Calorie Calculator from Fitness Magazine

Hi, everyone! Bumming about as usual and trying to get back into my fitness routine. My university just fixed up their gym really nice so I've been weight training, running on the elliptical, and so on. Ends up, I found this website to give you a calorie count for the day. This tells you specifically how much carbs, proteins, and fat you'll need to eat in order for you to maintain your current weight. You don't even need to sign up to use this calculator. Sweet!

Give it a shot here to see how much you should be eating: Fitness Magazine's Calorie Calculator

Top Ballet Exercise Videos

Here it is guys! This is my top list for ballet videos. All exercise videos that had little to no ballet will be booted off immediately. These list will mostly be based on my final opinion of the exercises, not by the overall score I originally gave them. Reasoning is: 1) the overall score is based on the factors I was grading on. Though these covered most bases, didn't cover everything, and 2) I feel like if I had to review some of these again, I would give them a different score after viewing better/worse exercise videos after them.

Let's begin!

Eliminated: Pure Barre and Yoga Booty Ballet

7. Attitude: Ballet & Pilates Fusion

This exercise gets the bottom of the list, but perhaps this is because I'm not the target age for this exercise. This exercise is geared toward women over 50, and I'm only 20. Since I found this exercise far to simple, I gave it the lowest spot on my list. Still, others may find it of great use. 

6. Balocity

This exercise made me sweat, but it was just too jarring at times! Though I loved the studio they performed in, the jarring exercise, the ultimatum, makes me score it lower.

5. New York City Ballet I

 

Though the exercise was really great, the confusing main menu and narrator make me but this around the middle of my list. It's just not as good as its sequel. 

4. Trudie Styler's Scult & Tone Ballet

I had a hard time deciding whether I wanted this as third or not. This video is better for beginners, but not as long. Also, it can be quite deceiving about how many exercises it has on the DVD. 

3. Ballet Bootcamp

This had a strong ballet based workout, but the floor exercises will need a lot of practice before you can keep up with her. I highly recommend this video.

 

2. New York City Ballet II

This DVD took all of the errors of the original and improved them. If you want a ballet DVD, this is one of the ones I would recommend you try first. It's well worth your money and has a great instructional video for beginners. Fabulous!

1. Element: Ballet Conditioning

I love, love, love this DVD! It's the one I look forward to the most when selecting an exercise DVD. It's cheap, it's well-made, it has a strong ballet exercise, and is just the right length. The only thing I wish it had was a section specifically for learning proper form. Otherwise, this is my favorite exercise DVD that I would recommend to all looking for a ballet fitness workout.

Review-- Trudie Styler's Scult & Tone Ballet

 

Last but not least for my exercise reviews is the Trudie Styler's Scult & Tone Ballet. Trudie Styler isn't an exercise guru or a professional dancer and probably isn't qualified for this type of exercise, but luckily, she is joined with a man who is. Let's take a look into this to see how I found this particular exercise DVD.

This DVD has several parts. First there are the exercises, a footwork tutorial, and then some bonus material. The two exercises are 25 minutes each and, though they can be completed all at once, are really meant to be completely separately at different times. In fact, both exercises are identical; they just swap out the barre with a chair. So if you think you're getting two exercises in one, think again. It's the exact same thing.

The footwork tutorial doesn't really go over proper ballet form as much as it just slows down the exercise. This is nice, but if you have ballet training, it shouldn't be too hard to be able to keep up with the exercises. Also, since you are doing pliés, it's probably best if you get some ballet training before completing this video. If you've never learned proper form, you could damage your knees. (Trust me, it will hurt after awhile if you don't get a professional to help you.)

Despite the slight rip-off with the identical exercises, I really liked the choreography for the exercise. I felt really stretched out and was sweating by the end of the workout. This exercise is heavily based on ballet, so there are no periods of crunches, push-ups (well, adapted push-ups where you use the barre), or other similar exercises that you'd find in a bootcamp video. Though this video has strong ballet influences, there are no jumps, so if you're worried about too heavy impact on your legs or knees, you'll be fine with this exercise. You almost never let go of the barre and will always have it there for your support in all the exercises.

