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Customer Reviews:
- Fun workout at a good pace: This was an active, enjoyable workout that started off at a pace that allows you to stretch out and feel comfortable before starting into the energetic portion. I certainly felt the impact, and certainly put my heart rate into a healthy cardio range. Even without a dance background, I was quickly able to get into the rhythm of the steps and follow along without much of a learning period. I think the value benefit of this routine is that it not only gave me a vigorous, blood pumping 50 minutes, but just over the last couple weeks, has helped improve my balance and coordination tremendously. I highly recommend this as a daily workout for anyone.
- Cardio for Ballerinas!: The exercises are varied and intense, like a ballet class. The pace is quick, for the most part, and requires a good deal of 1)coordination to keep up and 2) grace to really work the muscles correctly. This is a great workout for those with a dance background, especially in ballet.
- The Best Ballet Style Workout Yet!: Deanna McBrearty is very well known in the ballet community, having danced for the New York City Ballet. What is unusual about her career is that her fame came not so much as a dancer, but as a model! While she was working as a ballet dancer, she was used by famous fashion designers to do photo and runway work, often doing ballet steps down the fashion runway! She can also be seen in the New York City Ballet Workout DVD, modeling ballet clothes in catalogs and demonstrating ballet technique in some books, such as Suki Schorer's "Balanchine Technique". She has also been a great inspiration to many because when she was 12 year old, she had a very serious scoliosis and was told that she needed a metal rod implanted in her spine, which would have made a ballet career imposible. Instead, she worked hard in her ballet studies and became completely free of all scoliosis in only one year! Deanna is a very dedicated dancer. So, when I heard that she had developed her own approach to working out, I became very curious to see what it was, being a ballet dancer myself.
I found this workout to be very useful and enjoyable(the whole point of being a dancer is to enjoy moving!). She begins with a warmup and then moves on to a floor barre to stretch, strengthen, and warmup further. The main body of the workout comes next, and comprises the standing exercises, which involve flowing motions using mostly ballet technique. These make good use of the entire body, including the arms. They are done to a variety of tempos: medium, fast, and slow. Finally, there is a cooldown done on the floor. In addition to this extensive fifty minute workout, there is a generous amount of extras, including Deanna's biography, suggestions on getting the most out of the workout, reactions from those who have taken her Balocity classes(this is the only place where we hear that two men, one a ballet dancer and the other an actor, have also enjoyed her Balocity workout), and even outtakes.
In addition to being a great all-around workout, this is also very helpful for those dance students who are having trouble feeling comfortable with quick routines, since the concept of dancing in a flowing motion is stressed. This DVD is highly recommended for all those seeking great crossover training, as well as dancers looking for a different type of rhythmic routine. - I feel like a star!: The workout is low-impact cardio and tones lower and upper body at the same time. I could really feel the burn in my legs and shoulders, especially about midway through the workout. I don't have a lot of dance experience so I was really happy that I was able to keep up with the routine. At one point I caught my reflection in the mirror and I looked pretty good! I felt like a star on stage! The set looks great and I really like the music. Deanna and her dancers are absolute perfection and they made me feel that way too. This is definitely going into my weekly rotation.
- This is exactly what I was looking for: The 50 minute workout starts with stretches on the floor using fluid, ballet inspired movement. Then the main standing workout begins and it's more like classic aerobics with a dose of ballet that makes it so fun. I used to dance when younger but now I am looking for ways to burn the calories and have fun doing it. This workout is perfect. I did however find myself trying to mimic every movement down to the way I held my hands and fingers. And the more I concentrated on posture, specifically core muscle groups, the harder the workout got.
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