Element - The Mind & Body Experience - Ballet Conditioning (DVD, 2007)

I live in a city, and so the gyms are not only consistently crowded, but also very expensive. I wanted a workout in my home that would push me towards a toned, firm body with an instructor who walked me through the steps. This DVD is perfect. I took ballet for about five years, so that gave me a head start with this DVD, but Elise Gulan gives very detailed instructions on how to perform the exercises, and the angles of the DVD show how to perfect each move. The workout is 51 minutes long, and it's tough, but it feels good. Ballet focuses a lot on thigh work, and I can always expect walking up my three flights of stairs to be uncomfortable the next morning. While the DVD seems not to focus much on the core, you should be engaging it with every move for balance. This is a great workout, easy to do within one's home (all you need is a chair!), and Elise Gulan has a pleasant voice and demeanor. It also doesn't require a ton of space, unlike some other major instructors' DVDs, so if you live in a small apartment, this workout is still do-able. I love this DVD, and if she had a Ballet Conditioning II DVD, I would buy it in an instant.

Whe searching for Ballet workouts I came across this DVD. The description of the workout appealed to me, it was what I was looking. I fell in love with it as soon as I tried it. The location it was filmed at, beatiful scenery overlooking the Pacific Ocean, makes the workout calming, Soothing. Elise Gulan excells in her ability to teach with simple easy to follow instructions. You can tell she loves reaching out and helping others share this wonderful method of improving your body. I am 65 and have exercised throughout my life (off and on at times. At this stage in my life I will not develop a body like hers but looking at her and enjoying the workout so much she makes me feel I can. I have tried many forms of exercises this is the greatest.

This DVD is a great work out. I used to take ballet classes twice a week, but with work and school it's hard to find the time! This conditioning DVD was worth every penny. The instructor uses good techniques to really work every muscle. The DVD is continuous so I had to take breaks every now and then when the dancer was still going, but it's nice to pause and move at your own pace. The voice over is not only educational but also encouraging as well. She says things to makes you want to keep going even when it gets hard! It includes rel-eves, tondus, ram da jam, plie, and other core work outs that help strengthen balance and coordination. This is perfect for dancers of any kind (because ballet is really the root of all dance) or anyone who just wants a great conditioning workout. I very much enjoyed this video and look forward to using it daily!

If you haven't worked out in a few months, this will definetly be hard to keep up with. It was a very good workout and had me sweating in the first 15 min! I love how it focuses on using your body as a support to tone up and increase your flexibility. After a while it seemed longer than I thought, If your not a patient person you might want to opt for something shorter in min length. Overall I think it's a great workout, the ballet instructor is soft spoken & the music is relaxing which helped me concentrate even better. I recomend this video amongst any other weight lifting videos, Ballet conditioning is a great way to tone & lose weight without getting that bulky look. 2 thumbs up!

I studied ballet for over 14 years and have missed the strength and flexibility I used to have. This workout brings it all flooding back - the hours I used to spend at barre strengthening my body for the beautiful things I was going to ask it to do later. Now, instead of leotards and slippers at the barre, I'm in yoga pants and bare feet with a chair, but the workout is the same (and man, do I have a long way to go to get back to where I was!). I find myself working up quite a sweat, trying to look like what I'm doing is effortless, but struggling! hee hee. I've noticed significant improvement in strength, especially, after just a week. And, I've noticed that I walk more gracefully, now, too. You don't have to have ballet or dance experience to enjoy and benefit from this workout. It's a great supplement to your usual routine.