This is my newest pick for the best hi/lo of all time, knocking even Christi's own 7002 off it's lofty pedestal. Christi is truly a champion choreographer. This tape arrived when I was sick--I plopped down on the couch, feeling like death warmed over, and started to preview the workout. What a surprise! It was all I could do to restrain myself--sick as I was, I wanted to jump up and join in the fun! The workout is that good, and Christi's enthusiasm and the music are that infectious (no pun intended).

Christi's warm up sets the stage for a fabulous workout. I've never had so much fun with a warm up, and was glad to see the warm up steps incorporated into the first combo.

I could rave all day about the hi/lo routine. Sue is so right that Christi makes you glad to be alive! The music is new, very motivating, and perfectly paired with Christi's choreography. It does require a fairly large amount of room to use full range of motion. I have to move our loveseat into the hallway, which is a pain, but it's worth it.

The hi/lo is so much fun that I didn't even get to the step section for a week afterward. I just couldn't resist that hi/lo routine. As Sue and MaryAnn have said, the step section is about the most complex out there, and will take several rewinds to grasp the moves, but once you do you have a ball. If I had to compare the style of the step section to other videos, I would say it's a cross between Christi's 7002 step section and Kari Anderson's United Steps, with a bit of Cathe Friedrich thrown in, only Christi's step combos are more complex, believe it or not. She doesn't spend as much time breaking down the step moves as she does in 7002.

Part of what makes both the hi/lo and step sections so tricky is Christi's creative use of 32 count phrases. I'm not really sure how to describe this well. Whereas with more basic choreogaphy you will always be stepping on the downbeat of the music, Christi makes full use of every single beat. For example, the first combo has you doing a knee step step knee step step knee... around in a circle, where your knee is coming up on counts 1, 4, and 7. The rhythm feels very different if you're not used to it, but once you get the hang of it you feel very connected to the music.

I can't say enough about this video. It's not for everyone--if you have two left feet you'll probably be frustrated to no end, but CIA veterans and Kari Anderson fans will adore it, and it's a must-have for Christi Taylor fans.

WWWendy