Here goes – my first ever review (actually a mini-review) of a tape. I’ve only done Stepping Zone twice and the first time included lots of rewinds. Then I previewed it concentrating on the steps I didn’t get and then did again the next day, much more successfully. I think it’s easier to learn than 9801 but I’m used to Christi’s style and also knew many moves from Cathe’s tapes. Very fun tape. She does take it from the top, actually from the warmup all the way through but there is a long second section part to learn and repeat, before she takes it from the top a few times to finish up. Fun moves include a turning shuffle ball-change, 2 turning skips and a turning skip over the step in one direction, then the turning skips and turning skip over the step in the other direction so both sides are not equal. Then there is a repeater hop back and forth over step, back over turning, squat reverse turning chacha in back of the step. I do not have enough room in back of my step to do this correctly but even scrunched together, it is fun. In the second section is a T-step, backwards T-step into a repeater touch front heel back toe (ala Cathe) , then a straddle shuffle step, sort of like a shuffle turn step only you straddle, not turn. One move I haven’t gotten yet is the chacha lunge step. I just did regular lunges – I’ll have to work on those. I don’t know if I can move my feet fast enough. I thought this tape moved really fast and got my heartrate way up there. The cool down is very simple to give your brain a rest. Then comes a very simple basic abs section and then a stretch sitting on the step. All in all a very fun creative tape but I’m not sure it will replace 9801 as my all time favorite step tape.

Instructor Comments:
Great as always especially if you are used to her style. A lot of her cuing is "Watch me, then you do it the next time". There is no trying to learn steps while your back is to the TV in this one, an improvement over 9801.

Jeanne