I was a little disappointed in this tape - I was hoping for a Latin dance workout, but this is standard low-impact routines, "Latinized."

So it's not the best Latin workout out there, but it is fun - and cheap! (Under $10) I'd recommend it for intermediates and maybe high beginners, who are looking for something different in a short, low-impact workout.

You start with a 4-minute warmup, then it's 23 minutes of intermediate level aerobics. There were some very easy, very basic (and I do mean BASIC) mambos, cha chas, salsas, and lambadas. But most of the workout consisted of classic low-impact routines, "Latinized": marching in place while doing a Macarena-type move with your arms ("From The Heart"); open side merengues instead of step touches; grapevines with Flaminco arms; V-steps with sexy arm movements; "single single double" kickbacks with shoulder shimmies; squats, pivots, and turns. There's lots of cuing and the transitions are very smooth, so the choreography is easy to follow. You finish with a 3 minute cooldown/stretch.

I was disappointed in the music - it's great "club" music, but wouldn't Latin music have been more fun? And what is the deal with the set??! - there are weird shadow dancers on the wall, who aren't even moving to the beat of the music!

Instructor Comments:
Mauro Maschkvich, who leads the workout, is cute and very likable. (How can you not like someone who purrs, "Vurry good ... vurry niiice...?) He explains the moves well and uses lots of hand and verbal cuing, so he's very easy to follow. His partner, Diana Maria Lara, is ... what's the word I'm looking for? ... ah, yes ... annoying. She contributes nothing to the instruction and has an unfortunate tendancy to call out things like, "Hot hot hot," "I like to scream it - CHA CHA CHA!" "Ai yi yi," and "Ole!" (To be fair, these "ad libs" may have been scripted for her.) I try to ignore her and focus on Mauro.

MerriCat