Back to Salsa Video Reviews Top Page

Salsa & Mambo Video Reviews

Liza Nunziella

Red Hot Salsa 2

Level: Beg-Adv

Style: Cardio-Salsa

Content: Aerobic exercises based on salsa steps

General Comment: It is a sign of salsa’s popularity that salsa aerobics classes are popping out in gyms and studios all over the world. It makes sense: salsa has an energetic rhythm, a suitably fast pace and, at least in theory, requires dancing with your entire body.

If you are not the gym type or if the gym is simply not enough for you, Liza brings Salsa cardio exercises at your place with this series of DVDs. She is a proficient teacher, dances and moves well, and does not spare energy in demonstrating the salsa sequences, or in prompting you verbally during them (which, so I am told, is useful in your daily exercises). In between the sequences, which all together cover some 45 minutes, you will also find sessions of stretching and relaxation. Some steps used in the sequences are explained separately and the occasional superimposed writing reminds you of fundamentals you need to keep in mind in order to perform the exercises correctly.

Dance wise, many of the movements are taken from the common salsa shines and body movements repertoire. This won’t improve your partner dancing, but may help your timing by mere repetition and concentration on the music. Needless to say, from a style point of view, should you use any of these moves on the dance floor, it will help remembering you are not in a gym and energy may need trading with grace.

I am not an aerobic expert, but from what I see in the DVD, if cardio exercise is what you want you won’t be disappointed by this product.

.Reviewed by: Fabio from SalsaIsGood Good

5-day Latin Dance System

Level: Beg-Adv

Style: Cardio-Salsa

Content: Aerobic exercises based on salsa steps

General Comment: Despite the name, this DVD is quite similar to Liza’s cardiosalsa series, the only difference being that rather that exercising only with Salsa, you will also use Cha Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba and Merengue. From the aerobics point of view all I wrote about the ‘cardioSalsa’ series applies here too.. same standard, similar features, if you enjoyed that one, you will surely be happy with this DVD too.

Dance wise, there are some features worth pointing out. First, several of the steps used in the sequences are explained separately; this is good. Second, if you have never danced before, don’t expect to actually learn the 5 dances in 5 days, at best you will learn to execute the cardio exercises well; this is not bad, just reasonable, as long as you are aware of it. Third, the names of the dances need to be understood via the Ballroom vocabulary, rather than the Caribbean one: rumba here is not the afro-cuban dance of Yambu, Guaguanco and Columbia, but the ballroom word for Bolero. Samba is the ballroom samba, which only vaguely reminds of the Brazilian one and same comments applies to Merengue. This also is not bad in itself, but it is important you know in advance so you know what to expect. My comments on the CardioSalsa DVD applies here too.. if aerobics is what you want, good aerobics is what you will get.

.Reviewed by: Fabio from SalsaIsGood Good

Dance to Enhance

Level: Beg-Adv

Style: Cardio-Aerobics

Content: Aerobic exercises based on Hip Hop Music, stretches and strength exercises

General Comment: This is not a salsa DVD, not a ‘latin’ one, but it would be a mistake to dismiss it for this reason. If dancing for you is a form of exercising and if you can survive one hour of your life without listening to salsa, then I suggest you have a serious look at it. Surely there are hundreds of aerobics DVDs out there, but the quality of this one is assured. As in her ‘latin’ series, Lisa is full of energy, very precise in her teaching and surely a proficient dancer. She knows her stuff: this DVD contains a set of ‘hip hop’ looking sequences (some passages of which are very cool) and a lot of stretching and strengthening exercises taken from Yoga, Ballet and Pilates, all put together in a clever fashion. Despite Lisa is no more a teenager, she displays a coordination, flexibility and strength which I sincerely envy, and (always very important for ‘us’) she dances well. I have never considered aerobics myself, but I admit that after watching this DVD I am tempted. Tomorrow reality will probably hit and this plan will in all likelyhood go and lengthen my list of unfulfilled good intentions, but if your determination is stronger than mine I suggest you pay attention to this DVD

.Reviewed by: Fabio from SalsaIsGood Recommended