I actually have few qualms with this exercise DVD, but one of the major issues is the instructors. James d'Silva, the man joining Trudie, seems to know what he's doing, but Trudie sometimes messes up her form. I also get the strong impression that this woman is a rich, bored housewife who decided one day to release a couple exercise videos. James attempts to connect with Trudie as they dance at the barre, yet she seems to be concentrating too hard to return the connection. Also, Trudie only joins James during the barre exercise. James is alone for the chair version of the exercise and the instructional video. If you're going to put your own name in the title, you should be the main expert AND be doing most of the exercises in my opinion.

Also, the setting is nice, but is it appropriate for a ballet video? The setting is in a Buddhist chapel, and it makes me feel like I'm invading a sacred place... Granted, it's not like I'm tap-dancing on Mecca's sacred pillar, but it still feels a bit awkward at times.

The narrator's voice is what I would consider the stereotypical British accent--you know, the one that American actors use to sound "posh" or "stuck up." It's not a problem, but I couldn't shake the idea of "Family Guy" from my head. Still, he does an excellent job of keeping up with the instructors and isn't confusing in his commands. One of the best, actually, in all of the exercises I've reviewed on here.

The camera is also great. The quality of the picture is clear. It's evident that there was great thought behind the zooms, cuts, and sweeps of the instructors as they perform their moves, and it leaves a seamless transition between moves. 

The music is also really, really nice. The DVD says it was composed and performed by a member of Sting, which makes sense because Trudie, here, has some major connections. The music was perfect. It was contemporary while being reminiscent of classical pieces. I loved how calming it was, and it was quite beautiful.

The bonus features are...weird. Like why would I give a crap about having a tour of Trudie's home? Or see behind-the-scenes footage of Sting's new musical video? Oh that's right, I don't give a crap. And I don't want to make eco-friendly wine, either. Completely pointless, but there is a bonus 10-minute meditation section if you are into that sort of thing. I looked a bit at it, and it seemed fine to me even though I don't really meditate.

Workout: 9/10

Instructor: 7/10

Setting: 8/10

Camera: 9/10

Level: Advanced-Expert
Is it actually ballet? Yes

Overall: 8/10

Overall, not a bad DVD at all. I was pleasantly surprised at how ballet the exercise actually was. Though Trudie is lackluster and pretty much just flaunting her wealth throughout the whole DVD,  I still feel like I had a decent workout at the end, which makes me give it a high score of 8.

Foot Exercises

I was browsing around a bit on Youtube to keep up with this month's theme, and I found a great video showing various exercises you can do with your feet to strengthen them. Even if you're not en pointe yet, I think these would be very beneficial for your feet.

Her feet are so flexible! I'm going to try this a bit.

Review-- Attitude: Ballet & Pilates Fusion

 I know this isn't with this month's theme, but screw the theme! Those are just guidelines ;) Now this DVD is actually marketed for those fifty and up, so the exercise is much slower and has less impact. Also, donations are made to find a cure for breast cancer for each DVD you purchase. Attitude is part of a series, and there is a second DVD for this Attitude series. I'll only be reviewing the first one. So since I didn't have time to fit this into last month, here is the review for Attitude: Ballet & Pilates Fusion.

Now as you can see,  there are several parts to this workout. First here is the introduction where the instructor speaks a bit about the exercise. Then there are the form pointers and then the two workouts. The form pointers will go over the correct posture for the ballet moves. She'll also demonstrate each of the positions so you can become familiar with them if you're not already. This section is rather lengthy, but highly recommended if you've never taken ballet before.

Going over the proper form

The workout is broken into two and each is about thirty-seven minutes each. The first is meant to be completed for the first couple weeks and then you move onto the second one for the rest of the time you use the video. I found the first workout way to easy and didn't even break a sweat. The second workout was a little better, but still rather easy and barely different. I would definitely recommend this if you've been out of shape for a long time and want to work your way back slowly.

She'll also go over positioning for the abdominal work.

