Rating: 
Summary: Frustrating at first
Review: It took me two tries to get the moves down. At first I was frustrated but after the second session I enjoyed it because it was low-impact and once I got it down the work-out went fast and it was fun. I enjoyed the first routine more than the second.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but not great
Review: The back of the package calls this "two 20 minute workout segments" that are "fat burning" and "time efficient" and provide users with "the grace of a dancer" and several other "benefits." This is an example of very creative marketing. The cardio segments are NOT 20 minutes each, they're not especially intense, and they're certainly no more fat burning than a good, brisk walk.The DVD menu is divided into Workout One and Workout Two. The first is led by Lisa Wheeler (of Dance to Fitness) and consists of a short warm-up and about 13 minutes of dance. Wheeler teaches you a single dance routine using Spanish-inspired ballet and modern dance moves. This segment will probably get your heart moving after the first couple of minutes, although it's not very intense. The routine then abruptly cuts to a poorly-explained, much-too-short floor Pilates routine as a "cool-down". The second workout is led by Tracey Mallet (of Cardio Boot Camp). She also teaches you a Spanish-inspired dance routine, and her "warm-up" teaches the first steps of the routine. This 15 or so minutes is followed by another low-key Pilates mat "cool-down". I usually skip both cool-downs and do my own. Pros: 1. My heartrate did go up with these workouts, but only after a few sessions. I spent the first few viewings mostly walking in place trying to figure out what was going on. Once I got it, I could up the intensity by really getting into the moves. 2. Both instructors seem to be having a good time. The other dancers are the same as in many of the other Method series, but they also seem to be enjoying themselves. 3. The routines are interesting and pretty fun. Definitely not a typical aerobics workout. 4. Jennifer Kries is blessedly absent from this DVD. I don't like her style or workouts, but Mallet and Wheeler are consistently interesting and effective. I have no idea why Kries in on the cover of the DVD, nor who the random other woman is on the cover with her. Go figure. 5. These workouts can conceivably be done in a small living room. You need space, but not nearly as much as in Dance to Fitness. If you do Cardio Boot Camp or Donna Richardson tapes in your living room, you should be fine. Cons: 1. The workouts are much too short. Just when you get a good sweat going, it cuts to the floor work. Even doing the two dance segments back-to-back doesn't do it, since you get moving and then switch back to low-gear while Mallet slow-steps you through the first part of her routine. 2. The cool-downs are poorly done. They move too slowly and give amazingly little useful technique instruction. Pilates is useless without proper technique, and you won't get it here. Pilates beginners won't know how to do the exercises, and Pilates-experienced viewers won't get much out of the skimpy exercises. 3. The chapters function should be better used on the menus. You can choose Workout One or Two, then from those screens choose warm-up, main routine, or cool-down. Why not let you choose from all six options from one screen? Better yet, follow the Quickfix technique of letting us choose more than one segment to customize a workout. I might as well get the VHS tape. 4. There is absolutely no stretching. Dance to Fitness was much better for stretching and lengthening the body. 5. Some knowledge of dance is helpful. Previous knowledge of Pilates is essential for the matwork, but I've covered that. People who aren't used to some sort of dance routines might find this discouraging. 6. The music has zero relation to the dance moves. The same bongo drums you heard in Dance to Fitness are here, but they pretty much just keep the beat. It would have been nice to have actual music to move to. This DVD gets three stars from me simply because it's a nice way to vary my other workouts. If you want Pilates, choose Quickfix or one of the many other (non-Kries) workouts. If you want a good movement-oriented routine, Dance to Fitness is much better. For dance, New York City Ballet Workout. But if you just want some low-grade cardio work in short segments that's different from anything else you own, this one is a decent choice.
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