| | |  | Cha Cha | Home » » » » Invitation to Dance: Latin Dance | | | | | | | Description: | | Entertainer Nancy Hays and award-winning instructor Greg Gale join forces to bring you easy-to-learn basics of the most popular Latin steps for the hottest Latin dances including Salsa Cha Cha Rumba and Tango. These dances are great for the Latin music of yesterday as well as the hot new songs by today s biggest Latin artists. Learn these sensuous dances in the privacy of your own home and on your own time. In just a few hours you ll see how easy it is to gain the confidence to dance in a nightclub ballroom or any other social situation. Practice music includes Latin standards and the Salsa music of Samuel Del Real and his orchestra. Join the fun and see why new generation Latin dancing is so Hot! Hot! Hot!The Latin Way1. Limba Limba Lambada2. Beijo Danado 3. Febre4. Mariazinha5. Salario Pobre6. Lamada II7. Meninos8. The Latin Way9. Danca Canones10. Move Your Body11. Barra MansaSystem Requirements:2003 BCI ECLIPSEFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: INSTRUCTIONAL UPC: 787364482092 Manufacturer No: 44820-9 | | | Product Details: | | | Format:
| Color, DVD, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Number of Discs:
| 2 | | Studio:
| Bci / Eclipse | | Run Time:
| 87 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| May 20, 2003 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 6 reviews |
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| Used | |
| $3.61 | Used
- Acceptable | | | $3.61 | Used
- Good | | | $3.61 | Used
- Good | | | $5.25 | Used
- Mint | | | $5.50 | Used
- Mint | | | $6.00 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $6.88 | Used
- Mint | | | $7.99 This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | Used
- VeryGood | | | $9.99 | Used
- Good | | | $10.04 | Used
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| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 6 customer reviews )
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21 of 21 found the following review helpful:
 Recommended, with a caveatAug 07, 2006
By A. Koebel
I find it strange that there was only one review of this DVD before I added my two cents. But here it is...
You really can't go wrong with this DVD, especially given its very reasonable price. You also get a music CD in the package, but it's nothing to write home about (I find it makes a handy drink coaster). Buy it for the DVD.
You are taught four steps in Tango and five steps for Rumba (or Rhumba) in part 1. This is followed by five steps for Cha-cha (or Cha-cha-cha) and five steps for Salsa. You start with the "basic" step in each case. The first three dances are done in the American ballroom style (i.e., what Arthur Murray and Fred Astaire dance studios teach, the latter being where I burned though a lot of money - but I digress!). It is not International style. If that doesn't mean anything to you don't worry about it. The Tango, in particular, is not Argentine Tango.
With respect to Salsa...well, this is not your father's Salsa. I'm not sure what it is, as it looks to be based on what is known as the Cumbia back step, which comes from Colombia. I would have expected the Mambo basic from ballroom instructors, which is the basis of the popular "linear" styles of Salsa such as LA and New York. The rest of the Salsa steps they teach look like they derive from Mambo or Cha-Cha-Cha. Note also that what they are teaching is not Cuban or Miami style, such as you'll find on the "Quick And Dirty Guide to Salsa" series. Far from it.
I would, frankly, ignore the Salsa instruction on this DVD and buy something like Hot Salsa Lessons Vol 1 for that (a DVD I rate highly, by the way), assuming you are an absolute beginner. Still, whatever you call what the instructors Greg Cale and Nancy Hays are doing here, they are obviously enjoying themselves. During the Salsa practise segment where they dance together to music they do execute some moves I recognize as "traditional" Salsa, including the cross-body lead (which is fundamentally the same in several latin dances, of course). The cross-body lead is taught back in the Rumba segment but another common Salsa step they execute is not taught anywhere on the DVD. Too bad, as it's the best one.
In general, the instruction is good. Greg first demonstrates the leader's steps alone, with his back to you as if you are standing directly behind him, while the camera concentrates on his footwork. Then Nancy joins him to show the follower's steps. As they dance together, Greg also describes and shows the upper body and arm movements, and the leading. After showing all the steps for each dance they review them in order and then, during a practise segment set to music, show how they can be combined (i.e., they actually dance). I should note that the DVD does not teach much about technique - you really only learn the steps. Unfortunately, Greg Cale's technique while generally sound sometimes seems a little on the sloppy side, so you might pick up some bad habits.
Overall, I recommend this DVD with the exception of the Salsa instruction, which you would be better off learning from one of the better dance instruction DVDs dedicated to Salsa, such as the aforementioned Hot Salsa Lessons or the series put out by SalsaCrazy.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Hurry up and wait, hurry up and waitJul 01, 2007
By Lisa Davis
I might have enjoyed this DVD much more if I was a male/lead. As a female/follow, I found myself getting bored and then frustrated. Each of the dances begins with the male instructor alone showing the basic step for the male/lead in each dance. After going through it about 4 times, he then pulls in a lady from off screen and very quickly shows how her moves fit with his (usually only 2 or 3 repetitions which were not always enough). He then sends her back off screen while teaching the male/leads the different variation of the dance. The instructions and demonstrations were good, but I found myself sitting on the couch zoning out while waiting for my turn to come again and then feeling like I knew the guys part better than my own. It seems wrong to learn a partner dance by having the guy spend half the time cha-cha-ing around the room by himself while the lady waits in the wings. It almost seems as if showing the lady her steps was an afterthought of lesser importance.
To sum up, if you are a male/lead, go for this video. The instruction is good, especially for the price, and you can pick up on a lot of the stylistic elements of the dances if you have good eyes. But if you are a female/follow, I'd pass on this one. I won't be buying any of the other videos in this series. (I recommend the Trautman dance DVDs as my favorite couple friendly alternative.)
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 What a let downFeb 18, 2008
By C. Winchell
Please, do not waste your money on this DVD! It is boring and the dancers they use or like "wannabe" latin dancers. It was so bad, my husband and I can not find anyone to just take it for free. Shop around for other Latin Dance DVD's...just don't buy this one. You have been warned.
6 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent dancing instructionMay 08, 2006
By Fun Times
Well worth the cost. Each dance is organized into basic steps, a review combining all steps and a fully display of the dance with music. Both dancers show a real love of dancing. You'll be dancing with your partner in no-time.
vergy good for beginnersNov 08, 2008
By Merna Moose
I've also tried several different DVDs on learning the rumba, tango, cha cha, and salsa.
If you're a beginner and have had little or no classroom teaching (or even if you're in a beginner class and want something to study outside class with), I would highly recommend this one. Though I have to agree with other reviewers, that it spends a lot more time on the male part, and the salsa lesson isn't so great, I'd ignore that one (and that's why I rate this four stars).
If you want a dvd that's going to cover several dances in one package, this isn't a bad choice at all. And while the male part may take up the majority of the instruction time, the female part in most dances is just the mirror image.
I'd buy this one again. If they made follow ons to this at the intermediate and advanced levels, I'd buy those too.
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