male and female dancers doing the exercises. Everybody looks and sounds very serious which makes you feel very virtuous and Serious About Your Body even on the first try. It takes 60 minutes. I've fallen off the health wagon, and this video, for less than the price of a single walk-in ballet class, has helped me snap out of a cable news channel-induced zombie trance. I'm grateful for that.
Rating:
Summary: Not very coherent
Review: After fifteen years of ballet, I took a 'break' in college and admittedly lost lots of technique. I thought this video might be fun and I was intrigued by the book as well. However, I was disappointed by the disjointed way that segments were combined and movements were introduced. It seemed too advanced for someone with no prior knowledge of the technique and terminology and lacked the fluidity of dance class. It also irked me that the narration and the dancers were not synchronized. At some point I just gave up and started moving to the music, which worked just fine. However, if you want a good workout, you cannot beat floor barre - we used to dread that part of class. Also, I found the abs section suitably challenging. While not pleased with the video as a whole, I would recommend parsing it up and using only the parts that are right for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Great for toning, stretching and flexibility
Review: Once a upon a time, I was an avid dancer and ballet was a strong point for me. After not having danced in a few years but still managing to keep in shape, some parts of this DVD were pretty tough. The ab work is great and so are the stretches. Having been a personal trainer, I know the importance of stretching and these are great. The pace is good and you can change the music to be more contemporary so thats fun too. This DVD may not be good for someone who is into weights, but its certainly good for those who want to increase core strength, flexibility and overall toning.
Rating:
Summary: Slow, but good
Review: I had danced for 13 years, but due to injuries I gave up my dream of dancing in chicago and went to college. i used to dance 35-40 hours a week. I wanted a workout video that would incorporate my "comfort" moves... what i was used to. This video seems extremely slow at times. However, the ab section is amazing and they do give thorough instruction. My twin sister also danced, and had lost even more strength and flexibility, and she really liked the video.
Rating: 
Summary: Loved it......
Review: It was a refreshing change to the typical workout. It might be a bit to much for people who never took ballet since some of the positions aren't fully explained. As a child I hated taking ballet, but as an adult I love the workout it gives you. I felt the difference in my posture and overall body tone within weeks.
Rating:
Summary: Well done indeed!
Review: NYCB has put together an impressive programme based on the elements of Rommett floor barre, Pilates and the lower technique levels of Danish ballet syllabus. This work-out most certainly will lengthen and refine the muscles, as promised, IF the proper placement is maintained thoughout whether standing or lying on the floor ... AND if given enough time to do its job. Ballet dancers spend years developing long elegant bodies and even the excellent NYCB Workout will take dedicated attention to achieve truly significant results. Highly highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: ow ow ow
Review: i have only done the warm-ups. this is strenous and very very good. my whole body ached the next day - just from the warm-ups.
some day i will get past the initial video. thumbs up! good introduction to the world of ballet & exciting too!
Rating: 
Summary: What a waste of money!
Review: I purchased this dvd, thinking it would be a workout, combined with ballet movements. It does have ballet movements, but there is very little workout. I could burn more calories sitting on the couch. I found it to be very boring, unless you don't mind standing and lifting your leg 20-30 times, and doing it again. I thought there would be more hopping and leaping and whatever else ballet dancers do, but it was mostly stepping and lifting. For an hour worth of working out, I didn't even break into heavy breathing, much less a sweat. Don't buy this, it is a waste of time. One good point about it. The abdominal section is great! I use this section after my regular video workout (which is not this video), and do it two to three times in a row, it has good moves to help flatten the stomach, by doing a few times.
Rating:
Summary: Truly Inspirational
Review: Challanging, graceful and inspirational. A workout I actually look forward to doing everyday. The DVD version has interviews with the dancers, allows you to select between modern and classical music, has an interactive section which shows you step-by-step how to do each exercise and has 3 shorter workouts.
I recommend this to anybody who enjoys working out in the privacy of their own home.
Rating:
Summary: Workout has good and bad pointes....(get it? ha!)
Review: I must admit, when I first tried this tape, I had to stop about three segments into it to catch my breath. Not from working so hard, mind you, but from laughing so hard. It starts off easily enough, but before you know it, the dancers are leaping around the stage with little verbal instruction for the at-home klutzy novice (i.e., me). After the initial warmup confusion, though, it gets a bit better - the ab work was excellent, and on par with a good Pilates workout. And the finishing "Little Jumps" segments did really get my heart rate going. This video will definitely improve flexibility, core strength, and posture, if you can follow the moves and get past the lack of instruction in some parts. If you've had some cursory dance training, it will help. On the whole, though, it's a pretty good workout video, especially if you're looking for something different than the standard Kathy Smith or Denise Austin aerobic fare.
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