 This workout workouts out abs, arms and legs. For the arm exercises you'll need some sort of weight. They use a ball filled with sand for this video but a hand weight works as well. I think the abs are the highlight of the video. I seem to get the most burn from them. The ballet exercise portions are fine, but I prefer the routines from other videos better. I still feel a slight burn  but some of the exercises are rushed over.
The warm-up is simply not good enough. It doesn't warm up all the muscles, just the sides of the abs since all you're doing is circling your arms and the hips from pliés. I highly suggest you stretch yourself ahead of time before participating in this exercise so you don't injure yourself. 

The instructor does a good job. She speaks in a hushed voice and tries to be more relaxing than energetic. She'll also occassionally remind you to keep your form, and she times her reminders well, like when you're really starting to tire or if you're concentrating hard on a different area of the body other than your core.

I did notice her form was off during fourth position. Her knees went over her heels. That can be really dangerous. I only really noticed because this is something I struggle with while dancing. During the form section, she mentioned that fourth position was going to be "one of the harder positions," and I think that's a fair statement. Still, if you're watching this and trying to model yourself after her, she will only occasionally have the correct form. Since this is for women over 50, it might be dangerous to not have the correct posture, especially on your knees, so be sure to know what you're doing and watch the form video. Trust yourself. The backup instructors tend to mess up a lot. I would focus more on her than anyone else.

TIMMMBEEERRRRRRR! (Or at least that's how I felt, hahaha)

The music is horrible! I hate, hate, hate the music! Music is like Chinese traditional music mixed with a bit of Enya--only know where near as good and relaxing. Then there's this really bad trumpet sounding music that sounds like those old midi files you heard on websites when the internet was still a scary new place... it's bad. I can't stand it.

Sometimes you would catch sides of the camera during zoom out, but other than that, the editing was really good. The camera did a great job of zooming in on the main instructor. I never really had any trouble with it so I thought it did a good job.

They shot the location in studio, but they tried to spruce it up a bit so it's not too boring. They put some barres in the back but never used them for the exercise. It wasn't bad at all. I enjoyed the colors, and it seemed appropriate for the exercise. Still, in comparison to other DVDs, this isn't my favorite studio. I like Balocity or Element's settings much better.

Workout: 7/10

Instructor: 9/10

Setting: 8/10

Camera: 9/10

Level: Beginner

Is it actually ballet? Yes

Overall: 8/10

 

I didn't really enjoy this exercise as much as the others since it felt too simple. Though the exercise definitely had ballet and Pilate influences, it just didn't work well with my body. I would recommend this for someone who's not used to exercise, but not to someone starting ballet for the first time since the instructors are not ballet dancers or teachers. 

Review-- Balocity

Today is a review for the exercise video, Balocity. This is a fifty-minute video featuring an ex-New York City ballet dancer. The back says that she developed this video to stay in shape between her times on stage. Let's see if it's good for that. 

I really liked the instructor. She does a great job of being optimistic, but not summer rainbow sunshine sparkle happy. She speaks very clearly and very eloquently, which helps during the exercises. She has her moments of quiet, but when she does offer tips on form, they are really helpful, though I did notice that she didn’t explain the proper form for the pliés.

No butts should stick out!

 They have some really good stretches. There's a section for the inner thighs that really helps. Usually the inner thighs are ignored in workouts, so I liked how they put extra emphasis on this region of the body. The instructors are really flexible, but sometimes I swear they performed the ballet moves wrong during the exercise. They let their butt stick out in the pliés. It's hard to tell, but I think they are just slightly.

I did feel as if we could have used more time on some of the exercises. We sort of seemed to fly through them without taking an extra couple of seconds to feel the muscles fully lengthen. I can just pause, though, if I want to continue an exercise and then play the video again once I'm ready. 

One of the great exercises they do to reach the inner thigh.

 The fast pace of the exercise does make it interesting. I don't lose interest as quickly as I do in other exercise videos. The floor barre is only about nine minutes and the standing workout makes up the rest of the video. I would recommend stretching every once in awhile to avoid pulling muscles. Also, don’t try to go full out since they move so fast during the standing exercises that you could pull something during the kicks.

