Dance Cardio Recommendations - Page 3

cmarsh4 · 02-22-11, 11:14 AM

I dont think anything can beat Zumba. I have the DVD's and I am now taking a live class and it is so much fun. It is not hard to catch onto at all and is just FUN FUN FUN!!

sophie kat · 02-22-11, 03:50 PM

Another vote for Petra Kolber. I LOVE Just Dance. It's not too hard, not too easy and it's athletic style dance, where as 321 Dance is not as challenging cardio wise, but it's more dancey. Both are fun.

andtckrtoo · 02-22-11, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmarsh4

I dont think anything can beat Zumba. I have the DVD's and I am now taking a live class and it is so much fun. It is not hard to catch onto at all and is just FUN FUN FUN!!

I agree - it's more like an hour of fun and not a workout. I really enjoy Zumba.

desertMermaid · 02-22-11, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andtckrtoo

I agree - it's more like an hour of fun and not a workout. I really enjoy Zumba.

Which Zumbas? I don't really want to buy the set, but I'd be willing to try to trade for one or two DVD's. Which are the best? TIA!

andtckrtoo · 02-22-11, 10:03 PM

Zumba Live hands down. It includes Flat Abs, which is an okay ab workout as well.

DanceMinx · 02-23-11, 01:03 AM

Ok, I'm back! I've made a list of the dance cardio that I've done and my thoughts on each based on my own preferences. Worning -- this may be long.

First things first -- my preferences and background: I used to dance as a kid -- ballet, Latin, and Caribbean. I stopped because my dance teacher tried to fast track me to pointe and I my goal wasn't to be a ballerina. I just loved to dance but not in any intense manner so I dropped it. Ironic part of life is the fact that my husband actually is a professional Latin dancer (ha!) and visual artist. Of course, he finds my dvd dance collection bizarre but he just marks it up to me growing up in the US; I like to let him believe that we all do this

Today, I try to incorporate dance into my life on a regular basis and I am open to almost any dance form (to be discussed in the reviews below). I prefer, however, "ethnic" dances like Caribbean, Latin, Brazilian, and Hula. I haven't really tried belly dancing or Bollywood but imagine that I would like it. I am not afraid of choreography and like "authentic" workouts but will accept a certain level of cheesiness. I hate workouts where I think that the instructor is "posing." More on that later.

On to the reviews:

Quenia Ribeiro's samba dvids (any). There are about 4 dvds that follow the same general format of tutorial then 30 min warmup and the routine, which includes a final 10 minutes at the fast (or normal Brazilian) speed. Quenia has an accent and uses weird descriptions at times for the actions but I've found the workouts fun. The tutorial itself is BRUTAL. I have burned massive amounts of calories alone on the tutorial. If you ever wondered how some Brazilian women stayed thin, it is the samba. You move legs, arms, torso, shoulders, etc. If you are don't like choreography, stick to the tutorial. If you bore easily, do the tutorial a few times and then jump to the routine. I usually skip the warmup unless I scheduled a long stretching session. I have reserved the fast version for special occasions as everything burns.

DOTI Cardio Hip Hop (w/ Jennifer Galardi):

this. It's hard, it's smooth, it's sexy and I believe the dancers. The choreography itself isn't difficult but the moves are a bit as it asks you to move your legs and arms in different directions often. Jennifer attempts to give form pointers and she'll point out the difference in styles between the backup dancers, which I loved. I feel that you could use these moves in a party and I loved the fact that the dancers played around with each other and laughed at each other. I felt that I was part of the party. Jennifer has a separately chaptered tutorial.

Vanessa Isaac's brazilian samba: I hated this and sent it back to the vendor immediately. I know that some people find her enjoyable so I had wanted to like it. However, I thought her samba had a strange rhythm as it didn't have the right syncopation and she didn't move all of her body. It overall lacked the sensuality of what I have seen with professional Brazilian dancers. I tend to be a dance snob in this regard

Lisa Nunziella's REd Hot Salsa and Red Hot Salsa II: These 2 dvds are super fun but have complex choreography. Lisa prides herself on having the most advanced salsa choreography with Red Hot Salsa II. I believe that she is right. I have tried RHS II maybe 2 times and afterwards felt like the Insanity commercial with sweat dripping off of me.

I'm not ready to continue with RHS II but I

RHS I. Okay -- Lisa yells at times and does not explain all of the steps well. Do not attempt either if you have a problem with choreography. Oh, and there are many spins and jumps. Lisa's tutorials are at the end if you want to try them. I just did the workout.

Lisa Nunziella's Hip Hop Cardio: I wanted to like this because I like Lisa so much but I've only done it once. I don't remember what happened; perhaps I found the movements or order strange. (Remember the dance snob defect). I much prefer the Jennifer Galardi version.

Ok, someone mentioned Dance with Julianne -- Cardio Ballroom: I have this and only have done it. I enjoy Julianne and the routine. My legs definitely burned and I felt sexy while doing the workout and didn't feel that I would have to run and turn off the TV if someone walked by. She does yell, however, and I wonder if she wore earplugs that prevented her from judging volume but I know that some dance teachers yell, so it didn't bother me. Julianne tends to move all of her body so, although the choreography itself isn't difficult, the dancing is difficult as you have to use everything including your head and neck. Many snakelike motions. I also have her Just Dance with Julianne dvd but only have watched it. It appears to follow the same format of the original but with more party type dancing.

Ok, speaking of running to turn off the TV, I also have the Pussycat Dolls Workout, which I actually do like but I find it soooooo embarrassing. I do this early in the morning when everyone is asleep but my husband always somehow wakes up while it's on and meanders out into the den to observe (Go back to sleep!!!! Or throw some dollar bills; make yourself productive

). It's not sexy, it's overtly sexual. I liken it to soft porn for guys with fitness fetishes so I even hesitate to mention it but truth be told it's fun and burns a lot of calories. And you'll get DOMS afterwards as you have to GRIND it, POP it, SLAP it

You have to tune out Robin at times as she often talks about slapping your behind like you mean it and looking sexy. You can't imagine it unless you witness it. It's *that* bad. Oh, and there's a burlesque routine where the women all put on high heels and grab a hot pink boa. I have *never* done that portion and have no idea why it's even there. Except for the aforementioned market... *ahem*. Moving on, the lead singer Nicole dances for about 5 minutes near the end but I notice that she *completely* moves differently than the other women. She looks sexy but not in a cheap way. I try to copy her whenever I can.

Ok, I think this is a good time to break. I'll return this week with more reviews on the following:

The FIRM Cardio Dance Fusion, QF Cardio Hip Hop, Island Girl hula, Core Rhythms collection, Madonna Grimes, Christi Taylor, Donna Richardson's Brazilian Workout, DWTS, Crunch (I have maybe 4), Patricia Moreno, Billy Blanks Jr., DanceFit, Susan Tuttle's Latin Sensation, and Dance and Be Fit Hip Hop Cardio.

I am ashamed to say that I have about 20 other dance dvds that I haven't yet tried.

Off to sleep!

desertMermaid · 02-23-11, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andtckrtoo

Zumba Live hands down. It includes Flat Abs, which is an okay ab workout as well.

Oh so I just found out my local library has the Zumba set. It's got over 100 holds on it, but they've got over 40 copies. So I reserved it. Hopefully, it won't be too long before it's my turn. I think I can stay busy looking into the other recommendations in the mean time.

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all the input.

desertMermaid · 02-23-11, 11:17 AM

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