Well . . . let me preface this by saying that I absolutely ADORE Patrick Goudeau. He's innovative, fun, and very charismatic and motivating. However, there's a line between innovative and "weird", and that line may have been crossed here.

First, the high/low: Patrick does 4 mini-combos that combine into one longer routine. While all of them are creative in new choreography, two of them (and one in particular) border on being completely frustrating, to the point of not being fun anymore. I do want to stress that overall, this high/low workout is very enjoyable and one that I'll do a lot, but I want Patrick to back off a little on the "creativity" in his next video! One of the routines -- it's either #3 or #4 (can't remember now) -- I simply don't like because of the "weirdness" of it. It's just doesn't flow naturally, and it's frustrating to do. While I manage to stumble through it, I am NOT having fun at that point! But again, this is a great workout overall, and I give it an A-.

Now for the step: Whew! This one is done with your step facing horizontally, unlike his last CIA tape, which had the step vertical. Having it horizontal makes it easier in some respects to learn the routine. But this is still a tough one! Lots of fast footwork, and again, some "weird" moves. I got through this, but I modified many of the routines. He teaches in "levels" -- adding on variations at each level -- so it's easy to stay at a previous level if you want to. I elected to stay at an earlier level for many of the moves because I was sure I would break my neck if I didn't. I really don't think I'll do this workout very often. For the amount of mind-power you have to put into it, it just doesn't seem worth it. For future step workouts, Patrick could take a cue from Franny Benedetto's latest CIA tape (is it 9905?), where she adds considerable complexity but keeps it FUN and intense. Again, I think Patrick is crossing that line between innovative and weird. But still, I grade it an A-.

To sum up, while I don't like this as much as 9001, his first CIA tape, it's still a keeper for me. But I dearly hope that in his next video he'll go back to something more 9001-like or even G-Force-like.

Oh, and a note to the CIA cameraperson: The sudden changes in view from Patrick to only his feet are extremely disorienting! (And certainly not helpful.)

Patrick is one of my all-time favorite instructors. He's #1 in high-low! But I fear that in his quest for creativity, he may be alienating a lot of people.

Annie S.