CIA 5004: Step, Hi/Lo, Slide

Christi Taylor, Deborah Silvers, Terri Klinghoffer, Debbie David
Year Released: 1994

Categories: Floor Aerobics/Hi-Lo/Dance , Sliding, Step Aerobics


Greg Twombly starts this 2-hour workout with a warmup and then 22 minutes of high/low. I really like his routine. The music is excellent, and the choreography goes very well with it. I especially like the "fast heels" move.

Second, P.J. O'Clair takes over with step for 30 minutes. She's wonderful, too, and the music continues to be good. Her choreography just seems to flow.

Then there is Franny Benedetto with more high/low for another 30 minutes. The music in this part doesn't appeal to me as much as the first two sections. Her routine is good, but I think the high/low she does in 7005 is a lot more fun. Don't get me wrong, though, I still like this one. Finally, the fourth section is Franny again with sculpting (30 minutes). This is "okay" for a light sculpting day, or as an extended cooldown.

I like to do all 2 hours of this tape at once on my "long" days when I have extra time. It's a lot of fun and the time flies by. I definitely rank this one as an A.

Instructor Comments:
All three instructors are excellent in this workout.

(Warmup 8 min; Step 22 min; Hi/Lo 20 min; Funk Cooldown 10 min; Slide 30 min; Step 30 min)

If you're only buying one tape from the 5000 series, get either this or 5005. It begins with a 60-minute "complete workout" including step and hi-lo segments. The step section, similar to parts of Step Max, is rather complex, but instructor Christi Taylor does very thorough cueing and instructing. She teaches it in three parts - 3-count turnsteps, T steps and hopturns, L steps and various kicks and straddles are included - then she puts the parts together and runs through the entire combo not once but THREE times! Whew! The hi-lo half is exceptional, as fun as anything I've seen from Kari Anderson. The beginning feels almost like a cooldown after the intense stepping, but fast jumping and twirling moves toward the end will bring up the heartrate once again. (The hi-lo requires lots of space for moves like double grapevines and box grapevines; I just do regular grapevines instead.) The cooldown, a funk combo, goes on a little too long in my opinion. But all in all this is my favorite total workout of the 5000 series, and Christi my favorite instructor.

The next segment is a slide workout taught by two instructors, which I couldn't review because I don't have a slide. The final step segment, taught by Debbie David, uses some interesting ballet-like moves, but her cueing could use improvement - she rarely says "left" or "right" - and sometimes her rhythm is a little weird. Overall, this tape is worth buying just for Christi Taylor's workout, which is dancy, challenging and very enjoyable.

Sue B

11/28/1997