Breakthru Pilates Plus!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This tape leaves me sweating! And I don't even get to the last part which is ballet!! I love this video because it really works all of your muscles HARD! An excellent combination of three disciplines to enjoy, and not get bored.

Rating:
Summary: Challenging Fun Work Out
Review: When I bought this tape, I was really excited to try Pilates for the first time as well learn ballet moves. I thought this would the perfect match to compliment my yoga regime I practiced. I love the pilates section. Incredible and easy to understand the hype on why pilates work. I actually wish they featured pilates a little more in the work out. The ballet was very fun and really did give a new perspective on ballerinas. In fact, the only complaint with the tape is the yoga section. I do not believe its give a first time yoga user a true perspective on what yoga really is about and can do for your body. I really did not enjoy the yoga section at all. But, for the pilates section and the ballet section alone. This tape is completely worth the investment. Very fun, challenging, and definately makes you want to work.

Rating:
Summary: Pilates, Ballet, Yoga for a Different Kind of Toning Workout
Review: Workout Description: 30 minutes of toning (18 minutes of Pilates-inspired floorwork focusing on abs with minimal upper and lower body, 12 minutes of standing ballet work focusing on the lower body with minimal ab and upper body) with 8 minute warm-up and 8 minute yoga routine for a total of about 45 minutes
Workout Level: low- to mid-intermediate
Instructors: Michelle Dozois (Certified instructor; former National and World Aerobic Champion; co-owner of Breaththru Fitness, a personal training and Pilates studio) & Tracy York (Certified instructor and star of over 20 exercise videos). Michelle and Tracy obviously have a good rapport (There is a bit of chatter between the two.) and are serious about Pilates. They alternate leading segments. Michelle is particularly good at imagery, and Tracy is particularly good at describing form in non-imagery terms. Michelle is more graceful while Tracy is more athletic. Both sides of the body are worked evenly, and the two instructors intend for you to mirror their movements.
Class: Michelle and Tracy only
Music / Set: The instrumental music, which is fairly beat-driven, changes with the type of exercise; for example, it is "tribal-inspired" during the yoga segment. The interior set is brightly lit, with hardwood floors and large but dark frosted glass windows at the back and some plants in containers.
Equipment Needed: mat, chair (which you should be able to hold onto comfortably while standing). Socks are recommended for ballet portion if you're on carpet; otherwise the workout is done barefoot.
Caveats: Familiarity with Pilates is a necessity, as Michelle and Tracy do not offer enough explanation of technique for this to be an instructional video.
Additional Comments: You do not need a lot of space for this workout. You should be able to lie down with both your arms and legs extended; when you're standing, if you can kick forward and back or take two steps to each side without running into anything, you'll have enough space.
The video has four distinct segments: the warm-up, the Pilates mat work, the ballet segment, and the yoga segment. Michelle and Tracy recommend doing portions of this video if you don't have time to do all four at once, although I've done all every time I've done this video. I often add on arm work in order to make this a total body workout.
While the Pilates segment requires familiarity with basic Pilates exercises and technique, it is not the traditional order of exercises. I believe Michelle and Tracy even change a few exercises to make them a little more interesting. Don't be afraid if you haven't ever done ballet or yoga, though. The ballet segment is basic standing barre work (tendus, degages, etc.). Since I've had years of ballet and regularly do the NYC Ballet Workouts, I can perform the exercises without the aid of the chair, which is used for balance. However, those who need the extra stabilization should use the chair, and you'll need it to do some stretches at the end. The yoga portion uses some combinations and poses I haven't seen before; again, I think Michelle and Tracy jazz up some traditional asanas to make them more interesting. They don't use many names or make many New Agey statements, so this will not intimidate non-yoga people.
Of the three Breakthru Pilates programs, this is the only one with ballet and yoga portions. It was the second one done, so the overall production is significantly better than the first (Core Conditioning). All three are in my rotation and are used almost equally. (I like to throw a "Breakthru Pilates Week" in among the cardio and weight lifting.)
The DVD lets you choose chapters; I use this feature to skip the Breakthru Pilates intro and the workout intro, but you could use it to do just the yoga segment, for example. There are no extras.

Rating:
Summary: Good for toning
Review: You will see results in a few weeks, but you will want to pair this with something more aerobic if weight loss is your goal. The routines are challenging without being frustrating, and you'll see definite improvement in the arms and abs areas. The ballet helps posture as well as leg strength. One word of advice -- do some stretching of your own afterwards, unless you want to be sore the next day. The only stretching offered in the film is a twenty-second session after the ballet segment, and that is not nearly enough.