Please note that I wrote this review about 4 years ago; I've copied and pasted the review as originally written. At the time of the review I had done the workout several times.
Although I kept this for a bit after writing about it, it hasn't been a part of my collection for a while. I just found other cardio videos I enjoyed doing more, so I passed it on.

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General workout breakdown: This workout has two parts.
1. The cardio segment lasts about 40 minutes. It consists of very dancy hi/lo (along the lines of Patrick Goudeau rather than Christi Taylor, Marcus Irwin, etc.). You begin with a warm up (5-6 minutes), mixed dynamic and static stretches (2 minutes), the routine broken into 3 large sections to be taught TIFT style and eventually added together (29 minutes), and cool down with stretching (3-4 minutes). There are many little hops, pivots, and twists. It’s not very high impact, though; I’d say it’s “mid impact.”
2. The Pilates segment lasts about 30 minutes. Michelle and Tracy lead you through breathing and other preparation (e.g. various crunches), “toe dips” that become scissors, knee drop series, bridge, single leg stretch, bridge again, heel beats combined with breaststroke, cat stretch, cat pose with opposite leg and arm extended (series with contractions and triceps push ups), downward dog, another series for the back, child’s pose with arms extended, side leg series (front & back, bicycle, passé, circles, side lifts), push ups to child’s pose, elbow planks with leg lifts, chest stretch, rolling like a ball, reverse plank with leg lifts, side plank series, modified spinal twist / spine stretch forward series, half rollback, one-legged teaser prep, and teaser #1. There’s not much of a final stretch afterwards. They include a decent number of repetitions (definitely never too many) and move at a decent pace (not too fast, not too slow).

Level: I’d recommend the cardio portion to an intermediate exerciser. It’d be too intense for a true beginner, and the steps are tricky, particularly for someone new to exercising. At the same time an advanced exerciser might find this the equivalent of a walk in the park. I consider myself mid-to-high intermediate, and I find this workout appropriate for my level. I don’t feel wiped out afterwards, but I do sweat. I had been working out to Christi Taylor for a few months before getting this, but it took me a couple of times to feel comfortable with the moves. Oh, you’ll definitely need some coordination, as there are some quick and tricky rhythms.
I’d recommend the Pilates portion to an experienced beginner through an intermediate. Michelle and Tracy have very little instruction here, so anyone new to Pilates might find this portion challenging for the wrong reasons. I consider myself a low intermediate. I have about two years of Pilates experience but still have limited strength and flexibility. When I first got this it was challenging; now it’s at a more appropriate level.

Class: Michelle and Tracy join another woman and two men for the cardio; the women alone perform the Pilates. For some Pilates moves a modification is shown; a few more are suggested.

Music / Set / Other Production Notes: The music for the cardio portion has a beat; sometimes it’s clubby, sometimes it’s jazzy. The Pilates section features softer music, including one song with vocals (“Ooh ooh ooh, ah ah ah” type stuff). In both sections the instrumental music is appropriate and pleasant but not memorable. The class is in a brightly lit studio with hardwood floors and a minty green background with an abstract design on one side and a close up of a gorgeous Ionic column on the other. The picture and sound quality are good considering this is a rather no frills VHS to DVD copy.

Equipment: sneakers for cardio; mat (or equivalent) and towel (or strap) for Pilates segment.

Comments: The cardio portion is a real space hog. Today I used all of my 6’ by 6’ space for my feet—not including the kicks and arms, which needed another foot to each side—while doing this diagonally. (I’m 5’8”, for comparison’s sake.)
In addition, the cardio has a lot of leg twists and pivots. I got it from a VFer whose knees did not like a number of the moves. I had some trouble with my knees, too, the first couple of times when I did it with regular crosstrainers on carpet. Once I started using dance sneakers the achy knees went away. So the moral of the story is to make sure you can pivot freely and unload your knees, especially if you’re on carpet. Avoid this one if you have major knees issues.

DVD Notes: The DVD is called “Work it Off! Cardio Dance.” As far as I can tell from reviews, it’s the exact same workout as the VHS Breakthru Cardio Dance.
The DVD has NO chapters. Zip. Nada. Zilch. Not even one for the Pilates routine.

Conclusion: I’m keeping this one for now. It’s not perfect (the last combo is a bit uninspired, for example), but this is the most intense cardio “dance” workout I’ve tried (including Quick Fix Cardio Hip Hop, The Method Dynamic Cardio, The Method Dance to Fitness, and the Bellydance twins’ Slim Down). It’s good for something different.
The Pilates portion is similar to the Breakthru Core Conditioning video. I personally prefer the sequence here because there’s less pausing for instruction and set up, so the workout is about 10-15 minutes faster.

Instructor Comments:
Michelle and Tracy obviously have a good rapport and are serious about exercising. The two alternate leading segments. They work both sides of the body evenly. Both intend for you to mirror their movements and give decent form pointers. Tracy is a little better about explaining the moves and cueing them each time through, but her lack of dance experience helps her understand the need for those things. Michelle isn’t bad, but she’d rather encourage or praise you then cue the move once she’s taught it. Both exhibit enthusiasm, but it’s low key rather than over the top. Michelle appears to be almost shouting during the cardio; she’s calmer in the Pilates portion, though.

KathAL79