They do make an effort to offer variations. They have low-impact variations, too, for the cardio sections. This is great if you're tired, have bad knees/legs/whatever, and need a less jarring motion.

During floorwork, she doesn't tell you which foot goes forward. One the second side she reminds you, but I had already started switching sides the first time. It would have been nice for clarification, though I can sort of see how she probably thought we'd infer this through the nature of the pattern itself. She remembers to do this later during the cool-down stretches, so I forgave her for the slight lapse.

 

The final part of the exercise is the abdominal work. Usually exercise videos start with ab work right after the warm-ups, but this video saves them for near the very end. They are pretty easy--nowhere near as hard as previous exercises, but it was a relief after a long workout to not worry too much about the abs. 

The exercise, overall, was easier than most. It is more for beginners or people looking for a lower impact exercise. The floorwork is definitely higher impact, but you can lower your legs on the kicks. The ballet is also there, but this video is not for people looking for ballet form corrections. This is a ballet-inspired workout, more than anything.

The location is actually really nice. I liked how they changed the color scheme every once in awhile for a nice change. It looked polished and professional.

The camera would only occasionally miss important areas of their body, but overall, it rarely failed.  Whoever directed the video had a good sense of proportion and what viewers need to see as they worked out along with the video.

The tips section will go over the proper form for the moves.

The video when you first pop it in will go over the tips section. This is where she gives you information on the proper forms. Though this is nice, I often forget some of the advice they offer. Luckily, the instructor often reminds us to correct our posture, tucking our abs, or whatever is needed to fix our form.

Another portion of the video is the behind the scenes and shots of them shooting the workout video. It's rather interesting if you're interested in film and how movies are shot, but that's about it.

Final Thoughts:

 Workout: 8/10

Instructor: 9/10

Setting: 10/10

Camera: 9/10

Level: Beginner-Advanced

Is it actually ballet? Yes

Overall: 8/10

This may be revised because I haven't had time to review this video and workout along with it for a second time. I usually like to use a video at least twice before finalizing my review, but since I've just been exhausted lately, I'm throwing this review up here early. 

Review-- Ballet Bootcamp

Another ballet based exercise I'm reviewing for this month! This is the Ballet Boot Camp video. It is available on Amazon for about $18. This is a slightly longer exercise. It lasts for about 60 minutes.

Like the beginning of the New York Ballet Workout II, this workout begins with a definition of the correct stance. It's just bullet points though, but really, I'm fine with that. The instructor will often narrate over the exercise routine with important, accurate information about correct form.


The instructor is okay. She stumbles a couple times with her instructions, but it didn't matter too much. Still, she does a decent job describing what's going on with your body as you stretch. This makes it really handy when you're looking at the ground for a stretch or if it's hard to turn your head to the television.

Every once in awhile, the instructor will narrator over the audio. Sometimes she'll start narrating as she's talking in the regular video. It makes it hard to hear her sometimes, even when what she has to say is pretty important to the exercise.That or she'll talk rapidly like an informercial. Other times, she's very helpful at pointing out advice and mistakes to avoid.

One of my favorite parts of the workout is actually the warmup. The warmup is a really good about stretching a lot of the stiff areas of the body and hits the major muscles needed for dance.  The rest of the exercise features floor combinations, an abdominal workout, some miscellaneous workouts (pushups, splits, etc.), butt exercises, and arm exercises. About half the exercise has a solid ballet theme. The pushups, not so much, but the rest has a strong, ballet influence. This is a tough exercise. I had to stop several times.

This DVD will have to be watched more than once. She puts together combinations and explains each of the steps separately before combining them, but it still might be a tad difficult if you are still unsure of how to transition from one to the next. I sure had some difficulty. Still, she repeats the combination enough for you to finally catch on in the end, making learning the combo worthwhile. One problem though, is that though she explains the moves, the camera doesn’t zoom to their feet. Instead, it’ll focus on a dancer’s face or some other body part. This doesn’t help teach the combo, no matter how many words she uses to explain the positions.

