The New York City Ballet Workout

Great for Lean Legs

If you love ballet, you will like this workout. I was surprised what a great workout this was for the legs. With some patience and perseverance, you can have great-looking legs.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Ballet Dancer

It is just what I needed being a training Ballerina!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Well done!

Great all-around workout for strength, flexibility, toning and balance. Nicely paced. The contemporary soundtrack helps take away the monotony of listening to the classical one day in and day out. I'm not a dancer, but this has piqued my interest as well as given me a foundation for future pursuits.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

awesome!

i give this video 5 stars! it's just like being in ballet class and i love that! it gives me that all-around performance. it's like a practice video for ballet, yet a workout video. very cool. i definately recommend it!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Just like dance class

I do this between by dance classes.This workout is great if you like yoga or pilates. If you are looking for a cardio workout this is not it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

perfect workout

This workout is just like being in a ballet class. The workout is great it works your whole body and is very relaxing. I recommened it for people who have some dance experience or not.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

very interesting , relaxing , elegance & great results

well, you're not going to dance the nutcracker after the video.I'm 43 yrs.old and i started a ballet class for adults 2 months ago. I kept going back there because I felt light like a feather after I finished my class, relaxed and ready to put up with my children for trouble again. I bought the Vol.2 Video because Vol.1 was sold out arround here. I do understand the terms and I do understand the words there is not much to it. If you have a friend who did pilate or has some of her daughters in ballet class that might be helpful.If you get it you will see the best results. Look how you sit look how easy it is to walk in heals again. Your elegant walking will impress............ I quit the GYM, I got to much hurt , it took to much time to see results..I didn't like the aerobic classes ( I can't count the way they do)..Jazz exercise and floor gymnastic kept me always fit. Try it out. Susanne

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

It's deceptively easy, but it's a workout!

I took ballet for 13 years as a kid, but haven't taken a class in a long, long time. This is a great workout!

The warm-up can get a little confusing. In fact, I had a moment when I thought if this is how the whole program is going to be, I've wasted my money. But then it moved on to the floor and barre work and I was fine. Even someone with no formal ballet experience could complete the main portion and the cool-down of the program with little to no problem.

It is deceptively easy! As you are going through the movement (mostly low impact) it feels like you're not working out too terrible hard. The next day, though, you will be sore!

Have fun!

Do not imagine yourself gracefully dancing around the room.

This workout is best for toning. It is very slow. For a long time you are on the floor stretching your legs. It probably is best to get a "dancer body," but there is not really any dancing in it. It's all about exercises ballet dancers do. I think it's good to do to relieve stress, improve posture and leg strength. But it is definitely not my most fun workout, and not one I have used most.

Great For Former Dancers!

My aunt is a professional ballerina and I too danced while growing up. A great deal of what is presented here are things that professional ballet dancers do. If you have danced before you will find it easy to get the moves down straight away. It is very relaxing, and slow-paced. You will see excellent results if you do this more than three times a week. It is wonderful for creating a lean and toned look to your legs. I also found my posture improved immensely. There are a few mistakes in the dvd. I am surprised they didn't have it properly edited or narrated considering the source, however their 2nd DVD that was relesaed is much improved.

Overall "A", with only a few issues ...

This is a overall good product, but it does have its defects. Being a dancer, and having been trained in basic ballet, I can easily understand the terminology of this video. If you're not familiar with the basic French terms for the movements, prepare to be on a delay as you try to follow along. The video bothers me a bit, because when you're trying to follow along (and can't see the actual TV), the narrator is not narrating each step, as he should be, to help you along. Also, there is a lot of moments where there is unnecessary delays in between sections/exercises, as well as odd camera cuts to close-ups of faces (which don't help anyone that is following the dancers). However, I did feel a total body awareness and a good overall toning/strengthening workout after completing this video. I also felt it was decent for the cardio aspect of training. I recommend this DVD if you're a dancer/familiar with dance/easily taught.

long, slow and boring

If you're looking for something slower paced, this is it. It did not feel like a real workout for me, and it was so long and moved so slowly that I had a hard time finishing it. I've gone back to it a couple more times, but each time I quit half-way through because it is so boring. I love ballet, but the classes I've taken are much more fun than this video.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

SOOOOO FUN!!

