I am late to this party, but given this dvd is still commercially available and also streaming on GiamTV.com, I do believe it remains relevant. There are some excellent reviews here already and I'd like to echo the firm belief that in-person instruction in pilates is truly the best way to learn the principles. That said, dvds are a fantastic way to refine/advance practice. I also find that learning from more than one instructor to be very beneficial. Sometimes it just takes the "right" way of describing a move to finally make it "click".

I consider myself to be at an early intermediate stage and was looking for something to bridge from Ana Caban's excellent beginning mat workout and the equally excellent (but unfortunately out of print), Pilates for Dummies with Michelle Dozois. If you are fortunate enough to find the latter and have mastered that workout (which is most certainly not for dummies), I think you will find that a lot of intermediate moves have been introduced already--making it an excellent bridge for this intermediate mat workout. Conversely, the Pilates for Dummies tape includes a bonus intermediate workout that actually introduces quite a few advanced moves that I felt unready to tackle. I do believe that time spent with this Ana Caban intermediate workout will provide a bridge to that workout as well as other higher intermediate pilates workouts.

Joseph Pilates had an established set and order of movements that advance with increasing difficulty. Most of the classically trained instructors will keep their routines pretty close to that classical outline, but sometimes modify a bit, depending on the focus of the program. The moves here are as follow: Controlled sit down to floor, the 100, the Roll up, Leg circles, Rolling like a ball, Single leg stretch, Double leg stretch, Single straight leg stretch, Double straight leg stretch, Criss Cross, Spine Stretch Forward, Open-leg rocker, Corkscrew, the Saw, Neck rolls, Single leg kicks, Double leg kicks, Spine twists, Side-kicks (including scissors), Teaser, Swimming, Leg pulldown, the Seal, Pilates Pushups. The workout is 30 minutes in duration and features Caban in the forefront demonstrating with student, Tara, in the background who frequently demonstrates some modifications.

As to the pros and cons of this workout video, the "good" is the quality of the workout and instruction. The "bad" is undoubtedly the interjected and sometimes shaky hand camera effects (often in black and white, presumably for "emphasis") that badly distract from an otherwise fairly high quality, if dated, production. Since I don't watch the video constantly while trying to follow the moves myself, this is not a deal-breaker. I do wish that Caban and Gaiam would re-edit this work-out for re-release, excluding some of that or perhaps it is time to release a new intermediate mat workout. I like the fact that it is in the studio and that Caban does the workout alongside her student, Tara. Eventually, I will feel that I've sufficiently mastered the moves to enjoy following a workout with more scenic locales, but I'm not there yet. In terms of length, 30 minutes is the "sweet" spot for a home pilates workout for me--assuming it is not interrupted with a lot of pauses and this one is not. Despite the instructional nature of this tape, I do think it "flows" reasonably well and did not find it lagged at any point.

Instructor Comments:
Ana Caban has a pleasant demeanor and is sufficiently motivating with clear instructions. Her form is impeccable, yet she has not forgotten the aspects of moves that may be quite challenging to those less accomplished. This is not a beginner's work-out, however and while she will provide form reminders, it is expected that the viewer will have mastered the initial beginning pilates concepts and moves.

hlthe2b