The World Dance Workout, with Elsa Leandros: Bellydance, Salsa, Samba, Flamenco, and Bollywood dance exercise

What a fun way to exercise, especially if you like dancing. Great way to keep in shape. Easy to understand.

This is a very fun little program that will definitely get your heart pumping and put a smile on your face. There are a few key moves from each style of dance shown and drilled with a great selection of upbeat music. Don't expect to become a dancing diva from this DVD because the variety of moves is small, but it IS so much fun. The steps are simple enough throughout all of the styles for even a klutz like me to follow, though it will take some practice. I should think it would be good for people interested in dance fitness but scared of some of the choreography out there. As far as features go, I like that you can pick your own sections and that there is a separate section for learning the steps. It is also wonderful that you have the option of turning the narration off. Once you watch an exercise DVD so often and learn it by heart, it is nice to be able to go along with music only. One negative to this DVD is that I think Elsa has appalling form sometimes. Her hip movements are very big and very bouncy which can be troublesome for your lower back. Her students, however, stay more understated and move more safely, so it's best emulate them. Worth the money for people who enjoy dancing but need simpler movements than usually available in these types of programs. If you're completely new to this type of movement, though, it might take a couple of runs through the DVD. I'm still learning it, but I don't find it frustrating at all. Just fun!

I was so thrilled to receive this DVD. It is just what the Universe ordered for me. Since I am busy teaching bellydance several hours a week it is so wonderful to put a DVD in and have someone teach me. I absolutely loved all the dance forms in this DVD and how they were presented. And I worked up a sweat working out with Elsa. She is very very good. And extremely talented as shows when she is dancing at the end of the DVD.I would highly recommend this to anyone who wishes to learn how to bellydance, bollywood, salsa, samba or flamenco dances. And it is a great workout also. Before you know it the DVD has ended and you get that wonderful chance to watch Elsa perform for you.Worth every penny and thanx Elso Leandros for doing such a wonderful job on this DVD.Dawna RobertsonSarnia, Ontario

At first glance I didn't like the DVD because the lady dancer is quite odd in my opinion. I don't know if it's the way she talks or just she moves oddly but it kind of freaked me out. After actually trying some of the moves I realized that i perhaps could learn something new from this dvd. This dvd is not too challenging but there are things you can learn from it. I recommend it for some one who wants a basic overview on each dance genre.

I use this for days when I don't feel like working out and yet know I need to get off the couch and get my body moving. It's highly accessible, simple and sooooo much fun. Moreover, although it's hardly a full scope of all the styles it's made it easier to step into other world dance classes. (I'm the star of my salsa class for example, and am now really into flamenco). Elsa is very apprachable and really seems to be enjoying herself and aesthetically it works very much like a real dance class...the dancers aren't overdressed, exorbitantly skinny and their smiles are genuine rather than caked.Of all my workout videos this one definitely gets the most mileage!

Like I said on the headline,pretty interesting!

I got this DVD because I had an interest in at least three of the styles presented. If nothing else, hey, the demonstrations would be worth the money, right?It's my habit to always view the demonstrations first to get an idea of the instructor's style. In this case, it was a mistake. The demonstrations are set against a solid black background. In the Bollywood and flamenco portions, half of her body just blends right into the non-existent background! The remainder of her body appears (shallow as it seems) to be in a shape that is uninspiring in a fitness video. It's nice to see some change from hardbodies, but her costumes do not flatter her fitness level and in the case of Bollywood and samba in particular appear to have been designed for someone much younger with very poor taste. (Honestly. Yarn balls?) She doesn't seem engaged in most of the dances and doesn't have the fluidity that you'd expect to see in someone with her advertised experience.In the warmup portion, she appears old and tired much of the time. She calls moves without having explained them, so it helps to watch the DVD at least once before attempting to follow it. The angle is set and kind of awkward for much of the warmup, somewhere between a full-front and front-left, and it makes it difficult to see the mechanics of some of the moves. Her assistants frequently lost her rhythm.To be honest, by the end of the warmup, I was so disgusted that I just stopped the DVD and went on to something else. Perhaps everything improves in the workouts themselves, but I don't have enough interest left in it to find out.