I definitely will give the camerawork some credit. The cinematography is unique. It'll change angles to above, in front, to the side, pretty much everywhere. It'll sometimes change to black and white, but it doesn't distract from the workout. What is distracting is the mass of people in the room. I really only need a couple other people to help me see what moves they are performing. With many people in the room, wearing similar colors, it got a tad distracting. Still, it's not too bad.

The setting is a nicely lit studio. I liked it. The background music is classical. Sometimes it was opera, and it made battements very awkward, hahahaha. Despite this, the music is very calming.

Final Thoughts

 Workout: 9/10

Instructor: 9/10

Setting: 9/10

Camera: 8/10

Level: Advanced-Expert

Is it actually ballet? Yes

Overall: 9/10

This is a really good ballet based exercise. You get a great cardio from the ballet floorwork and strength training through crunches and pushups. Though the camera can make it difficult to see how their body for particular moves, it's rather nice overall.

More Exercises Featuring Ballet - Online Video Edition

Keeping up with the January theme of exercise and keeping to those resolutions, here are some more exercises that will work for dancers. Some of these are specifically ballet/dance based, while one other is stretches for older ladies wanting to improve their flexibility. Since we are adult ballet dancers, this last video should be beneficial!

Ballet Strength Workout -  a full, free 20-minute exercise hosted by ExerciseTV. This combines ballet with pilates. You can download the video for only three dollars or just watch it for free online.

Ballet Butt - another free video from ExerciseTV. This is shorter, but works your butt

This video is for younger dancers.

And this one is for older dancers and probably good for those just starting:

Hope you can use some of these short exercises to keep yourself in trim shape for dance! Also, I received my new ballet based exercise DVDs in the mail. There will be a couple more reviews within the week. Some things will be pushed into the beginning of February, but that's okay, too!

Review-- Simply Ballet

This is a review for the Simply Ballet: A Master Class for Beginners. This is not a review of an exercise video (though you do exercise) as much as it's a supplement to ballet class. They recommend you already have one to two years of training, and I tend to agree with them since she doesn't go into acute detail on the correct forms. 

The DVD opens up with three beautiful young dancers. I just love watching them! They are quite talented.

The setting is in a studio. The lighting is not too great, but it's enough to be able to see all the dancers. The quality is also not fantastic, even on DVD, but it's passable. (My screenshots are worse than the actual quality of the disc. I'm not quite sure why.)

The instructor does a great job of fully demonstrating the exercises. She is clearly talented, knows what she's talking about, and a good dancer. She covers some really important things to remember as you perform these exercises, especially if you're a beginner like me.

The camera does a great job of zooming in to focus on the individual dancer as the instructor works with them. What I like is how they'll demonstrate the correct way, but also the incorrect way for some moves so can see these in yourself and correct it.

They also have a girl facing back and a girl facing front so you can see the correct forms from both angles. It's really helpful. I say girls, but there's also a boy dancer. I really like when they have boy dancers, too, so boys using the DVD won't feel left out. When it's time to go to the other side, the camera will cut and the dancers will now be facing the other way. However, they don't always go to the other side, so you'll have to get up and rewind. You can't just hit the back button because she'll start giving the exercise instructions again. This can get a tad tedious. I wish they broke up the exercise and her instructions so you can jump to and fro with the next button.

The instructor leads you through the combinations she has designed for both the barre and floorwork. There are also combinations specifically for male students. When she teaches a combination, she'll go through it herself. Then she'll demonstrate the correct and incorrect form on the student dancers. After she gives her final instructions, you practice with the students as a pianist plays some rendition of a classical piece. She only gives instructions before the exercises, not during. I prefer during since then if I forget to put one of her methods into practice, I'll be reminded. Usually I'm so busy concentrating I don't notice I'm performing a move incorrectly. Comments during the exercise would improve this.

I truly enjoy this video. Not only did I learn something from it, but I feel confident as we go through the motions. This is not a video to buy if you haven't taken a studio class yet, since she does expect you to know the terminology for the most part. If you are unsure of some ballet terms, then this might not be the best video for you yet.

