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Ballet Workout | 
 enlarge | Actor: Melissa Lowe
Studio: Kultur Video
Category: Video
List Price: $19.95
Buy Used: $2.50
You Save: $17.45 (87%)
New (3) Used (14) Collectible (3) from $2.50
Rating:  51 reviews
Sales Rank: 13272
Format: Ntsc
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: VHS Tape
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 83 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.2 x 4.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 6301556011
UPC: 032031123038
EAN: 9786301556019
ASIN: 6301556011
Theatrical Release Date: 1987
Release Date: October 22, 1991
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Average used video with original case * * We carefully inspected this * Great customer service * Satisfaction Guaranteed!
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The title is somewhat a misnomer: this 83-minute video isn't a "workout" so much as a ballet class. If you've taken ballet in the past--or if you've always wanted to--pull on your tights and leg warmers and enjoy this video. Melissa Lowe, a former soloist and principal dancer with several ballet companies, leads two levels of workout. Level 1 is for those with little or no ballet training; ballet experience is helpful for level 2. Each level has three segments: floor work (stretches to warm up the muscles), barre work (standing exercises and positions done holding onto a barre or chair), and center work (more intense conditioning with balance, traveling, and some jumping). If you're not already flexible, you'll find the stretches daunting, even at level 1. This is a 1984 video and doesn't have the production quality you find in more current videos, but ballet is timeless. The music is solo piano--just like in ballet class. The lithe, willowy instructor doesn't smile or try to engage the audience, but she sure knows ballet, and her flexibility and grace are awe inspiring. --Joan Price
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| Customer Reviews: Read 46 more reviews...
 Old, Old, Old...and time to be retired November 3, 2008
matureballerina.com (Canada)
I've done this tape/dvd about 120x from 1999-2006 -- only because there wasn't anything better at the time. It's what you'd call an 'old stand-by'. Nothing outstanding to recommend itself by todays standards in production or intellectual 'snap', but not the worst thing you will ever own as far as a ballet dvd goes.
It's stand-out points include: an overcrowded class, ancient hyper-extended stretches, ugly costumes, an akward piano score, uninspiring stressful undertones, and a forced and failed attempt at grace - but all that said, it IS a ballet class! There is no getting away from that. It might be a ballet class from 1981, and you'd probably assume there'd be some redeeming nostalgia about that, but, no, it must have been a bad filming day.
Back when I used to first do it, I never liked it but, it was the best there was, and I was bloody grateful and probably would have given it a much more glowing review 8 years ago. Now, tho? It's not worth the money in my opinion. Get Dmitri Roudnev's Ballet Class with Dmitri Roudnev (Demonstration of exercises for music of Best of Ballet Class Vol V) and be truly inspired by a worthy ballet class. (see my unabashed, miles-long, glowing review of Dmitri's DVD.)
I've seen a lot, a lot, a lot of good reviews for this tape/dvd, The Ballet Workout. I believe they stem from the same gratitude my only positive feelings about it do, as well. Honestly, back in the day, there was this ballet class to buy - and that's it. And because it covers 'basic ballet' the gratitude for this even existing for home use was, understandably, overwhelming when it was reviewed in the past. But it doesn't hold up any more for that singular reason, and thankfully, others have come along to replace this stiff class that always made me feel like the tention in it would make it blow apart at the seams.
Is it the worst ballet dvd you could by? Is it a waste of money? No. It really isn't. You do ballet exercises in it. It's a hard class. If it was the only ballet class left in the world, I'd again, be thrilled to have it. It takes itself very seriously. It's akward, stiff, static, and tense. There's almost zero joy in it. It reminds me of what taking ballet in prison would be like, except that's an insult to anyone studying ballet in prision.
Is the Ballet Workout a treasure? Beautiful? Uplifting? Inspiring? No. It's just an old tired, ballet class now, and not wonderfully 'old' in that you can learn marvellous timeless things from it. Just old. Tired. Done. And not what my ballet class dreams are made of.
 A good place to start. August 7, 2008
Blonde Bookworm (PA, USA)
I own all three of the Ballet Workout DVD's. This one is my second favorite out of the three, and the best place to start if you've never had ballet before. It's structured like a ballet class (floor work, barre work, and center work). You don't need a barre. I use a chair.
I took ballet for 10 years when I was younger, so I knew all of the terms used in this DVD. There is a lot of time spent demonstrating and explaining the terms, so people who don't know ballet should be able to stay caught up.
The patterns are very simple and very repetitive, so it doesn't take many repeated viewings to learn them.
Some of the stretches require good flexibility (especially the level two workout) so I couldn't do a lot of them all the way at first. The people in the video are professional dancers, so of course they make it look easy. Just do what you can do and don't worry about the people on the TV.
You can tell just by watching that this was filmed in the 80's, so it's old. On some of the stretches she tells you to bounce. Don't. People don't bounce anymore. It''s bad because it doesn't let you ease into the strech and can force you to go to far too fast.
This is a good video to start with. I don't use mine anymore because I find the patterns repetitive and boring now, but if you don't know what you're doing the repetitiveness is good. My favorite DVD is the second one, but it is faster paced and you need to know what all the ballet terms mean.
Best if you've had ballet March 9, 2008
Laura Lee (Rochester, MI USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This DVD features two ballet classes. The first says it is for people with little or no ballet experience, but it is more geared toward the person who has a distant memory of ballet classes she took as a little girl. As a 36 year old who never took ballet as a child, I would have benefitted from a little more time devoted to the basic positions. Although I have watched hundreds of ballet classes, I have not participated before, and I found it difficult to maintain the positions during the simple combinations. A little more time devoted to simply coming back to first would have been a help for me.
That said, it is a much better video for beginners than the New York City Ballet Workout, which has more complicated combinations and assumes a fair amount of knowledge.
The other thing that could improve this video would be to have the teacher show the combination once before having the students follow. The first time watching the video, you're not quite sure what she is going to do next, which makes it hard to follow. Of course, this isn't a problem with repeated viewings.
In all, I think it's a good product and especially good for people with a little ballet background. It is a very simple ballet class with easily assimilated combinations, and ballet classes are always a good workout that use every muscle.
Good, solid, ballet exercises March 1, 2008
Margaret Knight (Denver, CO)
Good ballet exercises. Sound and video quality not great, as it seems like it must have been a so-so quality VHS tape converted to a DVD.
 I have danced with Melissa January 29, 2008
Elizabeth Williams
Melissa and her husband Jory danced with us when we were just a small midwest company. I was the very lucky one to dance with both of them up close and personal and what a thrill it was.
I now have my own studio and have sent this video to my adult students that want to work out at home. She and Jory know their stuff and they are the finest/nicest dancers and teachers around.
Elizabeth C. Williams
Elizabeth Williams School of Dance
Williamston, Mich 48895
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