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Latinasize [2006]


RRP: £17.99
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Thrown together and I've thrown it out.
Review date: 2008-05-10 Rating: 2 out of 10

I buy a lot of exercise DVDs, but found this workout very, very disappointing. In fact it is the only time I have stopped using a DVD out of boredom after a couple of weeks.

Firstly, I definitely wouldn't buy this DVD if you think it will teach you to Latin dance. It will teach you the odd step, but no more. I haven't danced a lot, but I have watched and done enough to know that there is a technique to do all of these steps correctly that Lilia doesn't bother to teach. For example, she does a Samba routine based around Voltas and the Samba bounce, but never tells you how to do either move properly. Whilst this might sound fussy, it is only by doing the steps correctly that the routine looks right and you get the most benefit out of it.

She whizzes you through a demonstration and then off you go, so if you have never danced before I would imagine the steps would be quite difficult to learn. Especially as there are no close ups on her feet. If you have done a bit of dancing or just pick things up quickly, once you get the steps right it soon becomes very boring, as it is incredibly repetitive. Also there are a few genuine latin steps used, but not enough and so it all somehow feels more like aerobics than dancing. She is a brilliant choreographer on Strictly, but the routines here are very mundane. I also didn't find that they worked up a sweat or left me out of breath, (apart from the Jive) and I am not particularly fit.

The music isn't too inspiring and as for Lilia, she looks bored throughout the entire workout and as though she is just going through the motions. She rarely even smiles. She isn't encouraging at all and it makes it very easy to just turn it all off.

Sorry to sound so negative. I really wanted to love this DVD, but it could have been so much better considering all of the steps and music around and just generally how fun it is to dance. After a week, I hated it.

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Reviews


Good fun!
Review date: 2008-04-13 Rating: 8 out of 10

After reading a few other reviews I felt the need to put in my own 2 pence worth.

A lot of reviews seem to complain that it's difficult to master, it's not completely magically easy, but I don't think it's as bad as a lot of people seem to make out. I'm not a dancer, I did ballet when I was about 5 and apart from that it's the occasional wiggle in a club at the weekend, but I honestly don't think that it's all that difficult. Sit and watch it a couple of times, go through it a couple of times. You'll pick it up, it's the same as anything else, perseverence, if we could pick it up straight away it wouldn't be much of a challenge would it?

Personally I really enjoy doing this, I like Lilia as a presenter, she doesn't leave me with a burning desire to throw things at the screen (the Bollywood Workout, fabulous workout, but goodness she annoys me) and more importantly she doesn't keep telling me to keep smiling, I'm hot and sweaty, why should I smile?

As it says in the product description this is split down into five different routines, plus a warm up and cool down, and each section concentrates on a different dance style and a different area of the body. You can run it through start to finish, or there's a handy little function where you can pick and choose which sections you want to do, be that the same one five times or just altering the order that they're in. It's probably quite a simple function but it's really useful, so much easier than skipping back and to trying to find the section you want to do next.

I like this dvd, it's a good work out without being a painfully dull aeorbics class, and, especially when it came out, it was quite an original style. I think it's fab, and have to admit that I've since been inspired to join a salsa class, I've enjoyed it so much.


Frustrating and disappointing
Review date: 2008-04-07 Rating: 2 out of 10

Like many of the other reviewers, I found this dvd very frustrating, difficult and disappointing. If there'd been any reviews to consult at the time I decided to buy this dvd, I would have considered twice.

I've only watched the dvd once. I am not sure if I shall ever feel like trying this again. I have some previous experience of salsa and other latin dance lessons and I should have been familiar with the steps, but I still could not follow Lilia's coreography. I ended up watching the "learn the steps in 1 minute" sessions several times and finally getting so frustrated without no reverse side views on how to do the steps, that I started just lying on the sofa sipping water from my not so much needed water bottle and watching the rest of the dance routines.

I did not like the music. Although I recognized most of the songs, the music was somehow not that pleasantly played, sounded like cheap covers of the originals.

I thought that the Cha cha was danced in a very weird manner in this dvd; the way I've learned it on latin dance lessons I thought it was a dance with easy steps and a that it was a fun dance to move to, but this dvd of Lilias made me feel dumb and frustrated with cha cha and its rhythm. I felt like an idiot not being able to learn the steps and quick leg moves.

On the plus side: it's nice to watch this Lilia person who was totally unfamiliar to me before watching this dvd. When I bought this dvd, I thought she was a Brit. She speaks okeish sort of English with a mildish sort of Russian accent. She looks ever so gorgeous and fit and it is inspiring as one of the previous reviewers also noted: it makes you wish that by sticking to this routine you might one day achieve the same kind of body and flexibility. The dvd package looks nice. I wish, though, that more attention had been paid to the contents of the package.

Now that I have this dvd, I will have to force myself to learn these dance routines and steps. And maybe it's not that important whether I learn all the steps, moving to the music with my own latino sort of steps might do the trick too.

Very difficult to pick up the steps!!
Review date: 2008-03-15 Rating: 2 out of 10

I really wanted this workout to be great - the 'Latinasize' workout is such a good idea in theory and there's so many workouts included in this one DVD. Unfortunately I found it absolutely impossible to pick up the steps and judging by the other reviews here, it looks like I'm not the only one! The instructer and other dancers look great doing the workouts but steps are described in little detail and are done very quickly - I feel like I could do this every day and would still be struggling with the steps a month later!!

Quite entertaining to watch but really disappointing from an exercise point of view!

Too complicated!
Review date: 2008-03-05 Rating: 2 out of 10

Lilia is a brilliant dancer, but she is not a competent teacher, she is obviously cashing in. She doesn't motivate, and the whole dvd is poorly shot. It had been gathering dust on my shelf when I got it down today, and I remember why. I shall sell it at the first opportunity

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Lilia Kopylova

Creators:
Lilia Kopylova (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: Universal Pictures UK
Manufacturer: Universal Pictures UK
EAN: 5050582455991
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2006-12-26
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Exempt
Region code: 2
Theatrical release date: 2006-12-26
Language: English (Original Language)

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