I know that some of you have been asking about Debra Bono's Afro-Caribbean Step. Though I haven't been able to actually DO the workout, since I can't do step thanks to my bum knee, I did preview it and it looks good! Caveat: I know nothing about African dance.

One of the most important things I can say about this workout is that unlike a lot of dance inspired workouts, this one is a step workout first, dance workout second, which means you get the intensity you're used to with no half-time breakdowns and excessive marching in place. This one uses many standard step moves, but she adds African dance-inspired arm movements and stylizes the moves somewhat so you really get the flavor of African dance. She has a few unique moves of her own such as "Afro jacks," "till the earth" and the "heel gallop."

It feels a lot like a CIA video in terms of intensity, complexity of choreo and limited choreo breakdowns (but she uses aerobic lingo so you don't have much trouble figuring out what comes next if you're an experienced stepper). I would say it looks to be intermediate to int/adv (if you really get into the moves) in terms of cardio intensity.

The music is by Debra's husband, mostly drums and steel drums. Usually you are working out to drums as you learn moves, and when Debra takes it from the top you get a melody along with the beat, it seemed. The tempo seemed a bit slower than some recent step workouts, and I personally think that's a good thing. Debra and her class wear bodysuits with bike shorts under sarongs.

There is also an ab routine at the end that looks pretty traditional. Oh, one last thing--Advanced, Intermediate and Beginner level modifications are demonstrated by at least one participant.

I hope some of you will try it, especially CIA fans looking for something a little different.

WWWendy