New York City Ballet Workout [DVD]

This DVD is absolutely superb! For starters it is a visual masterpiece- perfectly choreographed, beautiful to watch, and the execution of the moves in time to the music against the black and white setting is nothing short of exquisite.I found the soothing voice of Peter Martins to offer helpful instructions, and upon learning the ballet terms I realise that his instructions are actually timed slightly ahead of the moves to come which gives you a better chance to anticipate where to put your leg next!The DVD is broken down into 17 sections that progress through the entire workout, which makes it perfect if you want to do the whole thing, or just focus on certain sections at a time.However, the most amazing thing about this workout is that I can't believe the way that I can feel my muscles working- it certainly is hard work, and yet it feels fantastic! :) All the dancers make the moves look very controlled and elegant and effortless, and it makes you realise how strong and well toned they really are! You certainly know that your entire body has been squeezed and stretched and strengthened - when I came to do my usual Yoga routine after completing this workout I was amazed how much further I could go into stretches etc!This workout will really work wonders for your body! I am very impressed with the DVD (it has extra behind the scenes features too)and it is too beautiful and effective for you to ever get bored of it!I also thoroughly recommend the New York City Ballet Workout book that accompanies this DVD too. Both are worth every penny! :)Enjoy!

I do ballet at least 3 times a week and as an adult and thought the New York City Ballet DVD would be an excellent supplement to my training.....and it is brilliant for me.However....I do feel concerned that the very basics of ballet technique are not explained for the benefit of those people that have never done ballet before. I'm sure that some people might argue that it looks simple enough and of course it does with the help of the professional dancers who have been doing ballet for years and have had teachers correcting them along the way. Even a simple plie requires some knowledge of the technique to prevent injury.Don't forget that this video/dvd is being sold on the basis that 'you too can have a body of a ballet dancer' and I would therefore expect some explanation as to why the ballet dancers body is the shape that it is and how it is achieved. This workout differs significantly from the usual aerobic videos where you are always encouraged to keep the knees soft, this is not the case in ballet and it is important to remember that the workout is based on ballet technique, how else do you think these dancers achieved slender legs, suppleness etc.... (don't have enough room to explain here).Other than my moan above, I thought the DVD was excellent for me, brilliant workout and beautifully shot with a few extras thrown in. I hope they bring out additional workouts in the future. Enjoy!

A bit unhappy with this DVD.

I find that this video as a very good opportunity to do ballet workout on your own.I am going to the gym twice a week but this is perfect to do if you are busy.I danced ballet when I was little and has always been sport active.Don’t expect that you will be able to do everything as they from the first time but it will come slowly.I use to do it together with New York City ballet advanced, and it is great.I am not saying that is totally easy but you just have to be patience and give it some time. I love it.

Using this DVD on a regular basis will allow you to use all your muscles intensely, especially those of the legs and abdominals. Surprisingly, the NYCB workout isn't extremely difficult, as I expected it to be, nor is it tailored at dancers - anyone who is healthy and has exercised a little bit in the past will be able to do it; the DVD doesn't explain the dangers of letting your knees go over your toes in plies for example, so I think you need to know some of these basics of exercising before you start. You don't have to be superfit to use this, as all the exercises consist of small moves that will work the muscles and there are no intense cardio moves, so you can really build up your strength over time, and even if you start off by doing 20 minutes, in a couple of weeks you will be able to do the full workout. The workout for the legs is fantastic, a lot of stretching that elongates the muscles, as well as some typical ballet exrcises such as plies and tendus that will give your legs a new look after just a month of regular use - I was really pleased with the effects on the legs and bum...you can actually see that your behind looks flatter and less "droopy" after 2 weeks :) I found the abs section difficult at first, but you have to keep working at it and you'll soon see that you can do a few more repetitions or sets each time. A very pleasant but effective workout, one of my favourites.

Very well explained, it's a great workout!

Diese DVD ist unfassbar schön. Die Tänzer sind toll, machen die - vermutlich für sie sehr einfachen - Übungen mit absoluter Hingabe und Konzentration. Okay, es dauert wohl eine Weile bis man eine solche Anmut und Kraft entwickelt, aber immerhin kann man hoffen... Der Sprecher (englisch) hat eine sehr sanfte und angenehme Stimme, die Musik ist Ballett-typisch klassisch, was einfach toll passt. Ich bin begeistert, denn diese DVD bringt eine gute Abwechslung in meinen Yoga- und Pilates-Alltag. Am Ende fühlt man sich wie ein Schwan, hat eine tolle Haltung.Etwas verwundert hat mich das abrupte Ende. Dachte, es käme noch ein Cooldown.Einige Menüpunkte gehen offenbar nicht, aber das ist eh nur das Bonusmaterial, das mich nicht interessiert. Und SJP hätte man sich am Anfang auch sparen können. Tipp: Die 3 Minuten, die sie am Anfang (Vorspulen unmöglich) quasselt: Umziehen, sammeln, Wasser trinken etc. Dann hält man das gut aus ;-)Eine Anmerkung noch, falls man die DVD auf dem Computer ablaufen lässt und das Menü mit der Maus bedient: Die kleinen Striche unterhalb der Navigationspunkte klicken, nicht die Worte. Hab ich zuerst nicht kapiert und wollte schon aufgeben.

