JANIS SAFFELL: SOUTH BEACH SLAM

This tape consists of both step and hi/lo. The warm-up, said to be 5 minutes actually was just under 4 + minutes. From the beginning the camera switched to angled view, which made it hard to see what she was doing. It wasnªt too many times; however, it did increase with the next portion v the step routine.

The 25-minute step routine would be good for a day when you wouldn't have a lot of time. Janis said it was dancey; however, I didn't find it to be that bad. The only problem I had with this section was the camera angles. The angle switched to either waist-high views or close in feet shots just when she introduced new steps. I would have enjoyed this video much more had they left those other angles out and just kept the camera in front of the entire group. (There is even a close up of one of the cast members during a section and she messes up which in turn would probably mess others up.)

I like to watch the video when I exercise and those changes just were too irritating. Overall, the routine was a relatively fun routine and Janisªs cueing was fairly good.

The next portion was the 25-minute hi/lo routine. This section is dancier than the step but not overly so. I did not find the routine to be very intense. After the step and into this portion, you can tell she loves the mambo and cha-cha moves.

Overall, I felt there were sections in which moves were repeated too many times considering one could rewind and review the video. After awhile, it seemed repetitious. Some videos make you want to get off the couch to try them right away when viewing the first time; however, this was not one of them for me.

I did care for the step routine a great deal more than the hi/lo. If you are an exerciser looking for a routine with intermediate intensity and choreography, you might want to give this one a try.

SCOTT COLE - MILLENIUM STRETCH FOR 2

I'm not one for stretching tapes; however, this is one of the most thorough tapes I've ever seen. It begins with a warm-up followed by standing stretches and then sitting stretches.

Scott Cole does a wonderful job of (setting the mood - from the set to the music, even the tone of his voice. His cueing is excellent.

I especially liked the way the exercise pairs proceed at their own pace during the warm-up. He allows enough time for you to really stretch and let go. As the title implies, relaxation is the key to what you should expect, more so than strictly the conventional stretching routine.

This tape's only downfall? As the title states, it is for partners. I do not have an exercise buddy and almost all of the moves required one. I tried doing the video on my ownv it didn't work. I enlisted my 6-year old daughter to work with me, but for some reason, it was not the same.

If you have a workout buddy, I definitely suggest you try this tape. I do not believe you will be disappointed.

KARI ANDERSON - HOT STEPS

Wow. What can I say about this workout? This was one of the best step workouts I’ve done in a while. If you are looking for a moderately complex, moderately intense workout, then this one is for you.

I have never tried a Kari Anderson video before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. In the introduction, she states that she has compiled some of her favorite combos from her classes and put them together for this workout. The workout itself is right at an hour long.

It breaks down into a 10-minute warm-up and stretch, a 40 minute step routine, and a 10 minute cool-down and stretch. From the warm-up, you can tell this will be an exciting, fun routine. The routine itself is composed of 4 combos. She teaches combo 1 first, then 2.

After putting those together, she goes on to teach 3 and 4, then combining those. After all 4 have been taught, she TIFT (takes it from the top) 3 times. Kari gives superb cues. She shows the options for the more complex steps first making it easy to keep up with those until you are ready to move on.

There are a lot of turns in this video; however, she does such a great job of teaching the steps that you will never be lost. She does use all sides of the bench (with such moves as a pendulum with a backwards chug around to the front); however, it does not use a lot of floor space.

The music was great and seemed to fit perfectly with the steps. I kept singing, “Feelin’ hot, hot, hot” all day and “dance, dance, dance”. It definitely had a Latin feel to it.

The set was great with colored panels in the background (not distracting). Kari and her background exercisers (6) all were wearing black bottoms and different colored tops. It almost seemed to be matching the panels in the back.

I have to admit – I didn’t submit this review for a few weeks after receiving the video. I’m the type who seems to love the video at first, but, after doing it a few times, tires of it quickly. However, that did not happen with this video. I have know done it 6 times and love it more now than when I first tried it. Now that I have the choreography down, I can really get into it and have a great time.

I highly recommend this video to all step lovers.


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