Rating: 
Summary: Got it right this time.
Review: (See my review of Volume I) I enjoyed the first NYCBW so much that I got Vol. 2 shortly after its release. Basically, it's Volume 1 at a faster pace, contains corrected technical glitches from its predecessor, and has a couple of new exercises not found in Vol. 1. I also believe that anyone in some semblance of physical shape can do the exercises in this volume. One thing I really appreciate is the dancers mirroring your movements. For example, when you're instructed to move your left leg, the dancers move their right legs because they are facing you. Nice touch.The content is well-balanced and well-paced. I don't have a problem making time for a nearly one hour workout. The dancers are superb once again. There are more features contained in Volume 2 than the first volume. But I don't know if I'll ever get the Balanchine dance at the end! They make it look so easy. A little bit at a time, perhaps, and I should have it down in a year. Anyway, I mentioned NYCBW to a friend. She purchased Vol. 2 and was glad she did. If this type of workout is new to you, I suggest getting the routine in Volume I down first before Volume 2. Experienced dancers can obviously get right into this volume. These workouts are educational, too, in that you learn the names of particular ballet steps and poses, thanks to the video glossary included. It gives you a greater appreciation of the art form. Athletes from a variety of sports would find this program beneficial, even football players. It helps with coordination, posture, and balance, among other things. I do the workout three times a week and has given me noticeable results in strength, stamina, toning, and posture.
Rating:
Summary: Got it right this time.
Review: (See my review of Volume I) I enjoyed the first NYCBW so much that I got Vol. 2 shortly after its release. Basically, it's Volume 1 at a faster pace, contains corrected technical glitches from its predecessor, and has a couple of new exercises not found in Vol. 1. I also believe that anyone in some semblance of physical shape can do the exercises in this volume. One thing I really appreciate is the dancers mirroring your movements. For example, when you're instructed to move your left leg, the dancers move their right legs because they are facing you. Nice touch. The content is well-balanced and well-paced. I don't have a problem making time for a nearly one hour workout. The dancers are superb once again. There are more features contained in Volume 2 than the first volume. But I don't know if I'll ever get the Balanchine dance at the end! They make it look so easy. A little bit at a time, perhaps, and I should have it down in a year. Anyway, I mentioned NYCBW to a friend. She purchased Vol. 2 and was glad she did. If this type of workout is new to you, I suggest getting the routine in Volume I down first before Volume 2. Experienced dancers can obviously get right into this volume. These workouts are educational, too, in that you learn the names of particular ballet steps and poses, thanks to the video glossary included. It gives you a greater appreciation of the art form. Athletes from a variety of sports would find this program beneficial, even football players. It helps with coordination, posture, and balance, among other things. I do the workout three times a week and has given me noticeable results in strength, stamina, toning, and posture.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Workout for Flexability and Posture
Review: After trying this video twice, I've basically got the steps down and can keep up with the dancers without constantly stumbling about. I have no prior experience with ballet but I still didn't find the video too fast or daunting for an absolute beginner (with very little practice). Watching it for the first time, I couldn't keep up, so I would rewind the video watch the move one more time, pause, and then try the steps on my own with my own pace. By the second time watching it, as I mentioned above, it took little effort to keep up. But, this is omitting the dance combonation at the end - I'm completely lost here! There is only one complaint that I have about this video, there could be more instructions involved during the excercises and a bigger glossary at the end. The video is great for those who want to improve flexability and posture (it's amazing how after going through the workout you still maintain the posture) and for those who are not looking for a cardio workout and fast music to workout to. If you enjoy the idea of dancing/ballet and want to actually feel relaxed and good after working out - this is the video for you!
Rating: 
Summary: I HATE IT
Review: As a dancer I was looking for a video to help me improve my technique for fall auditions. If your even a slightly trained dancer pass on this video. The pictures on the back and front of the case do look complicated; but they're not IN the video. The video is hella easy. And i didn't feel the burn. Now if you have no dance experience then it might be different for you.
Rating:
Summary: Great but Fast
Review: I am a ballet dancer, and when I wanted to audition for a ballet school she told me I wasn't ready yet and should work on my strength, and told me to buy it. Now when I went to the store all I found was Ballet Workout 2. So I bought it. If you didn't go with the first tape, it is alright! The tape had no advancing from workout 1. The Previews are a little bit long, such as the intro and dance magazines, but yet again, it could be worse. It goes stright into combinations, which they try to break it down for you, but yet again lets not fool ourselfs, it is a video, they are the New York City Ballet, and we are just trying to look for a fitness kick. It can be diffcult since they go stright to plie into positions, 1, 2, and 3, then goes into relives, tundus, and other begining combinations with walks. But you will get lost, so it takes practice to fully get it. After some combinations, mostly working on your body line like proper torso and pelvis alignment known as brazing, where you push in your stumach to your spine and rotate your pelvis up. Beware! You must stay in that position for the rest of the workout, ok so you don't have to, but it would work better if you do. All dancers must braze their stumachs in dance, and hello, this is a ballet workout. Then they go into floor work, like crunches and leg workouts. The crunches are crative, such as circle crunches, bicycle crunches, and regular crunches. They don't over work you, only doing at leat eight at the time and at least five different crunches. Believe me, you will feel the burn but it won't wear you out. Then you will focus on leg work, then the buttocks, and then back muscles. Next is mostly bar work, without the bar. You will do mostly tundus in different postions, batmas and deleges, (Excuse my spelling) And you arms will get tired from holdin them in first postion! Next is a cool off segment, where you'll do simple piles with so walks and arm movements. Very Simple. Next you'll be learning a small portion of a dance by Geroge Balinchine, founder of the New York City Ballet. It mostly for cardio work, with fast movements and a hard combitions for those who lose themselves in fast workouts. They break it down, but still it was confusing to me. It takes work, and believe me the results will be great. Your butt will firm, your abs will shrink, your thighs will becaume thighs again, arms will be defined, and most of all your metabolism will rise. And at the end if you get totally confused on ballet terms, there is a dictionary sort, in the back, going over plies, declages, and postions. It take about six weeks for a real dancer body. I'm not gurateeing anything. You must work it to make it work! Really push yourself, and it will get simplier over time.