This DVD delivers exactly what it promises to do, which I respect from it. It's an easy-to-follow master class for beginners. And this really is only for beginners. There's a lot of instruction and the combinations are simpler. Sometimes there's even variations put into some of the floorwork for those super new to ballet.

However, the price is pretty steep: $27. For a little bit more, I think you'll be able to find better instruction videos and one with better quality. Still, not to bad! I'm glad my library had this.

Verdict: If you can get it for a cheaper price than $27, give it a shot.

Theraband Used for Ballet Exercises

My Therabands arrived today! This means I can start using them to stretch and increase my flexibility. In order to prepare for this, I did a search for all the exercises I could complete to improve my ballet. Here are some videos I found and compiled for others using Therabands to improve their flexibility:

Other videos featuring the Theraband:
Anaheim Ballet: Tricks of the Trade
Ballet Exercises at Home
Another blog with excellent advice
Ballet Forum

More ballet-themed exercises to come!

I was browsing eBay and found some exercise DVDs for great prices. I just couldn't pass it up. So now I have three more workout videos to add to my growing cue. Let's see how they measure up. Granted, I'm probably not going to need these DVDs at all since my college offers free yoga and pilates classes and I'm taking ballet classes outside of school, but they are still nice to have around in case I don't have the time.

The new DVDs I'm going to receive sometime next week are: Balocity, Trudie Styler's Sculpt & Tone Ballet, and Attitude Ballet and Pilates Fusion. I'm most excited for the Balocity since it features an ex-New York Ballet dancer.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to find time to review the other items I have planned, such as Ballet Boot Camp. I have taken some screenshots, though I haven't completed the exercise yet. Here's a little snippet of what's to come there:

I have ballet class in an hour so I'm going to get ready! Have fun at your own dance classes and keep up the passion!

January Update!

January is halfway over, but it also means that my school is going to go full force soon, too. That means I'll be really busy, but I'll keeping recording information on here!

In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm going to be keeping up the January fitness theme. Since many people's resolutions are to get into shape, I thought I could review a couple ballet inspired exercise videos. Again, here is the link to a full list of exercise videos, hosted by Amazon: Ballet Based Exercises! It already seems quite popular! More popular than this blog, as a matter of fact. But I shall persevere!

I'm going to keep up with the ballet fitness theme until the end of January. So far, I have a couple more items planned. In my last review, I stated what I had planned, but I realized that I left a thing or two off it by accident. So here's the full list of items I'm going to be reviewing:

Ballecore (book)
Ballet Boot Camp
Ballet for Beginners
...and whatever else that may come up and tickle my fancy :)

I will also be reviewing my strength bands and see how well they help train my feet. I just received word that they'll be shipping soon. It's about freakin time! I'll also let you know how those are going.

On a different note, my ballet leotard pattern is coming in soon and I will start sewing that as soon as possible. I really need a uniform and if I use this pattern right, I will be saving myself a lot of money in the long run. Also, I'll be able to personalize it for myself. Can't wait! I'll be sure to comment on that, as well.

Since this month is already halfway over, I should already start thinking about next months theme... hmmmm... I wonder... If you have any ideas, feel free to leave a comment!

Tomorrow I have ballet class and I'm already spinning around, giddy with excitement. I was practicing my pirouettes today in the kitchen and I must say, I have remarkably improved in the short time that I've been practicing. I even managed a double! Granted, the form was probably terrible, but it sure made me feel good! I'm debating on how I should make my "Before" video to show you guys my progress (and myself progress). I'm still slow on the exercises and don't know them all by heart, which is the problem. Perhaps that should be included in the learning process, hm?

Stay safe in this dreary weather!

Review-- Pure Barre Original

This review is for the Pure Barre workout. Pure Barre is a specific type of workout designed by the instructor of the DVDs, Carrie Rezabek. She started a workout group and it became popular enough that they thought to release her program onto DVD.

The DVD is $20 on the Pure Barre website, and only $15 on Amazon. Let's see if it's worth the money!



