Reebok Aerobicaliente

Diana Maria Lara, Mauro Maschkvich
Year Released: 1996

Categories: Floor Aerobics/Hi-Lo/Dance



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I was a little disappointed in this tape - I was hoping for a Latin dance workout, but this is standard low-impact routines, "Latinized."

So it's not the best Latin workout out there, but it is fun - and cheap! (Under $10) I'd recommend it for intermediates and maybe high beginners, who are looking for something different in a short, low-impact workout.

You start with a 4-minute warmup, then it's 23 minutes of intermediate level aerobics. There were some very easy, very basic (and I do mean BASIC) mambos, cha chas, salsas, and lambadas. But most of the workout consisted of classic low-impact routines, "Latinized": marching in place while doing a Macarena-type move with your arms ("From The Heart"); open side merengues instead of step touches; grapevines with Flaminco arms; V-steps with sexy arm movements; "single single double" kickbacks with shoulder shimmies; squats, pivots, and turns. There's lots of cuing and the transitions are very smooth, so the choreography is easy to follow. You finish with a 3 minute cooldown/stretch.

I was disappointed in the music - it's great "club" music, but wouldn't Latin music have been more fun? And what is the deal with the set??! - there are weird shadow dancers on the wall, who aren't even moving to the beat of the music!

Instructor Comments:
Mauro Maschkvich, who leads the workout, is cute and very likable. (How can you not like someone who purrs, "Vurry good ... vurry niiice...?) He explains the moves well and uses lots of hand and verbal cuing, so he's very easy to follow. His partner, Diana Maria Lara, is ... what's the word I'm looking for? ... ah, yes ... annoying. She contributes nothing to the instruction and has an unfortunate tendancy to call out things like, "Hot hot hot," "I like to scream it - CHA CHA CHA!" "Ai yi yi," and "Ole!" (To be fair, these "ad libs" may have been scripted for her.) I try to ignore her and focus on Mauro.

MerriCat

11/23/1999

Do you like to dance? Do you like to groove to sexy latin songs? If so then Aerobicaliente is for you! The warm up lasts 4 minutes, the workout 23 minutes, and the cooldown another 4 minutes of fun. I bought this taping out of curiousity and I ended up really enjoying it. Although it is not really an intense exercise regime it is perfect for those days when you would rather curl up on the couch with a bag of potato chips. It's so much fun that all you have to do is lean over and slip it in the VCR and you will automatically want to do this tape. I've done a million other videos but this one is an A+. Not only will you get up out of your lazy-boy but you will also be learning some new dance moves for a night out on the town! I'm not kidding - this one is a definite keeper!

Instructor Comments:
Mauro adds super-charged energy to the entire workout. Diana, well, I tried to tune her out most of the time.

Kelly Irwin

01/08/1999

This half-hour tape is in the Get Up and Dance/The Grind category of just-for-fun workouts. It's no more than beginner-intermediate in intensity, but you will need a good knack for picking up dancy steps and coordinating your arms with your legs. The two instructors, who work out alone except for some shadowed dancers gyrating in the background, use the warmup to teach basic Latin steps like cha-chas, mambos, sambas and even the lambada. During the aerobic section, they put the moves together into several combos and add creative arm movements. They even show several "partner" variations, so you might be able to drag your significant other off the couch for this one :). The music is a little repetitive but not bad. I wouldn't really call this a beginner tape because of the complexity of the choreography. And if you're advanced, you won't work up much of a sweat. But if you like Latin dancing, this is a fun tape for when you only have half an hour and feel like you have to do "something", or as a warmup for strength training. Grade: A-

Instructor Comments:
Diana and Mauro cue adequately, have a good rapport together and seem to be having a good time. You even get a mini-Spanish lesson as they count down in both Spanish and English, and repeat some phrases and words in both languages.

Sue B

02/16/1998