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Disco Jesus

Workout DVD Fail: Dance Your Ass Off

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Dance Your Ass Off Workout

A few months ago I had that dewy glow that only comes from coming from THE BEST AEROBICS CLASS EVER, which of course was Dance Your Ass Off at the 59th Street Crunch. I don't think I've ever liked anything as much as I liked that class, so I was pretty psyched to get my fingers on the new Dance Your Ass Off Workout DVD. Could it be that I was about to have that euphoric, sweat drenched feealing in the comfort of my own home?

No.  Definitely not. This DVD sucked, don't buy it.

That's harsh, but it's true.  I've done a lot of Exercise DVDs in my life, so I feel like I have reasonable perspective. The absolute worst home workout I've ever done was the Weight Loss Hula Workout. This one was a close second.

The DVD has three sections — Latin, Disco, and Hip Hop — and the Latin section, was, without a doubt, the worst. The guy leading the section was named Jesus, which meant that the recurring title page kept flashing the heading "Disco Jesus." Disco Jesus was all over the place, excited, and really jumpy. But he didn't actually do anything.

Fast forward to the Latin section. I'm pretty sure the Latin DJ has Tourettes syndrome, and I was put off by his weird catch phrases. He said "Easy Dance" approximately 30 times in a 10-minute segment. He also likes to ask Ruben, this season's Dance Your Ass Off winner, how he's doing every 45-seconds.  Ruben, not knowing what to say keeps saying "I'm dancing my ass off." In a word: Awkward.

But DJ Tourrettes, is not actually leading the section. Latin Hilary is in charge, and she's definitely the most likable of the three instructors, albeit totally boring. This section pretty much amounts to standard Latin dance walking, and a couple of Cha-Cha's.

The final section is taught by Hip Hop Lisa, who incidentally is the show's choreographer. This is actually the only section of the DVD that I actually felt like I was working, and it should be noted that Lisa's body is outrageous. But the section was only 10-minutes long. Lots of elbow throwing and hyper extended torsos and large leg movements, and then it's over.

It is worth noting that Kristin Jacobs, who I reviewed recently for her own Hip Hop DVD, was one of the background dancers for the hip hop section. If you're looking for a more substantial dance workout, I'd definitely head Kristin's way.

The Dance Your Ass Off Workout is $9.99 on Amazon. Don't say I didn't warn you.

← Go to main page for Dance Your Ass Off Workout - Disco Jesus, Latin Hilary, and Hip Hop Lisa