This is another joyful, intricate step workout from Christi Taylor. If you like complex choreography and an intense step workout, put on a smile and your dancing shoes and let Christi "Say a Little Prayer" with you. You are going to have a ball with Step Heaven.

The music is great. It's nice and loud vocal music, with lots of well-known tunes. Two of the background exercisers demonstrate simpler versions of the choreography throughout the workout, so you can choose to follow them until you gain the confidence to attempt Christi's spins and turns.

Christi does a six-minute warm-up on the step and then launches into Stage 1 -- 25+ minutes of intense and complex stepping. There are five shorter combos in Stage 1, each with at least one little move that temporarily convinces me to say, "oh yeah, this is my favorite move." Then along comes the next one and I like it even better. Loosen up your hips for "L-step with a twist," which combines a simple L-step with a hip swing and dismount off the back. Lengthen your legs with a turning basic step across the length of the step. Then put some speed in your footwork with some triple shuffles around the step. Christi keeps the intensity moderately high, but I hardly notice because I'm having way too much fun. After Christi teaches each new short combo, she goes back to combo #1 and you repeat each combo on both lead legs. After doing this video about 10 times and loving it more each time, I finally managed to find ONE thing that peeves me about Stage 1: at one point, Christi layers in a "watch me" -- it's a pivot off the step move. Well, I am a self-crowned princess of the pivot. I hate to miss one. But after she demonstrates this one, you don't get a chance to do it for yourself for several minutes -- until she takes the whole routine from the top.

Next comes Stage 2, 25 more minutes of intense stepping with the step moved to a vertical position. This is the section for choreography addicts. Stage 2 has some tricky moves, however I personally found it less complex than her choreography in 9801 step. Christi talks you through two long combinations -- I'm guessing that they are each 64 counts -- without too much taking it from the top. Some of my favorite moves include the scoop mambo around the front of the step, the spin straddle and the squat, cha cha cha across the step. This section is definitely the most challenging to learn, but it's also the most satisfying and enjoyable once you've learned it. I can't imagine getting tired of it ever.

For those who want to skip the mental acrobatics of Stage 2, you can fast forward directly to Stage 3, which is about 20 minutes of high intensity cardio/weight cycles. There are a lot of Latin tunes in this section, including that song by Enrique(?) Iglesias where he is singing (Ole? Alle? Well, he is definitely laying something.) The five cardio segments use simpler, more athletic choreography on the step. They're interspersed with four segments of compound strength training movements, such as side-to-side squats with overhead shoulder presses using 5 to 10 pound dumbbells. During the strength segments, two of the background exercisers continue to do a simple cardio holding pattern, so you could choose that option if you're taking a recovery day from strength training. The final cardio burst is a series of over the top of the step moves that will have you breathing harder than an asthmatic porn star.

The cooldown is a joy, loaded with triple steps, stomps and hip swishes. The stretch is very nice: lots of hamstring and quad stretches for the lower body, with plenty of welcome attention to your triceps, shoulders, chest and back as well.

At the end of this workout, I am drenched in sweat -- and late for work, darn it! I always begin SH with the intention of only doing a couple of sections of the workout, but once I start, I just can't stop. Christi's infectious smile, the choreography and the music put wings on my Reeboks.

This is a workout with a learning curve. If you like a combination of intensity and interesting choreography with great sing-along music, this is an excellent workout for you. If you are irritated by pivots and spins and step-ball-changes -- this may not be the workout for you. Or it may be the workout that changes your mind.

This is currently my favorite step video of all time. I have a feeling it will stay there for years -- or at least until Christi makes her next one.

Daphne M