Ballet Bootcamp

Jessica Sherwood
Year Released: 2000

Categories: Ballet/Barre


Please note that I wrote this review about 5 years ago; I'm copying and pasting it as originally written, with one or two corrections. At the time of the review I had only done it a few times, and it had been a bit since that last time through.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

General workout breakdown: dance routines and stretches meant to serve as a warm up, unweighted strength-oriented floorwork, standing ballet work to test strength and balance, and ballet routines intended to be cardio. You’ll need to add a cool down and/or closing stretch, as there is none. This workout takes about an hour from start to finish.
This is not a true “boot camp” workout; the name reflects the fact everything’s counted out in 8s [I'm not sure what I mean by this - did Jessica say that, or did my not so knowledgeable younger self make this up?]. The class set-up and the standing ballet work are more or less reflective of a ballet class, while the floorwork is a combination of standard moves with those from Pilates and similar methods. The workout is intended primarily to work the lower body, with some abs and minimal upper body work.

Level: Although the cover states that this is for all fitness levels, I wouldn’t recommend this to true beginners because of the length and difficulty of many of the moves. The aerobics contain some high impact moves and fairly challenging choreography with little break down of the individual moves. I’d recommend this to a solidly intermediate exerciser because of the importance of form in getting the most out of the exercises. I think an advanced exerciser might find this good only for light days. Familiarity with ballet is extremely helpful; familiarity with Pilates and/or yoga is also helpful. You don’t have to be a dancer, though. (Heaven knows I’m not!) I took ballet lessons for 6-7 years 15-20 years ago, and I’ve been practicing yoga for about three years and Pilates for a little less. I’m not sure I’d be able to pick up the form quite as well without some of that experience, although more athletically gifted people could. When I did this last several months ago, it was challenging for me but not impossibly so; what made it particularly difficult was the length, particularly that of the abs section.

Class: There are some short instructional segments where Jessica uses a student to demonstrate a move. The class in other segments varies from 3-20 students of various ages, sizes, and races. Most students are women, but some men figure prominently.

Music / Set / Other Production Notes: The music is classical; you might recognizes some selections if you also have the NYC Ballet Workouts. The sound is louder here than in BBC2, for what it’s worth. The class is held in a dance studio with a nice wall of windows to one side and a wall of mirrors to another. The camera people attempt some artsy shots, both with the class arranged in patterns (e.g. all in a circle or lined up in alternating manner) and with different angles, hues, etc.

Equipment Needed: optional mat for floorwork. You can do this with bare feet, ballet slippers, or split sole dance sneakers (available from Bloch or Capezio).

Comments: The timing and flow isn’t quite as jerky as in BBC2. It’s hard to find time to complete the whole workout at once. I usually stopped before the dance routines because I had trouble fitting it into the space I had (approximately 8’ by 6’; I’m 5’8”). The rest of the workout fit, though.
I intended to alternate this with the New York City Ballet Workouts. For me the major differences between the two series boils down to these: Ballet Boot Camps are instructor-led ballet-type classes of “normal” people who perform a variety of standing ballet moves and non-ballet floorwork exercises while New York City Ballet Workouts are narrated videos featuring professional dancers performing basic ballet movements and combinations with some traditional stretches, crunches, and push ups thrown in to round out the workout. Both are of similar difficulty level; if you need instruction in basic ballet moves, your best bet is not the BBCs but NYC Ballet Workout #2, which also features a movement combination at the end.

DVD Notes: The chapters cover each segment, such as abs or standing floor work. The menu and chaptering is basic, so have your remote handy to fast forward, skip, etc.

Conclusion: I ended up trading this one along with BBC2. I know I could have worked around the long running time, no cool down, etc., but I’m not motivated to do that unless I love a workout or find a set of exercises particularly effective. I did enjoy the ballet portions; the floorwork, on the other hand, had a high dread factor for me. I know people love floorwork, but unless it’s Pilates or yoga, I haven’t found floorwork I even tolerate doing. Another factor in my decision to trade this was that I decided to base my lower body strength training around weights, Pilates, and yoga, which meant something else had to go. I personally like the NYC Ballets better for their superior production and shorter running time, so I kept them instead of the BBCs.

Instructor Comments:
Jessica’s cuing during movement changes is sufficient and her instruction is clearest in the few one-on-one tutorials previewing upcoming moves. She’s not as helpful during the standing sections because she uses ballet terms without explaining them. She works both sides evenly. I can’t remember if she mirror cues or not. As a former ballet dancer, her flexibility is incredible. I’m no expert, but her ballet technique looks good.

KathAL79

09/01/2009