Search - Dance Fitness for Beginners with MaDonna Grimes: African Beat - Latin Heat on DVD

Kathleen R. from SAN JUAN CAPO, CA
Reviewed on 3/6/2013...

Fantastic! Hope MaDonna makes more of these. Great workout, good sweat and lots of fun!

Really fun, time-efficient dance workout!

Beth Cholette | Upstate NY USA | 07/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although I really enjoy dance workouts, I was a little wary of this one, as I had heard that instructor MaDonna Grimes didn't cue very well and that there was a lot of "take-it-from-the-top" movements, which I dislike. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I LOVED this video! The workout basically breaks down into 3 segments: warm-up, dance routine, and cool-down (these are not chaptered on the DVD). The 10-minute warm-up gets right into some basic dance steps such as the merengue, getting your heart rate up right away. MaDonna sometimes fails to fully explain the movements, but my minimal experience with just a few prior dance videos allowed me to follow along with no problems. There are a few small jumps included in this segment, but they don't appear until about 5 minutes into it, when you're already well warmed up; some basic stretches conclude this section.

During the 12-minute dance routine section, MaDonna introduces new moves one at a time, gradually building up to a complete dance routine. When teaching the moves, she did something I'd never seen before that I really liked: instead of teaching one segment with 3 different moves, a second segment with 3 different moves, and then stringing the two segments together (I always find it difficult to remember the first segment), she'll teach 3 moves and then introduce 2 new ones, but she combines the last move from the first 3 with the 2 new ones (I hope this makes sense!). This method makes it very easy to remember the order of the moves, as you're constantly combining the older moves that you've already learned with the new moves. Even more importantly, the moves are FUN--mambos, hops, hip swings, etc.--and the time just flew by!

The workout ends with a brief (4-minute) cool-down. I liked the neck stretches that were included here, although some people might have to be careful with these. The DVD also includes a 10-minute bonus workout for the lower body: MaDonna leads you through 4 different types of squats, performing several sets of each, and she ends with some brief standing and floor abs work. An additional DVD feature is a music-only workout option. Some people might complain that this workout is too short (about 26 minutes overall), but MaDonna packs a lot of both exertion and fun into that time period, making this video perfect for anyone who wants to get in some quick, intense, yet extremely enjoybable cardio work. Highly recommended!"

African Beat, Latin Heat, Dancing Feet!

Raina Singh | Auckland, New Zealand | 06/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first time I tried this workout, I loved it so much that I instantly had to do it again. On the cover of the DVD it says, 'leaves you sweating for more', and with regards to my experience with it so far, that is exactly what it did. It left me sweating, and wanting more!

Here's what you get:

10MIN WARMUP - This combines a few low impact dance moves with a few stretches. Some of the stretches are a bit 'hmmm...', but you only do them after you're VERY warm. This is around 10 minutes, which is a good length for a warmup. Some of the moves you learn in the warmup will be re-used in the dance portion of the workout.

15MIN DANCE - Madonna teaches you the moves one by one, building together a longer routine. One thing that I love about her teaching is that once she's taught you a move, she practices what I like to call 'the transition'. This is where you practice the move that comes just before the new move, as well as the new move. If that doesn't make sense, say that she's taught moves 1-3 and is teaching you the 4th move. Once she's taught the 4th move, she practices moves 3 and 4, before going through the whole routine from the 1st move. This Latin combination includes hip swings, mambos, cha-chas, and a very tricky samba-travel step.

5MIN COOL DOWN - Here, Madonna takes you through some of the stretches that you did in the warmup, as well as some neck stretches - some people will need to be careful with these.

10MIN BONUS - This is not a african-latin dance segment, but rather a set of intense toning moves. She teaches 4 different types of squats, as well as some ab work.

Madonna and her group of exercisers - both male and female - exercise in a nice street-dance-studio-esque set. If that doesn't set the scene, the floors are polished wood, and the walls are dark red brick, with pillars, potplants, and windows scattered throughout. The windows in the room don't overlook anything, but seem to have a screen of turqoise light outside it; emulating a blue sky. It kind of reminds of the old Ricki Lake sets (back in the day!).

In terms of instructor personality, Madonna is a breath of fresh air. She is relaxed, laid back, and interacts with the other exercisers in a 'hey-wassup-mate' manner. In addition, they also interact with her the same way - giving a fun atmosphere; like being in a class, but not an extreme 'whoop-it-up' atmosphere like in Kathy Smith's Timesaver Cardio.

For those of you who are absolute beginners to dance, you will find this difficult. What I suggest you do is ignore the arm movements for the first couple of times that you try the DVD, and focus on the getting your legs right. Also, ignore the samba-travel step and just shuffle here; thats a very difficult step, and it'll only take practice-practice-and-more-practice to get it right. Madonna moves through the moves pretty quickly, only giving a couple of opportunities to learn the steps before incorporating them into the routine. She is good at cueing, but not so good at teaching the moves.

A word of warning, the second move that she teaches in the dance portion (which also appears in the warmup) involves you swinging your arms and your head. Take it easy on this move, since I really got into it, and it was inevitable that I heard a big CRACK from my neck, oops! It looks like Madonna and one of the other girls are going hard out with this move, but thats because their hair is long, so for your safety, don't try to emulate them.

A refreshing, intense, short workout that is LOADS of fun! Cheers!"

No Breakdown for Non-Dancers

Lena, LMT | Nassau, NY | 03/09/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I have many dancing DVDs I love & been doing for about 2 years now, but I still need a breakdown. She incorporates cute, aerobic movements to increase heart rate, but not something you'd want to be caught dead on the dance floor. She start a new movement does it only 2-3x in normal speed, no slowing down or break-down, then moves on the next, to build a routine.
They say you can rewind if you can't get it. I'd be very frustrated by having to keep stopping, grab the remote & rewind to right spot over & over & in slow-mo.... What's wrong with teaching it 1/2 times several times? Once you have mastered the steps, you can just do it normal while the dancers go slow.
I like DVDs more where you stick to it more then 1-2x to really get a feel for it before turning it into a whole routine. The music had a nice beat, but it was about one step from elevator music. She does have a nice, upbeat, friendly personality & talks to the other dancer which is nice.
The entire workout is ONLY 28 minutes long INCLUDING the warm up & cool down.
The bonus workout w/Madonna is 2 min of warm up with basic 80s/90s aerobics fast-paced arm & high kick leg movements, then 3 min of a $*#!load of squats, then 1.5 min of basic plies, then 1 min of standing toning abs/leg pose, then on the floor for 1 min for basic ab crunches w/legs in air, then 3 stretches for legs & spine. She does it in your basic gym aerobics instructor, no dance or flair.
The DVD also has a "performance" after the cool down of her & the 3 girls & 2 guys dancing in a modern dance & most had moves that looked learned in dance school & some break dancing. There's trailers for her other video & the Havana one & a belly dancing one.
Madonna Grimes had made previous simple stage, very complex dance steps videos which she breaks down into 8-count & teaches in 1/2 time at first & assumed this would be broken down as well.

You can see a trailer at collagevideo"