Core Rhythms Dance Exercise Program: Starter Package

I've been working out with this DVD set since late 2009. Am I as tight as Jaana & Julia? No. Have I slimmed down significantly (and where they claim - core section)? Yes. People have noticed, but more importantly I don't find the exercise to be a burdensome chore.I had purchased this set for about $50 from Target on a whim, as I was desperate for a "dance" workout - something that does the job & fun. I was disappointed at the amount of content on the DVDs (Lower Body Sculpt - 1 workout, Secret to Sexy Abs - 2, Latin Cardio Jam - 1, and Merengue Mania - 2, with one workout being an unusable to me which was the 2-person dance instruction). I had expected at least 2 legitimate workouts per DVD for the money. That is the main reason why the set gets downgraded from 5 stars to 4.There are a few awkward moves, and there is a learning curve. Yet compared to the more intricate steps of Zumba, this workout is fairly easy to learn. The workouts have a very genuine & happy feel. The workout partners in the back look normal, not plastic. The workout leaders - Jaana & Julia - make some funny mistakes, but it adds to cool vibe of the workouts. [Jaana's colorful hair and Julia's colorful personality make a difference too!] Also, there is variety in this 4-pack DVD (merengue, salsa, bolero, swing). No workout lasts more than 43 minutes; actually, most are closer to 30 minutes. The actual workout music is motivating, not annoying.Sometimes people have high expectations of exercise DVDs when they don't put in the necessary work. I don't care much for gym memberships and workout machines, particularly during the winter. I aimed to find a workout DVD set that would be interesting enough to help me keep consistent in my exercising. The workout could feature sexy (but not stripper like) moves, but wouldn't require that I sit or lay on the floor. Since late 2009, I've exercised with these 4 DVDs 3 to 5 times a week. Mission accomplished with this set. Thank you Jaana & Julia!Obviously, the price has dropped dramatically (to under $20). I'm find with it because I was mostly happy with my purchase. You will likely be even happier at the prices offered now.I would love to purchase Jaana Kunitz's Xtreme Cardio Dance set (2009) via Amazon, but it doesn't seem available. :-( Her web site has "untrusted connections" pages at the moment, so I can't purchase it from there.

I agree with another reviewer that most of the low ratings are due to frustrations rather than the actual product. The fact is that this is designed to teach people to dance while getting a workout. Keyword being dance, which is never easy if you are a beginner. It requires time and patience, and results often happen when you least expect it.I just got this a week ago and started with the kick start DVD. I am very uncoordinated and horrible at keeping time and this was very helpful. Now, the key is, once that becomes easy, don't expect to be able to do the full workout. I did the kick start section every day for a week and often times would repeat the workouts 2 or 3 times to make sure I fully got the moves. The fact is that if you are good, but not great, at those moves then the full workout will be kind of hard. Muscle memory is key.The other thing I did was watch both the full and quick workouts while I was stretching. It's good to know what to expect so that when you go into the workout you don't have to keep rewinding. When I started out I just repeated the warm up a few times because that alone is pretty energetic (I'm also short on time usually).Overall I really enjoy this. It's fun, pretty low impact knee-wise (maybe that's because I'm too worried about stomping and pissing off my neighbors below me), and I have actually become a way better dancer - which is shocking considering I have issues walking. You just have to go into this with an open mind and know that you don't have to do the full anything, you can break it down into sections and seriously go at your own pace. Don't let your frustrations get the better of you.My only complaints are that they don't do enough 8 counts and the music could be a bit better. The thing with the 8 counts is that, for me personally, I can't count music too well, so it'd be nice to throw those in from the beginning so you can train yourself to the beat better.

I bought this DVD last month and decided to try it out. I tried the 40min version first and nearly died. It was very fast after doing the warm up and sometimes hard to follow but I kept at it. I could only do half of it, maybe less than that. I've been doing tae bo for at least 5 days a week for 2 months. But I needed something that would help with my stomach. This helps with stomach, your legs and back thighs because of the hip and leg work. Plus you don't have to get on the floor to do any of the moves. I'm a big fan of non-floor exercises. I started doing the 20min version after my 40min fiasco and slowly worked my way up to the longer version. I've replaced this with tae bo and only do that ocassionally. I like the dance workout alot better because it doesn't feel like a torture session. I'm going to buy the other sets of these just to switch up. Keep at it and you will notice a difference in your hip, legs and stomach. It will be kinda frustrating at first but you can do it. Some of the moves are alittle hard to do on carpet but you can improvise:-)

I've only just received this today. But looks good

Was not able to use as not adequate for dvd players not even blue Ray

Couldn’t watch it as it was an America dvd

Doesn’t work on uk DVD players

I am sorry I wasn't satisfied the it at all.They arrived broking and didn't work. I had to send back at my expense.Not to happy about that.