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I can’t dance but I do anyway. I tried the Crunch Fat Burning Dance Party in hopes of finding an upbeat cardio workout. I knew that dancing would be a good way to increase metabolism so my main motivation for this workout was calorie burning.

The Set-up
This workout takes place at the Crunch gym with instructor Jennifer Galari. No equipment is needed, just plenty of space in front of the TV to move around. The whole workout is conducted on the feet. The moves are simple and steps are easy but when put together requires some fancy footwork. There are 6 women and 1 man dancing along behind the instructor. They were normal non-model shaped individuals wearing an assortment of gaudy outfits to complement the music I guess. I found the outfits to be ugly and distracting but one thing is for sure you won’t feel intimidated which is helpful when trying to dance.

Even if a person does dance on a regular basis I’m sure it doesn’t fall into these outdated categories. It’s fun to have the dance flashback. The dance moves have been modified to fit into a workout so you’ll never be able to take these steps to the dance floor.

The Workout
The workout begins with an effective upbeat 5 minute warm up before the party starts. There were 3 categories that we danced in: Party Salsa, Party Funk, and Retro Dance Party. The party was followed by a cool down. The instructor will quickly go through the steps of the choreography in sections then when everyone has it she’ll call out the break down which means that we dance through the workout with no breaks. There isn’t any standing still in this workout while someone shows you the steps. You don’t do a section of a move then stop and start over. The focus is on moving and having a good time rather than pin pointing dance steps correctly. The viewer just has to push through initially and the steps will come in time. None of the moves were hard, bizarre or challenging. The difficulty is putting the moves together quickly; the brain must be alert. Some examples of moves were walking up and back, tapping the toe to the side, grapevine steps, stepping out to the side, pushing out or shaking the hips with swaying or pumping arms to complement the momentum. There are some familiar moves such as salsa, mambos, and cha-chas.

There’s really no winning for a dance instructor when they’re teaching dance moves. Everyone learns at different paces; either the instructor goes too fast or too slow. I was barely able to keep up with the instructor because she was calling out new moves so quickly. There are many moves to learn throughout the workout and they’re all different. Even if you know how to dance these are different moves because it’s an exercise workout. Although the quick moving routine is frustrating the first couple times it increases the replay value. Once you learn the moves you won’t want to fool with the lessons. Unfortunately there aren’t any choices on the DVD to play the complete dances.

The Instructor
I think the instructor did a nice job. She held constant enthusiasm throughout the whole workout and was able to call out the moves in perfect timing before the move. There was little instruction on how to do the move but I think trying and following also works for this workout because the goal is exercise not learning special steps. To clarify, there was a lack of teaching, not instructing. The moves were not broken down into steps.

As a downfall, the instructor never stopped talking. If she wasn’t calling out the steps she was making sound effects, or trying to be humorous. Not a big deal the first time but gets old with repeat viewings.

This is a full 45 minute active workout. There isn’t a modified workout to follow but you can easily bump up or drop down the intensity on your own by how much personality or bounce you put into your step.

I felt that my heart rate was elevated throughout the entire workout. The majority of the workout was with the legs. The arms were used to pump just a little adding some groove to the workout but I would say that this workout is a top choice for legs. There were a lot of hip action moves that would work the oblique as well.

Unlike most workouts I really had to use my mind and coordination on this one. There was no time to daydream or worry so this workout was a great stress reliever as well as a great cardio workout for me.

I also didn’t feel like a workout tape, it felt like dancing. I would be a lot more inclined to put this DVD in than any other traditional workout. Most workouts that emphasize dance make me feel uncomfortable but this dance workout did not.

I think nearly anyone is capable of doing this workout regardless of weight or age as long as the legs and hips move well.

The genuine exercise moves hidden as a dance is really easy compared to many other workouts. I felt a little sweaty after the workout but I had enough energy left to pop another workout in if needed. I had fun at the party for the first two sections but by the last one I was getting frustrated with the fancy footwork and bored with the concept. The music was just boring background rhythm which would never be used to kick it up at a real party.

Overall
Not everyone will like this workout because it’s not traditional and it’s hard to keep up with the steps. What I liked the best was that it was an easy way to burn a lot of calories.

Certainly not dance steps that you’ll want to take on the dance floor and not a workout that will tone your body. If you’re interested in bopping around your family room and calling it a workout check this one out.





Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV