With
the recent popularity of dancing television shows such
as Dancing With The Stars, there has been an
increased amount of learning tools popping up on the
Internet. If you're having trouble choosing one, you've
come to the right place. After reading these reviews,
you'll be able to make an informed decision about which
product to buy, saving trouble, time, and shipping
costs.
Learn
& Master Ballroom Dance is the Rolls-Royce of
dance training products.
It
was by far the most complete ballroom dance course of
those I've reviewed. Although there isn't the star power
of Dancing with the Pros, you'll still find the
bright lights, enticing music, beautiful costumes, and
more important, high-quality instruction. The two
professional dancers walk the student step-by-step and
figure-by-figure through each dance. You'll learn the
footwork, arm movements, posture, body frames, and the
steps of the Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Rumba, Cha Cha, and
Swing. I'd consider this the perfect product for the
beginning student and, if you're an intermediate student,
you'll appreciate the technique practice and the
pointers on how to become a better dancer. Very advanced
dancers, however, will likely find little new
information.
I
really liked the energy in each of the lessons. I had so
much fun learning these dances, and I was impressed with
the time the instructors spent on teaching technique
(and how easy it was to learn it). My wife and I have
been out on the dance floor many times since learning
the Cha Cha and Tango. It’s pricier than the other
products I've reviewed, but I'd consider it a good value
for all that's included. The course has thirteen DVDs, a full-color lesson book
packed with pictures, six music CDs to practice with, and access
to a
discussion forum where the instructors regularly answer
questions.
Bottom Line: If you want something more
substantial than a brief introduction to ballroom,
Learn & Master Ballroom Dance
is the best dance training course I've seen. It really
is in a league all its own. It's a bit pricy, but well
worth it for those who want more than a quick
introduction.
Insider Tip: It seems like they put the
course on sale
about once every three months or so, usually for two or three
days. If price is a factor, check their website
often or sign up for their newsletter so that you're
notified when the sale happens.
Anyone
Can Dance allows you to learn
ballroom dance with national Ballroom Dance Champions:
Donald Johnson & Kasia Kozak. There is also an abundance
of world-class dancers who teach courses on these DVDs.
The website claims to have the largest collection of
instructional DVDs (over 400) for the dance industry—an
incredible amount of material and instruction. That
means finding the right one for your interests and skill
level might be a challenge. With so many options,
though, you're sure to find what you're looking for.
Although the teachers do a fabulous job of teaching the
steps at the appropriate level, whether you're a
beginner, intermediate, or advanced student, you won't
learn the actual dance. You will have to interpret the
steps and create an original dance routine. The DVDs
average around 45 minutes for beginner and intermediate
levels. You'll also have to buy the music in addition to
the DVDs to practice your dances. The average cost for
both is $40 for the music and 45 minutes of instruction.
It equals the cost of a couple lessons in a dance
studio. As you progress in your dancing skills, the DVD
instruction becomes longer and also more expensive.
Bottom Line:Anyone Can Dance is a fine
product when you compare the cost of semi-private
lessons and the amount of instruction you'll receive.
There's an enormous amount of information available to
the consumer on their website, so there's something for
everyone. If your goal is to focus on a specific dance
and to progress to an advanced student, this product
could be for you.
With
Dance Crazy,
you will can learn the
Swing, Rumba, Foxtrot, Salsa, and the Waltz with
individual video lessons. There are
many ballroom dance steps broken down with picture on
picture, multi-angle filming, tips, and demonstrations
to real ballroom music. The set and the costumes are
dated, however, and it can be a little distracting.
Also, the amount and depth of instruction doesn’t match
other products on the market, and neither is the value
that great. The good news is if you buy this product and
decide (like I did) that there are other, better
products, you can return it within thirty days.
Bottom Line: At first glance, it appears that you
will get a lot for your money. Compared with
the other products on the market, however, we weren't
impressed. You will learn a few ballroom dancing figures
with these DVDs, but you won’t be able to maneuver
around the dance floor confidently. For serious
students, however, these videos might make a nice
addition to your training collection.
There
aren't many people in this world who haven't seen at
least one episode of Dancing with the Stars. The
two instructors here are two of the pros on the TV show
and their star power is certainly apparent. The dancing
is beautiful, the instructors are beautiful, and the DVD
is beautifully produced. You can choose from the Rumba,
Samba, Cha Cha, or Jive or buy the entire set together.
Each dance lesson is over three hours and is divided
into beginning, intermediate, and advanced lessons. With
the popularity of the television show, these DVDs are
definitely a hit. At the time of this review, the
website was backordered, so you might have to wait a
little while for your order.
The
packaging and appearance of these DVDs is fantastic;
however, what these professional dancers accomplish in
person with celebrity beginners does not translate well to
the television screen. The instruction moves very
quickly with difficult moves, many of which aren't
explained. You are left to pick up the style of the
dance for yourself. Much of the necessary instruction is
overlooked by the instructors—they assume the student is
knowledgeable and experienced before turning on the TV.
The nice part of a DVD, though, is you can watch the
lessons as many times as it takes to learn the dance.
More advanced dancers will likely enjoy it more than I
did.
Bottom Line: If you're an intermediate to advanced
dancer and like
the star appeal of Dancing with the Stars, this
product is for you. You will have to learn quickly and
interpret many of the arm movements and body positions.
This is a fun video to watch and anyone with dancing
experience should catch on quickly. If you and your
partner are beginners, I suggest starting with another
product to learn the basics. These DVDs will likely
frustrate casual, social dancer.
With
There
aren't many people in this world who haven't seen at
least one episode of Dancing with the Stars. The
two instructors here are two of the pros on the TV show
and their star power is certainly apparent. The dancing
is beautiful, the instructors are beautiful, and the DVD
is beautifully produced. You can choose from the Rumba,
Samba, Cha Cha, or Jive or buy the entire set together.
Each dance lesson is over three hours and is divided
into beginning, intermediate, and advanced lessons. With
the popularity of the television show, these DVDs are
definitely a hit. At the time of this review, the
website was backordered, so you might have to wait a
little while for your order.