Rating:
Summary: It has potential, but.....
Review: I bought this with the NYC Ballet Workout Vol. 1. Don't buy both, they are very similar and buying both is really a waste of money. I am a HS/MS music teacher, and I was very satisfied with some portions of this and very unsatisfied with others. I may be a musician, but I am a HORRIBLE dancer. I was relieved to find out that you don't have to be very coordinated to to do the regular workout (which is much better than the original...better descriptions, better use of tracking and sections, a glossary of ballet terms for the dancing impaired, etc.) However, the cardio dance routine at the end is a disaster. The dancers don't "teach" anything....they just show the movements without breaking them down, and you are expected to pick them up. They also don't do a very good job of showing you how many times you are going to be doing a particular step. If I was trying to teach my marching band this way, they would be running into each other on the field. One other downer, it is very long. The basic workout is about 1 hour, and if you want to do the cardio as well, you are looking at about 1 hour and twenty minutes. I do like the slow methodical way that muscles are built though, and it does work. even my husband noticed that my legs looked alot better!!
Rating:
Summary: Now let's do this quite calmly
Review: I hate to stereotype home video workout users, but please. The only thing that will render this workout useless is moaning about it. There are some basic things you need to understand: this is ballet, and this is a workout. Within that framework, it does a jolly decent job. Some people have commented that Peter Martins (who narrates the workout) is a little sardonic--he is, but the faintly accusatory "Very nice" he bestows after a tough segment IS motivating. The workout is simple enough to begin with. I have two left feet (let's say my right foot gets lefter every year, and I'm only twenty) so I did find the movement combinations in the warm up hard going--but this is a practice that I will persist with, not a quick fix. The workout itself takes about an hour, and then the Tarantella dance is I think about 20-30 minutes more (you could easily do the dance a few times and build up a really good cardio workout from this). I recommend using Jillian Hessel's excellent Pilates beginner workout as a basis for this (you'll recognise many exercises from Pilates, who taught Balanchine his contrology techniques). It's difficult, with lots of room to learn and improve, but the most inspiring aspect of this workout (and the one that will get you through all that ab work) is that the dancers are beautiful, strong and flexible, Martin's Scottish accent is lovely, the camera work is gorgeous and you will feel like a dancer! Take the first step and put yourself under NYC Ballet's expert instruction. And moan about something that really deserves it.
Rating:
Summary: Great workout!
Review: I have had this DVD for months but I just now started doing the workout and I love it. It is very innovative as far as workout DVDs go. You can program your own sequence of exercises in whatever order you like. Although I have not yet mastered the ballet moves, I am confident with a little more practice I will be keeping up with the dancers on the dvd. The glossary of moves on the dvd also is very helpful in getting the form of each move down correctly. I also like the options of classical or modern music and although I am not ready for it yet, the option of no verbal words and just music will be so nice when I am a "pro" and don't need the verbal cues or instruction.
Rating:
Summary: I love this series
Review: I have owned the NYC Ballet original workout for some time and was looking forward to #2. I personally find that you should start with the original video before trying the second. NYC Ballet 2 goes a lot faster and "expects" that you are already familiar with a lot of the moves. After repeating the workout several times I feel I have gotten it down pretty well. My overall review? The narrating is better than the first, however, I am finding that I still like the original better. It may be slower, but the original has better music and I have seen more results than with Vol 2. If you want some variety, try both. Alter these videos with weight training and strong cardio and you have it made!
Rating: 
Summary: Not for the Fit
Review: I have studied ballet several times in my life and love it despite my complete lack of skill. I thought this would be the perfect DVD to fulfill my ballet nostalgia and get a good workout. Well, it is lovely and balletic and has great fundamental technique, but it is *completely* unchallenging to somebody who is already in shape. The first hour is gentle (and I do mean gentle) strength exercises, during which I did not break a sweat or feel even slightly strained. The allegro is a good quality cardio workout, but the section doesn't last long enough to count as a real workout in my book. While the strength training section presents excellent technique and will benefit people at all fitness levels for that reason, if you are already a regular exerciser in good shape (me=step aerobics and strength training 5x/week with occasional running, fit but not fanatically or impressively so) looking to diversify your workout program this DVD will not challenge you; you'll feel unsatisfied and want to do a "real" workout once it ends. I may do the strength training portion again, but I'll put it in fast forward and run through it twice. If you are just entering into a fitness program, however, I highly recommend this DVD. It is enjoyable, comprehensive, and gives great fundamental technique.
| 
