Rating: 
Summary: Not worth it...
Review: I bought this DVD when it first came out and have only done it about twice. If you looking to lose weight or tone up this one won't do it. Its slow. While it looks good, and may be fun to do occasionally, its not worth the money. Invest in Tamilee Webb's "I want those" DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Nice video not good workout
Review: I did ballet for 7 years, I am familiar with the movements and this video is not really a workout video, you do it and unless you are completely out of shape, you won't feel/see any difference. The video is nice to watch, the dancers are in extremely good shape (yes! envy!) but they didn't get those muscles by doing JUST this video!! Come on! If you want a good workout look somewhere else.
Rating: 
Summary: a great workout
Review: If you do this DVD right -- that is, with correct form and concentration -- it is an excellent workout. It is also very relaxing. It's long, so you have to set aside plenty of time if you're going to do the entire workout, but it's easily navigable, so you can just do the stretches at the end of a long day, or go through the warmups and abdominal work to start the morning. There are even special combinations of exercises already prepared to support particular sports, which are fun to do even if you're not in training.It's beautiful to watch, in spite of some editing troubles, and the music makes a nice change from the typical workout DVD. Former dancers like me know that the spaces in between the sections give you time to stretch out your feet!
Rating: 
Summary: Grace and poise -- but some experience helps
Review: This DVD is excellent for toning and lengthening your muscles, and will definitely work up a sweat. The workout is divided into 17 segments, which can be viewed all at once, one at a time, or as part of four sections. Exercises 1-4 are warm ups, includes some dance steps that get your blood pumping and some nice stretching. 5 & 6 work your abdominals. 7-9 are "floor barre," which means you lie on your back and keep everything stable except the moving leg -- very effective. 10-16 are leg work, such as degagees, tendus, and grand battements. Finally, 17 is a cooldown with some stretching. Note that there is no instructor-led dance segment after all that barre/center work, as there is in a dance class.There is one main thing I don't like about this DVD -- the verbal cuing is terrible. At the very end, the narrator says, "Rather than follow my instructions, follow the dancers, the music, and listen to your body." Yeah, well, tell me how to follow the dancers with my face in my knees. A few viewings should make this much less of a problem, but the first times through may be frustrating, especially during the (almost silent) cooldown, when your neck is craned around to see what's going on. I don't know if someone with no ballet experience would find this DVD very rewarding. Although no special equipment is required, there is no explanation of technique, and the narrator makes frequent use of ballet terminology. Perhaps in conjunction with one of the ballet instruction videos or books, this would be better for beginners, but I think a semester of ballet classes would be more reward for the money in that case. Given those caveats, this is a great workout to intersperse with your other strength and aerobics workouts.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the money because you'll play it again and again
Review: I usually cringe at home workout tapes, and often by the second time I get bored and never play them again, but this is one that I will play quite regularly. The exercises are very pared down so if you watch the tape over and over you won't get sick of the routine, and there is no pep talk or cutesy commentary (which gets boring once you've heard it the first time). Also, considerable attention was given to the production value, so no neon leotards or big fluffy hair! If you've done ballet in gym class before and want to continue practising your "plies" and "tendus" and "coupes" at home, this tape will help you keep in shape and remember those positions and the nomenclature.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent workout, great for a change of pace...
Review: I love this workout!! First of all, I'd like to point out that although I have no dancing experience, I had no problem catching on simply by attempting the workout a few times. I may have looked like a total clutz, but hey, that's the beauty of working out at home, right? But really, this workout is for ANYONE, not just experienced dancers, as I've seen claimed in some reviews. Watch your form, don't expect to look like a ballerina the first time through, and prepare yourself for some muscle soreness the next day!
This video is a great complement to any workout regime.
Rating:
Summary: good stuff
Review: I read a lot of negative customer reviews before buying this DVD, so I half expected to end up frustrated and never watch it again. However, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think the key for using this DVD is to get the most that you can out of each workout, and hopefully progress a little with each viewing. I have absolutely no ballet training, and no intention of becoming a ballerina; therefore, I don't let my inability to follow many of the moves in the warmup and reverance stress me out. My theory is that these sections are simply supposed to warm up your muscles and get you ready to work out. If I keep moving and try my best, thats all I can ask of myself. The core of the workout is stuff that involves a lot of basic strength training and balance work, often very similar to yoga or pilates. I don't think that a dance background is necessary at all, just the patience to realize that it will take time and effort to get it right. This is a program that will grow with you as you use it, after all professionals and serious students use it, too.
Rating: 
Summary: Forget the Halcyon.
Review: All you need is 5 minutes of this dvd and you'll be knocked out, it's so incredibly dull. Very serious and ponderous in tone and production. No pointers on form and injury prevention.
Rating: 
Summary: Not so great
Review: It's not all that easy if you've never done ballet. It's not as much fun. And I don't get the feeling I've worked off that double scoop of chocolate ice cream.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and unique, but a little tough to follow.
Review: This is a different kind of workout but one that you don't have to be a dancer to do. Although it was difficult to follow at times, I found that I still enjoyed doing it, even when I knew that I looked nothing like the dancers on my screen. There were two male and two female dancers dressed in workout clothing; at times they were wearing shoes and at other times not, but this was not explained. An accented voice gives voice-over instructions, although these are often pretty minimal and the cueing is poor. The music is classical. The workout itself broke down into 17 sections as follows: 1-3: Three short warm up sessions. #2 especially had some complicated choreography, but the warm ups were pretty easy overall.
4: Stretches.
5: Abs. This is mainly traditional crunches.
6: Floor Barre 1. This moves on to some nice leg stretches for things and buttocks.
7: Floor Barre 2. This part continues with butt and inner thighs work then moves on to some Pilates-like exercises.
8: Floor Barre 3. These exercises are for upper back and chest, including push-ups; it was hard to keep an eye on the screen.
9: Pliés.
10: Tendu.
11: Dégagé--basically lifting your toe off the floor.
12: Passé--similar but lifting knee.
13: Front Attitude--balance moves on one leg.
14: Grand Battemant Front--leg lifts to the front.
15: Arabesque Raises--similar lifts to the back with some balance work.
16: Little jumps--moving from pliés to toe raises to small jumps; the instruction is especially poor in this section.
17: Reverence--this means "bow," and it's a stretching and relaxation sectin that includes yoga-like bends and lunges. The voice-over says to "just follow the dancers," but again, it's kind of hard to see the screen from some positions. Overall, I found this to be a fun little change of pace; it's doable for anyone with some basic coordination and flexibility.
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