J'ai acheté ce DVD à la suite de la naissance de mes enfants....à les avoir toujours dans les bras, on se rend compte qu'on ne se tient pas toujours correctement et on risque la blessure bête...et je n'avais pas fait de ballet depuis l'âge de 7 ans et je ne suis pas très gracieuse...quand même j'ai adoré ce DVD. La voie « off » de l'instructeur qui dirige les danseurs et danseuses est extrêmement relaxante. Quand j'écoute ce DVD, je décroche complètement et c'est un pur moment de détente...et de travail car même si les exercices se font en contrôle et finesse, et que chaque série est assez courte (environ 2 min), on transpire bien !Le DVD est accessible à tous, faut savoir respecter ses limites et ne pas se laisser décourager (ou encourager) par les danseurs (danseurs professionnels = extrême souplesse). Je ne suis pas prêt de tenir la position de la jeune femme sur le DVD...mais j'ai énormément gagné en souplesse et maintien... pliés, relevé, dégagé, arabesque, etc...je m'amuse toujours à faire ce workout.

ワークアウトのビデオは、シンディ・クロフォードのダンベル体操の（古いですが…）とコアリズムを持っていますが、どちらも続かず。声や映像が煩くて、なんだか疲れてしまいました。こちらは落ち着いた感じです。パッケージのイメージ通り、中身もほとんどモノクロといってもいいような画面、シンプルな衣装に穏やかな語り口。男女4人のダンサーが、黙々と脚を上げたり腕を伸ばしたり。踊りではなく、筋トレ＋関節と姿勢の調整という感じ。音楽はクラシックと渋いコンテンポラリー曲の選択可。少し離れた場所で夫が作業をしますが、「仕事の邪魔にならない音」だそうです（笑）ジャンプしたり忙しくステップを踏む動作は少ない（17のうち3パートだけ）ので、マンションなどで階下が気になる人にもいいかもしれません。動きはそれなりにハードです。私は週2回、バレエの入門クラスに通っていて慣れた動きですが、寝る前にこれを一通りやると息は上がるし真夏の今は汗だくです。うつ伏せて脚を上げる動作ひとつとっても、ダンサーの人はとても丁寧に筋肉の隅々まで意識しながらじっくり筋を伸ばしているのが感じられて、逆に自分がどれだけ無頓着に運動していたかに気がつきます。最初、英語の指示は半分しかわからないし、こんなので効くか？と思う位かなり適当に見よう見まねでやってみたんですが、たった1回なのに翌朝の身体の動きが違う！可動域が大きくなっているし、アンディオール（脚を外に開くバレエの基本）が少しやり易くなった感じがします。（勿論サボると戻ります）腹筋も、最初はきつくて前半しかついていけなかったのが、次第に筋力がついてダンサーに近いペースで出来るようになってきました。背筋も脚力も鍛えられるし、飽きずに続けられそうなのが一番嬉しいです。買ってよかったです。

The New York City Ballet Workout offers is a great programcombining toning, flexibillity and even a little cardio with the ballet combinations and "little jumps" section. The hour it takes to complete seems to pass effortlessly- while the other tapes I have tried seem to drag along and leave me with a headache, instead of the renewed energy that this one gives me. Sure, its a workout, but it also leaves you feeling with a great sense of accomplishment and energy (and even after the first workout I felt "fitter" and it left me looking forward to the next time I would be able to play it).I especially enjoyed the floor barre section- the stretches are hard (some of the things that the dancers can do seem impossible) but rewarding if you practice them, and your abs, back and arms get a really good workout (you'll be burning). I found that one of the hardest things about the DVD was keeping my arms up during the combiniations- it got kind of hard to concentrate on the steps when I was focusing on having the proper position with my arms.Some of the draw backs on this DVD are that if you dont have experience in ballet your might have trouble with some of the steps- they arent explained by the narrater (the steps were easy for me because I have about five years of previous ballet experience). Actually, the narrater doesnt really explain anything- you mosltly just have to follow the dancers (who are amazing, by the way). I reccomend watching it over once before doing it so that on the floor bar you dont strain your neck by trying to do the excercise and watching the screen at the same time.Another surprisingly thing about the DVD is that the extras are pretty cool- there are diaries of the dancers, interviews, and a "behind the scenes" section. They all offer an insight into the New York City Ballet Company.In conclusion, I reccomend this DVD, but only to people who have a little experience in ballet.