Product Description

On ABC's hit show DANCING WITH THE STARS, countless pounds are shed and bodies transform before our very eyes. Now it's your turn to dance your way to fitness with three of the show's favorite pro dancers Ashly, Kym and Maks. With this fat-blasting program you will learn four choreographed dance routines featuring some of the best moves from the show. Then shake things up with a bonus freestyle routine to test your new dance skills. Have fun and gain confidence on the dance floor while building a stronger, sexier, super-star body! Running Time: 60 minutes. Release Date: 04/03/2007.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #491 in DVD
• Brand: VAS
• Released on: 2007-04-03
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .31 pounds
• Running time: 60 minutes

Amazon.com
Each era has its own defining exercise video--or in this age, DVD. Dancing With the Stars: Cardio Dance isn't going to go down as the 21st century's answer to Jane Fonda's exercise tapes, but it's not a bad way to learn a few basic steps, thanks to instructions from some of the professional dancers from the ABC hit series Dancing With the Stars. Ashly Costa (the brunette who danced up a storm with Harry Hamlin), Kym Johnson (the blonde who almost made a DWTS winner out of Joey Fatone), and Maksim Chmerkovsy (the dude who sparred with Laila Ali on and off the dance floor) make for nice eye candy as they teach viewers how to do the cha-cha, the jive, and the paso doble. Cardio Dance does a good job of showing viewers how to warm their bodies up before getting into the more aerobic dance exercises. Women will probably benefit most from Kym's instructional portion, which focuses on toning the hips and waistline. The patient Australian (who once taught Jerry Springer how to waltz) is relatively easy to follow as she teaches the Brazilian samba. This DVD isn't for the serious dancer. Its target audience is comprised of fans of the show who'd like to get in shape with Ashly, Kym, and Maks. If you already know the basics of dance, you won't have problems keeping up with their instructions. But if you have two left feet, some of the dance terms they toss around (but don't explain) will leave you scratching your head rather than hoofing it up. And while we're not expecting anyone like season-four winner Apolo Anton Ohno to make an appearance here, it would've been nice to include a segment or two with DWTS judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Len Goodman. --Jae-Ha Kim

Customer Reviews

Work Those Hips!
Dancing with the Stars: Latin Cardio Dance

I love this DVD!

I think you have to have some musicality and rhythm for dance otherwise you'll probably be quite lost. For people with absolutely no dance experience other than watching others their whole life, probably not the work out for you. I would suggest you take lessons in person from a dance teacher then come back to this DVD for practice at home and a great workout.

But, if you have any sense of timing and rhythm, I found this to be a very easy but effective workout and fun way to learn the basics of Latin dance moves. I don't think the pace is too fast nor any of the movements too challenging!

Dancing with the Starts Cardio Dance
If the buyer is an intermediate ballroom dancer, this CD may be appropriate.
There is very limited instruction - few details. It is expected that we learn by watching fast moving instruction, right into quick moves. There is no instruction for foot positions and because the dancers are wearing work out clothing covering their entire leg it's difficult to determine degree of knee bend.
It's entertaining and I loved watching Maks' moves through the entire CD.
If it's instruction one may be looking for, this is not the CD to purchase.

Stick with it...
Yes, at first the DVD is tricky to follow. Maxim starts out pretty basic and easy to follow with the Paso Doble. Next is Ashley and she introduces a little more difficulty with the Cha-Cha, and so on. But, I found that if I just did what I could I eventually started learning the routines through repetition. You will still break out in a sweat even if you're just trying to learn the moves (you don't have to have perfect execution to lose weight). If you're getting frustrated, then you're taking this way too seriously. Loosen up, try your best, and have fun; the accuracy will eventually occur - and when it does you really feel like you've accomplished something big. I am a complete two-left footed klutz and can get through the dances pretty well. This is one of the few workout routines I enjoy.