The Ballet Workout (1987) Review

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(More customer reviews)I started dance classes three years ago at the age of 38, and bought The Ballet Workout to help develop more muscle control in my hips and legs. I've done yoga, Pilates, belly dance, aerobic dance, but really, nothing compares to ballet for gaining the strength and muscle control I'm looking for.
Melissa Lowe is a good teacher. Her voice is pleasant, and her descriptions of movements were very precise, complete, and not at all redundant. As a beginner-level adult, I needed that level of explanation so I could execute movements correctly without injury.
Some things, like Ms. Lowe's stage makeup and poker face may seem jarring to the 21st century viewer, but keep in mind that this tape was produced in 1983, one of the very first dance instruction videos, before teachers had much collective experience before a video camera.
For me, the moves are difficult to execute, even at the tape's "beginner level", perhaps because of my age and inherent lack of flexibility. I would have appreciated being able to see what the exercises look like when executed correctly, although the dancer cannot yet achieve complete turnout or raise the leg fully. Melissa Lowe's verbal description was a great help for me to be able to make a good guess, but a demo would have worked even better.
I look forward to seeing more of Melissa Lowe's video instruction, as in these last twenty years, she will have become a prodigious teacher.

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Discover the joy of movement and the beauty of dance with the first program in this series by Instructor Melissa Lowe. The elegant way to achieve the body you want, attain the look and grace of a professional dancer and enjoy a healthier lifestyle. Perfect for all ages, this workout will help you condition, reshape and tone your body. This workout will not only help you create the body you have always wanted, but also will help you gain an overall sense of well being. This workout has been divided into two levels. Level I is designed for those with little or no previous ballet experience. Previous ballet experience is helpful but not necessary for level II. Success on both workout levels lies in performing the exercises in the correct position and with the correct posture. The same amount of time spent on ballet exercises as spent on more traditional forms of exercise will produce dramatically different results in shaping your body.

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Ballet Body Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great total body workout DVD featuring a fusion of ballet toning, yoga, pilates, and light weight training. The DVD features very good instruction by Jennifer Galardi and is not difficult to follow along with. It is a workout for toning and flexibility and does not feature specific cardio work, though it may get your heart rate up at times. There are two other girls working out with Jennifer and one does show beginner modifications.
The entire workout from start to finish clocks in around one hour long. The DVD has a chapter menu to choose either the entire workout or to choose shorter segments. You can choose from the warm-up (12 minutes), the strength segment (13 minutes), the balance and length segment (13 minutes), floor barre segment (11 minutes), and the stretch segment (12 minutes). I didn't see a mix and match option though.
The warm up is very fluid and features plies, ballet arm movements, and some yoga stretches. The strength segment features a leg plie segment, standing ab/core work, and upper body work with weights. The balance and length segment features standing leg work, a yoga strength series on the mat (downward facing dog with leg lifts, plank with tricep pushups, etc), the floor barre segment is done on the mat and features barre and pilates style leg work and abdominal work, the stretch segment is yoga inspired and finishes with a short seated meditation.
I enjoyed the DVD and felt as if I had gotten my strength and stretch work done all in one workout. I also finished feeling very relaxed as if I had completed a yoga class. It's an elegant workout.

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If you've always desired the sleek toned muscles of ballet dancers, this workout is for you! Jennifer Galardi has created five mini workouts blending exercises from classical ballet, Pilates and yoga to deliver a workout that elongates and strengthens your entire body AND feels amazing. Each segment delivers maximum benefits to ensure you'll see results whether you pick one or all routines. Choose from: Warm Up, Strength, Balance, Floor Barre, or Stretch or put all of them together for an hour long intense toning and stretch session!

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New York City Ballet Workout, Vol. 2 (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)Workout Description: about 30 minutes of toning (17 minutes floor work, 12 minutes standing; primarily focuses on lower body with some ab and minimal upper body work) with 11 minute warm-up, 6 minute stretch, and 17 minute "cool-down" which includes dance routine for a total of 63 minutes
Workout Level: mid-intermediate to low advanced
Instructor: Peter Martins (NYC Ballet Master in Chief) in a voice-over with his British accent. He is encouraging and helpful (and less snobbish than NYC Ballet Workout 1). You will need to watch the dancers closely and even watch the video glossary at the end; the tips given are sufficient but just barely. (This is another area improved from NYC Ballet Workout 1). Both sides are worked evenly, and you are expected to mirror the dancers' movements.
Class: 1-4 dancers from the NYC Ballet (2 women, 2 men)
Music / Set: You can choose between a gorgeous classical music soundtrack or a more modern jazz-inspired vocal soundtrack, both with or without narration. The interior set is minimal, as the focus is on the dancers.
Equipment Needed: optional mat for floor segment. The workout can be done barefoot, with ballet slippers, or you can use the special split sneakers (from Bloch or Capezio) the dancers use in some segments.
Caveats: Familiarity with ballet is extremely helpful; familiarity with Pilates or similar methods is also helpful. You don't have to be a dancer, though.
Additional Comments: You'll need some space for this workout, particularly for the movement combination. However, at 5'8" I'm able to fit it in my 6' by 8' space without getting too cramped or having to be too creative.
This, along with NYC Ballet Workout 1, is one of the few exercise videos in letterbox. The choreography and production are beautiful. Sarah Jessica Parker appears on the back cover but nowhere else.
This program consists of 16 exercises divided between a moving warm-up, floor exercises (including a stretch, ab series, and "floor barre"), standing center, reverence, and a movement combination. (There are fewer pauses in between exercises, as in NYC Ballet Workout 1.) There is no cool-down after the movement combination, so you may want to delay the reverence until after you've completed it. The movement combination isn't enough to count as good cardio, but it's fun to see if you can complete it even half as gracefully or effortlessly as the dancers.
In comparison to the New York City Ballet Workout 1, this is more like Jessica Sherwood's Ballet Boot Camp (1 or 2). NYC Ballet Workout 2 has more explanation and more routines. It feels more like a regular class that ends with practicing a routine for a recital. Personally, I have both NYC Ballet Workouts and use them equally. I'm so excited to live out my childhood dream of being a ballerina (although just in private-there's a reason why this is just a dream) that I can't help but enjoy these workouts. Are they perfect? No. Are they as fun as a real class? No. Do they make you sweat buckets? No. Do they help you increase your flexibility, strengthen your muscles, improve your balance and posture, and make you feel like you're a graceful dancer when you're done? Absolutely.
The DVD comes with a booklet offering workout tips and a summary of the program. (Don't let the photos of the super-flexible dancers intimidate you; you won't have to do any of those stretches in the workout.) You have the option to select chapters or program your own workout, so if you only want to do part of the exercises, you can. (For example, you can do the warm up, floorwork, and stretch one day and the warm up, standing work, and Reverance another day; you could also focus on lower body.) There are "Quick Fix Target Exercises" for the abdominals, shoulders & back, and thighs & buttocks, where a dancer demonstrates an exercise to add on; it's then up to you to do them on your own. There are 2 documentaries: "Tendus, Tutus, Tights, and Takes," which is a behind the scenes look at filming the workout, and "Born to Dance," which combines bios with a day in the life of each of the dancers. (It's worth seeing for Aesha's commercial debuts.) In addition, there are trailers and promo spots for Danskin and NY Sports Club. You may find the book version of the exercise program helpful, particularly if you have little ballet experience, but it is not necessary.

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NEW YORK CITY BALLET WORKOUT 2 - DVD Movie

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New York City Ballet Workout (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)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.

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NEW YORK CITY BALLET WORKOUT - DVD Movie

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