Even though I had previously watched a demo of this on Youtube, I was surprised that I liked doing the workout as much as I did (still do) and I love pretty much the whole series. This is a great product for those who might be a bit lazy or struggle with motivation such as myself, just starting off with exercise, or hoping to do something mellow a few days out of the week. If done correctly, you get a mix of low-impact cardio in and also muscle toning, though this would not be ideal for someone who is looking for any intense calorie burning alone. This has also really helped my bad lower back area out tremendously and I often feel energized once I’m done.
I tend to be lazy and get bored quickly with any and all exercise; however, I love dance-related workouts because they manage to make things fun and not just your cookie-cutter aerobics workout, and I think it’s good to mix up your routines every now and then. In fact, when I’m feeling the least motivated, I just pop in an Island Girl disc and let the music play, then I’m suddenly all over it.
The Island Girl series not only manages to keep things fun and has makes the time go by fast, but you even get a little bit of a sweat from it and feel it working your muscles. The scenery is beautiful and the women are realistically healthy-looking, which I also happen to find inspiring. I’ve been seeing results, especially where the obliques (love handle zone) are concerned as well as with other parts of the body, and relatively quickly, too. Even better is the fact that it doesn’t feel like you’re working out, making it so you’re unlikely to give up halfway through.
I do have some dance background from my youth, but little-to-no experience where this type of dance is concerned. It’s a bit like belly or Latin dancing with the use of figure-eights and so on, which I also sometimes do, and does take a little getting used to, but if you just do what feels right you’ll eventually get the hang of it. If you struggle with it, try doing the routine all the way through as best you can, and then practice in the mirror or on your own. Everyone that I’ve gotten in on this comments that once they get the hang of it they catch themselves doing it while doing other things about the house, which I am in the habit of as well.
This set in particular is well-made, giving you the option to select parts where you want to start off. For instance, you can easily skip the introduction or move on to just the final routine if you wish to. You can also select for the disc to play without narration and music-only. Although the instruction is not perfect, Kili gives far better cues and instruction than many of the other dance-type workouts that I have and seems easy to follow.[keyword]Dance+Workout[/keyword][amazonstore]Dance+Workout, 4, All[/amazonstore]
[amazonstore]Dance+Workout, 10, All[/amazonstore]
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This is a generally inoffensive DVD. The music is rather bland for “urban” dancing (I was expecting something rap/hiphop-ish). The background dancers wouldn’t make the most rural midwestern farmer glance twice at them. Everything was just kind of… nice. Bland. Okay.
As others have said, this really isn’t for beginners. The instructor moves fast and introduces many many moves and steps. I was totally lost and ended up just randomly jumping/stepping around to keep my heartrate up while peering at the screen, trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing.
If I could, I’d give it another half-star. It’s not a horrible exercise DVD, but there are tons better.
I own several workout videos, and I like MaDonna Grimes the best. She and her team truly look like they are having fun. MaDonna is a great hip-hop teacher, as she breaks down moves so that even beginners can get them. The repeated review of sequences helps a lot. I am pleased that an exercise television channel that I tune in to also carries MaDonna’s program.
Don’t be fooled by the title “Dance Fitness for Beginners,” this workout is great for everyone not just beginners. MaDonna starts off with a 10 minute warm up that is really a fun dance routine that just consists of basic steps with a slight dance feel to them (example is step touch with swing of the arms). After you’ve warmed up MaDonna does a little stretching to get your body limber before starting the workout. The 15 minute workout consists of 8 8-counts which MaDonna teaches quickly but does not break down. Don’t worry, though! They are easy enough moves that if you don’t get them the first time, you will probably get them next time. It is very short, but I always combine this with her other “Dance Fitness for Beginners” to get a longer workout. The 5 minute cool-down is great, too, with mostly the same stretches you did in the warm-up only at a more relaxed pace. There is a bonus 10 minute toning workout that works the legs and abs. I always feel the burn while I am doing it, but the next day I am not sore. I think it’s a great supplement to get and keep your abs/legs in shape. One of the things that I love about this video is that there are 5 back-up dancers (except in the toning part) that constantly joke around and seem to be having a great time. Also, at first I was under the impression this was the same workout as her “All-Star Workouts:Hip-Hop.” It’s not, so if you’ve done that one, you can do this one, too. Overall, this a laid-back and high-cardio workout full of fun that lacks the length to make it a 5 star workout.
I rented this video just to try it out from Netflix. I will definitely be buying it!
I usually do step workout videos but was looking for something different and fun. I was very pleased with this video. Madonna made exercising entertaining.
I am certainly not a hip-hop dancer, but I have reasonable rhythm. With this video, I found it challenging but not frustrating. Her cues and demos of each move are right on point. She is a wonderful teacher. The music is good, too.
I watched the video before I did it. At first, I thought it looked lame but when I actually did it I found myself having fun and really enjoying the moves.
Some folks complained that it does not burn enough calories. All I can say is that it certainly got and kept my heart rate up. Also, if it is not intense enough for you, you can always exaggerate your arms and move them more to pick up your heartbeat.
One final plus- it is the perfect length in my opinion. Long enough to make a difference but not so long that it discourages one from putting the DVD in due to lack of time.
I plan to check out more of her videos!