This is a fabulous, fun, and relaxing workout! Anyone can do it. You will especially love it if you have done Pilates before. It is great for people like me who needed variation to the regular Pilates instruction.

Disappointing

I love dance workouts and I was really excited to try this video. Unfortunately, there is hardly any dancing in it. This video is all about basic exercises. You lay on the floor and kick your legs around and then you stand up and kick your legs around. It's pretty long, too, and becomes tedious. I always choose my other videos over this one.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A pretty good workout

If you're looking for a good fat-burning cardio workout, this isn't a good one for you. At times the classical music can become monotonous. The results of this video are more subtle than what you could expect from a workout series like The Firm. However, it does tone and improve flexibility. Overall it is a more relaxing experience than most other workout videos I have tried in the past.

Good to suppliment classes

I do this on the days I don’t have class. My instructor noticed that my posture and stamina improved after I started doing this video. This video is not for novices, I would not recommend using it to “learn” ballet. This is more of a workout for dancers. However, anyone with a basic understanding of ballet will have no problem following along.

The Best ever for chunky legs...I love it

I started doing this three times a week instead of lifting when I quit my gym (I jog on the odd days). I've always had chuncky legs that didn't respond to jogging and just beefed up more when I lifted. They've really improved and now I wear short skirts and get compliments--on my legs and on my improved posture. I suppose it makes sense, swimmers look like swimmers, people who play football like football players...do this workout consistantly and you do start to look a bit like a

Kinda Boring

If your expecting to do ballet moves and dances, don't count on it with this video. It got kinda boring after awhile because practically the whole video is like all stretching.

Challenging workout without all the sweat

For everyone that is not familiar with ballet terms, you will be somewhat lost with the lingo. It will not explain fully or sometimes at all what the ballet terms mean so you will have to guess as you watch the dancers. The narrator mentions proper form during the workout, however, the viewer will not learn what the proper form is by this video. You will probably need additional instruction elsewhere to learn the form if you have no ballet training. The vocal cues and instructions are very poor and minimal. He often does not cue you as to which side or what movement is next. There is an option on the DVD that allows you to turn off the voice over if that is helpful. If you have some background in ballet, then this video would be a good accompaniment to your ballet training. You can strengthen your muscles, improve your posture and line, and increase flexibility. Inexperienced dancers can learn basic ballet skills and grace along with what I just mentioned by following the dancers. Each segment or exercise is about 3-6 min long. Short but very effective...wouldn't want a burnout. I recommend the DVD so you may choose which exercise you want to do or skip without delay. The video is not very amateur friendly production-wise if you are not familiar with dance or dance classes. For example, all exercises are done without supports (i.e. chairs or barre). Stressing and encouraging balance I suppose. However, if you need the extra help, I recommend doing some of the exercises with a support next to you that will not hinder the purpose of the exercise. The exercises don't require a large amount of space so you do not need to clear the room. The video also does not offer alternatives for novices. It is basically ''watch and do'' except for one of the stretches and the push up, where they offer a modified version. And do not be confused with their narration when referring to lefts and rights. The narrator refers to the movements according to the dancers' point of view. This should not be a problem if you have the narrator's voice off or if you are familiar with this type of instructional training. I would have given this a 5 star if not for the production flaws. Overall, the workout fulfilled its purpose--it tones your arms, back, abs, sides, buttocks, legs, chests, etc. A note, though there isn't a specific exercise that targets the arms, you will feel a burn in your shoulders and triceps from holding your arms out at second position during most of the exercises.

Learn Ballet without Embarrassing Yourself !!

This is a fun but challenging workout. The whole program lasts about an hour. Two women and two men demonstate the exercises, with a male voice-over giving instructions. There are no fancy costumes or exotic scenery- the focus is on you and your body. The DVD features a choice between classical or contemporary background music. Both are very pleasant but occasionally seemed to overwhelm the voice-over, making it a little difficult to follow the instructions in a few places. Overall, a very good choice in fitness videos.