I love this workout. I couldn't come up with 3 better adjectives than Daphne did: fresh, complex and innovative. I agree that it's an intermediate/advanced workout. There are some parts of it that seem decidedly intermediate and then wham - Tracy and Michelle throw in some powerful moves that get your heart pumping. The choreography is definitely advanced and dancy - my favorite kind. If I had to categorize it, I'd say that for me, the choreography was more complex than Stepping Zone but easier that CIA 9801.

One of the things that struck me when I previewed this tape and was confirmed for me every time I've done it, is that the choreography is fresh and different than any of the step tapes I've done (like Cathe, Christi, Andre, Franny). There are some wonderful moves. In one, you do a kick ball change on the step facing lengthwise, then straddle, jump and bring your back leg over to the front, then come back up on the step backwards and step off going into a plyo-scissor type movement (although not as deep). The combo Daphne describes with the pendulum, lunge, power squat and cha-cha is another favorite. Lots of fun and these combos get your heart pumping! BTW, the cardio kick move they do requires a bit of space on the side of your step - I modify that to a front kick and it works just fine.

lick I like the way the workout is taught too. Daphne has already described the structure so I won't repeat it. I will say though that I liked it better than always TIFTT'ing a la CIA and maybe even more (dare I say it) than doing separate sections and never putting them back together (more Cathe like). Like Daphne, I wish they had done the entire combo at least one more time - I think I will be rewinding the tape and doing the entire combo a second time as a matter of course. I found both Tracy's and Michelle's cueing to be very good - one note: once you've learned a move and added it to that combo (and the teaching is fast-paced which I also like), not every single step in every move is cued in advance once you've done it a lot (unlike Cathe for example, who cues every single step) - I'm OK with that - some may not be.

I am in total agreement with Daphne's teeny tiny nitpicky peeves: the cooldown song (I thought it was my microwave beeping), and the straddle move in the warmup that Michelle cuts in half without warning. I will add just one more teeny, tiny nitpicky peeve (I like that phrase!) - I think the warmup stretches and the cooldown stretches are a little too short. Having said that, this is an A+ workout!

Instructor Comments:
I've always liked Tracy York's workouts and she doesn't disappoint here - she personable and an excellent instructor. This is my first workout with Michelle and I like her a lot - she is also an excellent, personable instructor and I like to watch her move - she must have a dance background and that always hooks me (I'm a frustrated ballet drop-out from way back when).

JudySP