(Viva! Elise)
2003
What is it?
A 45-minute low impact aerobic workout designed around basic Latin dance moves.
Who is it for?
Beginning to advanced beginning exercisers. While some dance ability is good to have, you don't need much. The girls dancing along with the instructor in the workout are clearly not pros, so that should let you off the hook.
What to expect:
Elise Foss was born in Brazil and raised in Venezuela, but she doesn't have to tell you that - her accent and high energy make that apparent right away. Because of her background, the moves in this workout have an authentic Latin feel, and her enthusiasm makes learning the moves fun. Not every Latin dance routine gets you working up a sweat, but this one does. Foss has choreographed it well, combining moves like the Lambada, Samba and mambos with classic, simple aerobic moves such as grapevines. This makes the routines easy to learn for most. Beginners will work up a good sweat once they have the moves down, but those who are more advanced may have to throw themselves into the workout a little harder to get their heart rates up. (Granted, it isn't hard to put some oomph into this workout - Foss is very encouraging.) Plusses - it's lots of fun, there's a good stretch at the end, and there's a Spanish version that has different choreography from the English version. (The Spanish version was shot separately and is easy enough to follow, even if you don't speak Spanish, so it actually makes a good alternate workout.) Minuses - the music is a mishmash of generic Latin riffs without much personality, and the camerawork is not the best - obviously, the cinematographer has not shot many exercise videos, since he often focuses in on the dancers from the waste up, leaving out the important part - the legs and feet. Fortunately, he doesn't stay on one angle for too long so eventually you do get to see what's going on. In spite of these lacks, this is one of the more lively and enjoyable Latin workouts around.