| Latin Dancing for Beginners |
DVD |
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| List Price | $19.99 |
| Publisher: | Kultur Video |
| Actor(s) | Teresa Mason |
| Used & new from $9.75 |
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| Additional reviews |
| Latin Dancing for Beginners introduces five popular Latin dances: meringue, paso doble, tango, bolero, and mambo. Teresa Mason, assisted by Lance Estridge, teaches five different steps for each dance, a total of 25 moves in 45 minutes, so instruction moves quickly. The dancers show good form and mastery of the moves, but instruction is rushed and not detailed enough for true beginners. For example, Mason points out that a move has "hip action," but doesn't explain how to do that hip action. New steps are seldom from the rear, so a true beginner would have a tough time figuring them out. An enormous problem is that Estridge, dressed in black, blends in with the black background, making it difficult to see his hips and legs (fortunately his shoes catch the light). Sometimes the camera cuts off his feet altogether. Beginners who have had some lessons will find this a helpful way to practice, but the instruction is not detailed enough for non-dancers to start Latin dancing. --Joan Price |
| Customer reviews |
As the Editorial Review says, "An enormous problem is that Estridge, dressed in black, blends in with the black background, making it difficult to see his hips and legs (fortunately his shoes catch the light). Sometimes the camera cuts off his feet altogether. Beginners who have had some lessons will find this a helpful way to practice, but the instruction is not detailed enough for non-dancers to start Latin dancing." The tape was frustrating and stupid in this sense.
Bought three tapes. This tape is a waste, as was Felix's. Cal Pozo's tape was quite good. |
| Black clothing in front of a black screen, what are they thinking?? This goes way too fast and is impossible to follow. |
The steps are too flowery (you'd be embarrassed doing some of their moves on the dance floor), the flow is too fast (you have to keep rewinding), the sequences are not broken down, the production is bad (as you have read, the man wears black against a black background and black floor--impossible to see). The Webb series is much better on all aspects, if you don't mind the out-dated attire.
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| I decided to view this dvd for the tango section, because I am in a tango class right now and want to do some practice at home. What a disappointment! There are about five whole minutes devoted to tango, and you should be aware that the tango style featured in this dvd is more like ballroom style tango. It's not Argentinean Tango, which is what I learning. Additionally, the dvd is produced badly, as the other reviews have stated. The leader (man) disappears from the waist down into the black background, and Teresa Mason, the follower, has squeeky shoes that make the turns she does very unelegant. The dvd is also kind of sexist, because Ms. Mason always says "the man" or "the gentleman" when she means the leader, and "the lady" when she means the follower. I know that not everyone dancing tango is a male leader or female follower, and I suppose Teresa doesn't know that Argentinean Tango started with men dancing with other men. The steps Teresa shows are not well executed either; both partners' legs are not aligned in front of the other's and they are always kind of crouched, creating a big gap; it makes an ugly line down the body with bent and unaligned knees and legs. She does not go over steps with enough repitition and starts with steps that might be a little too fast and advanced for beginners, even though the dvd is supposed to be for beginners. There is nothing about the fundamentals of the dance or technique, just a poor imitation of what could be a very graceful dance. Seriously, I have spent more time writing this review than this dvd spends teaching tango. I imagine the other dances covered in this dvd are just as short and bad. |
| i thought this program was very helpful in learning. i bought it just a few days ago, and already I am doing some of these dances. i haven't seen any other videos like it, so i can't compare it. but i would recommend it to everyone. |
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