I pop the DVD in and... is this menu screen for real? I am actually concerned that perhaps I have a ripped DVD or some sort of bootleg disc. Luckily I got this from the library so I don't have to worry about getting my money back.

The production has only one camera and will change occasionally so you can see what she's doing. But... the camera! I could do better. They often cut off important parts of her body. Instead of cutting and adjusting the camera for the shot, they'll just zoom in or move the camera... while still shooting. It looks like a bad home video. It doesn't help that when they change angles, the focus is off and does the infamous "shaky cam." There were some shots where they got her back and you could see where her mike was hooked up. Just unpolished and unprofessional.

The camera will cut off her feet, hands, or both.

 Speaking about her mike, The instructor's voice is muddled, but audible. This is probably because she has an attached microphone instead of a boom mike.

Also in regards to sound, the music is extremely repetitive. It wouldn't be too bad if it changed up a little more. One music segment has what sounds like children screaming. I had to stop the video to look out the window and see if kids were outside playing until I realized it was supposed to be part of the music.

I actually really like the setting they picked. I like how they tried to spice up a grey, dreary room with colored lighting. I just wish they did a better job hiding the cords. Seriously, black duct tape will do the job. The only big problem with the setting is that the instuctor is wearing all black, which is hard to see at times against the dark floor, but it's not too bad. Her pants cover her feet, which sucks for a exercise video. Several times I had trouble seeing if she was turning her feet out or not during exercises.

The camera goes out of focus sometimes, especially during close-up shots like this.

Still, she's not a bad instructor at all. She's not ridiculously happy, and it sounds like she knows what she's talking about. She's great at giving cues, too, which helps since I could sometimes not see how her body was angled. She also had some great similes for how to hold your body, but some of them she used and abused multiple times. She mentioned "like you're zipping up your tightest pair of jeans" three times, but I don't even know what that means. All my jeans are super lose. Still, at times, she could be very boring.

As for the workout, the most important part, I loved the mini-barre they had for her to work on. Where did she find that? I sort of want one. But during the barre work, the camera cuts off her feet. Those are sort of kind of important. It's also not really ballet except for the presence of a barre. There are some relevés, splits, and pliés, but that's about it. I don't think this is really a ballet workout, even though the name may imply that.

The workout is also disorganized. After doing some work at the barre, you go to your mat. You're there for at most five minutes before she cuts away and tells you to go back to your barre again. There was hardly anytime for a decent stretch on the ground before you have to get up, put your mat away, pull out your chair or whatever you're using in place of a barre, and then get into position. It was awkward and I didn't like it one bit. Plus, the workout could have used a lot more floor work. I don't like going into splits almost immediately after a couple short stretches.

The exercise is also repetitive and a bit boring. There's nothing to spice it up. You don't even switch legs; you keep working the same leg over and over and then finally switch to the other side. Though it's a great strength-building workout, it doesn't do much to keep my attention. I found myself analyzing the cat hairs on my yoga mat instead. That's forty-three minutes of dullness. But a tough dullness, which makes me say that this is probably not good for beginners. Also, it's mostly strength building. So if you want to build flexibility or have a cardio workout, this is not for you.

The workout really works your thighs and butt mostly. There are some stretches for back, abs, and arms, but it's mostly the butt and thigh area you workout. For a similar, more ballet-oriented workout, just use the Element DVD instead. Still, no to little ballet in this DVD. Just because there's a barre, doesn't mean I'm going to call it a ballet fusion exercise. Still, a decent workout, but something I would recommended passing up. I heard later sequels from the same instructor improve and maybe these have more ballet in them, but this one doesn't.

Workout: 7/10

Instructor: 8/10

Setting: 7/10

Camera: 3/10

Level: Advanced-Expert
Is it actually ballet? No

Overall: 6/10

I deducted points for the boring, repetitive workout, but it saved itself with it's challenging moves. The instructor was decent, but got boring later in the DVD and also wore the wrong type of clothing for an exercise video. The setting was okay, and I gave it credit for effort. The camera was terrible and zoomed in and out slowly to make corrections instead of just re-shooting the scene. But most importantly, there was little to no ballet incorporated into this DVD. From a DVD that said it was a pilates/dance fusion, I expected more. I recommend trying another video from this series.

