This is one of my all time favorite funk aerobics tapes. Grade: A.

45 minutes long, it includes a pleasantly choreographed warm-up and slightly too short cooldown with not quite enough stretching. The routine itself is an overall intermediate level (choreographically) series of fun, funky moves that build in a sequence. As usual for funk tapes, the slowdowns needed to breakdown the fairly complex steps diminish the cardio intensity. The steps are original and consistently cool. Carol leads the workout with two cheerful professional dancers; all of them look like "normal" people—i.e., they are not babes and not all 20something. Carol’s cueing and instruction are just great. I’ve done this tape many times over the last year or so and there is nothing grating or silly about it. Some of the steps are difficult which held my interest while I worked to execute them with something approaching Carol’s style and earthy grace.

The music is urban contemporary with a funk rhythm and the setting is a plain dance studio with nothing distracting. This is a good model of how to do a simple, non-gimmicky presentation where the quality of the steps and the instruction carry the tape rather than photogenic "personalities."

I really like how the workout begins almost immediately without the razzle-dazzle montage or long, pedantic introduction that afflicts so many exercise tapes. Carol does do a short intro but has you marching throughout so it’s not time wasted; after this there is little time spent in the you-march-while-I-show-and-explain-this cop-out!

If you like fairly complex funk choreography and don't mind a lowered cardio intensity, I think you'll like this tape.

Instructor Comments:
Carol Lapidus-Scott appears to be well over 30 and in wonderful shape, but not intimidatingly buff or glamorous. Her demeanor is down-to-earth and unaffected. I find her encouraging without being patronizing or overly "perky". Her presentation is friendly and intelligent and she has definite talent as a choreographer.

I like this! There are a lot of fun moves here, done to an excellent, upbeat soundtrack. I'd rank it as an intermediate-level step workout, but advanced exercisers will have a good time, too. The workout is 45 minutes.

I enjoyed this enough to buy another one of Carol's tapes, and there's a third one out now that I'll also buy. I give it an A!

Annie S.