Product Description

Laya Barak's 'Urban Jam - Hip Hop Dance' program offers instruction in innovative hip hop styles for skill levels from beginner to professional.

The program includes a warmup and isolations section, followed by beginning, intermediate, and advanced routines, and then an additional breakdown of the beginner routine (separate upper and lower body breakdowns are shown).

The warm up and isolations provide you with a basic stretch, together with exercises that will improve the upper and lower body coordination that is so essential for hip hop dance.

The Beginner hip hop dance routine is broken down step-by-step with ample repetition. An additional 'Arms' and 'Lower Body' section breaks down separately - move-by- move - all the arm and footwork of the beginner routine.

The intermediate routine involves more detail in upper body accents. Musicality also becomes more important, as the routines get more complex.

In the advanced section the movement is more challenging, as the tempo accelerates and the choreography becomes more intricate.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17493 in DVD
• Brand: STRATOSTREAM
• Released on: 2007-07-31
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 80 minutes

About the Actor
Laya Barak began her training in her hometown of Detroit, studying modern, jazz, ballet, and tap but found her greatest inspiration in the dance style of hip hop. Spending summers at The Edge Performing Arts Center and Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angeles, Laya has trained with some of the top choreographers and teachers anywhere. She continued her studies at Indiana University where she gained her degree in Dance Peformance. Laya was the co-director of Indiana's In-Motion Dance Company, and also co-choreographed and directed the award winning dance concert Revival. Today, Laya teaches workshops and master classes around the US and abroad including Canada, Israel and Australia. She is on the faculties of Steps on Broadway's "The School at Steps" and Dance New Amsterdam, both in New York City. Laya Barak is also a singer/songwriter. You can hear her music at myspace.com/layabarak.

Customer Reviews

Energy and Fun in Dance

This excellent dance instruction DVD starts with a terrific warm-up, that centers on isolations and stretches. In order to do all the stretches full-out, you'd have to be quite limber, but you can do them at your own level, and still get a lot out of it. This warm-up section is good even if you don't want to continue on to the dance routines, as it makes a great morning "wake-up" as well as a relaxing way to get the tension out of your body after a hard day. Loose pants and a soft stretchy top, with sneakers, is what Laya Barak, and her 2 assistants, Jonathan Lee and Eleonora Barbacini are wearing, and the presentation is well done, with simple lighting and camera angles enabling you to see what is being demonstrated clearly. Music is by Jay T. Jenkins and Mervyn Theodopolis Jr. (Warmup), Daryl "D. Roe" Monroe (Beginner & Advanced), and Ray Johnson (Intermediate).

The Beginner routine is easy but fairly long; the choreography flows well though, and the movements are broken down and explained enough to be able to assimilate it and make memorization easier. When performed up to tempo with the music you should be able to dance and enjoy it, and though some dance background would help a lot, enough passion for dance and desire to learn (and enough practice!) will get you through the routine if you are a beginner. The Intermediate picks up the pace a lot, as well as the length of the routine, and the Advanced is jammin'! It's a joy to watch Laya perform this invigorating and innovative dance form. She is a marvelous dancer, who completes every movement to its maximum point with precision and speed, as well as having musicality and that indefinable thing in dance called "line." Bravo Laya!

young at heart?
Jammin!
Keeping up with change is a delight as I watch in amazement at the versatility of movement of the human body. I discovered Hip hop and its appeal and consider myself young at heart as I execute these awesome moves.
I am impressed at the depth of detail and instruction by Laya and found her program very delightful.
The program begins with a warm up that is almost dance itself, the music is catchy and you find yourself dancing and looking forward to more. Here, you don't need a partner, dance alone or invite the crowd, everyone is welcome and come as you are!
The footwork section in the beginner program is my favorite. It took me a few rewinds to be able to follow along some, but here I am jamming! There is also an arm break-down section of the beginner routine, emphasis on isolation and then you have the pleasure of merging both sections into a most fun routine. Each move is counted by the instructor as you follow along and she breaks down every detail.
The instructor is knowledgeable, not dressed in jargon or frill but does her job to the point as you watch your body conform to the urban jam style. This is expressive dancing in fashion,innovative and fresh..
I am impressed by the variety in traveling steps, they are expressive; complemented by implementing slides, bounces, hits, body rolls, drops.
Beginner, intermediate, and advanced segments are explained with clarity and simple language, and each combination is counted so that each move is executed in time and with ease to follow along.
The intermediate routine is slightly challenging, almost disco at first, beginning with a groove, but don't be fooled as the moves become detailed and the body motion changes into very aerobic movement. Your personal style comes out and places your signature on every move.
The advanced segment for some reason I found easier to follow along. By then my mind and body had become accustomed to this style, and I was able to keep up the with intricate moves and accelerated tempo of the music.
The program ends with a demonstration of all combinations as Laya and her dancer friends perform the routines with ease and get you into the groove.
Overall, this is intriguing footwork, arm work with intensely addicting, stimulating choreography.
There is so much to learn in this program and it is delightful!Recently I was able to demonstrate these moves for a classroom of 4th grade cheerleaders and they were hooked. I recommended this video to their school.
What are you waiting for? Go at your own pace and start jamming.

Lots of fun
My daughter, who is a ballet and hip hop dancer, loves this DVD. She thinks it's excellent and the routines very creative and innovative. I am not sure how easy this could be for a complete beginner. My daughter tends to believe that you need to have at least some basic experience of street dances. If you do, you'll find the routines very challenging and attractive. Enjoy!