Review-- Yoga Booty Ballet Master Series

I borrowed this DVD series from my library in hopes that it will live up to its name. So here is one of my last ballet exercise video reviews for awhile, Yoga Booty Ballet - The Master Series. The Master Series is a two-disc set. The first DVD is entitled "Goddess Booty," and the second is called "Yoga Core." Let's see if it does it's title name justice!


Yoga Core
I'm actually going to start the review with the second DVD, Yoga Core, since that is in the order I exercised to them. The disc doesn't have a DVD menu. It pops right into the exercise after a minute or two of warning notices that I'm starting to really hate.

So we start the workout with a brief mediation and then go into some warm-ups. I really dislike the yoga where it feels you're constantly breathing, or the instructors have you do rapid breathing so I skipped over part of it.

The move that incorporates first position arms.

Just as the DVD is titled, the rest of the workout is mostly yoga. They say on the back the exercise is thirty minutes long, and I found that correct, give or take a couple minutes. The workout is light and easy, and it works your back and abs mostly. Sadly, there's no ballet except for a mentioning of pointing the toes and placing arms in first position at one point, though it's not actually called "first position arms." No ballet/yoga fusion here. The workout also combines some pilates with a move called swimming. I would say that this DVD is great for those beginning yoga, pilates, or any time of exercise.

Just keep swimming...

Though I like how they broke down the workout so you can choose how long you want to go or pick an area you wish to focus on, you really need both DVDs to get a decent workout. Plus, they could have easily put both on the same disc, but they divided them up so they can charge you more for them. Given that it says, "As seen on TV," on the cover, these two probably started out selling their product using infomercials.

The instructors use each other to help demonstrate the correct forms.

The instructors are fun and helpful, but I can't shake the idea that the blond looks like Baby Spice. The two instructors interact with each other like they are longtime friends and developed cute names for some of the yoga moves. This is definitely a more light and lighthearted version of an exercise class. But sadly, no ballet at all.



Goddess Booty

The instructors do an "anti-ballet" move where they turn in for resistance.

The exercise is about twenty-five minutes long and works mostly your butt, but also the back and thighs. More ballet moves featured here, but only marginally. They have what they call the anti-ballet move, which is where you turn-in instead of turn-out. This is to build resistance in certain moves you do on the floor. The blond seems to have more ballet training. At one point, the girl with brown hair even mistakes attitude for passé, but the blond later corrects it.

They are really energetic and happy as they workout. The give great instructions for how to complete the moves and often give alternative versions if you have trouble with some exercises. They have their tacky moments, though, like when they say, "Feel your inner beauty rising up, bubbling and sparkling. Feel that inner beauty seeping through your beautiful skin. Gently, open your beautiful eyes." I like how they demonstrate correct form using each other as partners and will have mini (and I do mean mini) funny conversations with each other as they workout.

There's your only ballet, people.

Still, this has barely any ballet in it. I expected a bit more considering that "ballet" is in the title of this entire workout series. I wouldn't even call this an infusion. Just they sometimes use ballet moves. Still, it's not a bad exercise video at all. It's good if you want to do some short exercises without a lot of exercise equipment.

Final Thoughts

Workout: 8/10

Instructor: 10/10

Setting: 8/10

Camera: 10/10

Level: Beginner

Is it actually ballet? No

Overall: 8/10

 I expected a lot more ballet fusion when the word "ballet" is in the title of the exercise series. Still, it's not too bad. The instructors are great. The setting isn't the most inspirational, but it's easy to see the instructors and it isn't distracting. The camera zooms in to show the moves. Still, there isn't any ballet, which is why I'm giving this series an 8 out of 10 possible points.

Next exercise reviews: Pure Barre, Ballet Class for Beginners, and Ballet Boot Camp.
Plus: Jalie sewing pattern review