Katrina Matthews 2007-07-05

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

I borrowed this DVD from the library and I'm glad I did. Even though I didnt get every single move right away, I was bored less than 1/2 way through, turned it off, and got out a DVD I have been doing for months. This is by far the most boring workout I have tried.

A.J.W. 2006-12-31

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

When I purchased this video I was expecting to learn something about traditional hula but what I got was modern Hula. The video is set to beach type music in the form of "Hula Rock Momma". The moves aren't that easy to follow the first time through. I would actually suggest trying bellydance (like "Bellydancing: The Sensuous Workout with Shamira") first because some of the moves are similar and it does help. Now having said that I will admit that the video seems like it might give a good workout (once you learn the moves) as long as you don't mind it not being traditional Hula.

Lena, LMT 2006-06-29

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

It comes in 5.1 surround sound & just her at the beach. It has chapter choices, bonus features of her dancing an authentic dance & trailer for her weight loss DVD.

Most of the moves were authentic, such as the Kaholo (walking bellydance vertical figure 8), Ka'o (bellydance vertical figure 8), 'uniu (bellydance outward figure 8), hela (leg forward/back), 'uwehe (knees together & spread them), ami (small hip circle), kawelu (step forward w/half figure 8).

She's in great shape, good cleear voice, seemed nice & straight forward no small talk except to give her many good cues. She teaches the step first in it's most simple/bare bones in 1/2 time, then slowly speeds it up & then building up the hips, then the arms to it's graceful finish. The music seems like a fusion of native Hawaiian & american country twang, not bad, decent beat simple & goes with the learning.

The bad part that everyone hates is the dance routine you learn tells a story like all hula does & this one is a simple one but uses 60s american music & a couple mashed potatos in it. This is only about 15% of the dance, but kinda kills it a bit. Otherwise I'd give it 5 stars.

After a 4 min intro including seeing the dance of what you will learn, is a 5 min warm up with some basic stretching & also learning some of the basic steps like the Kaholo & K'ao until your hips turn to stone ;-) It ends with a 5 min cooldown w/some yoga poses & back stretches & other muscles stretched for a full 38 min. [...].

Her new "Island Girl" hula workouts are more authentic. Just like her other ones, you get a great workout, your abs burn, your hips, legs get a nice workout. It's all authentic dance moves with some added quick squats, etc. added in so you barely notice it for adding toning. The authentic drum Hawaiian music is beautiful & does keep you stimulted too keep going just like a dance/rock beat would.

I had no trouble following & learning the steps, there are plenty of dance DVDs that I have had trouble with, but she breaks everything down well & shows it slowly several times before speeding it up. She even cues YOUR left & right, not hers.

There's a trailer for her "Hula Workout" DVDs & another authentic Hula workout like this called "Island Girl: Hula Abs & Buns" at collagevideo.com

Annaliese von Sieb 2006-06-03

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

This DVD is very low impact- there is only one short section that has any bouncy movements. I adapt these or fast-forward through them, which makes it a perfect workout for someone like me, who experiences knee pain/shin splints/etc with most other exercise DVDs.
The only reason I am not giving this 5 stars is because of reasons mentioned by other reviewers: the song does kind of sound like a country song, and some of the moves aren't traditional. If you are very serious about learning traditional hula dance you should purchase a different DVD. If what you want is a good low-impact workout, you should choose this DVD.

Francine Tepper 2006-01-23

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

I was very disappointed in this DVD. I am out of shape and hoping to go back to what I did as a younger woman to stay fit - dance. What I was expecting was an exercise video using the controlled, graceful moves of the hula dance. You know tone your muscles, learn a beautiful dance and enjoy the gorgeous Hawaiian scenery. What I got with this DVD - a bizarre version of Hawaiian country line dance complete with stomping feet and hokey music which the instructor calls "Hula Rock". I made it about five minutes in and then switched to a different exercise DVD. I love exercising to music and have exercise tapes and DVD's from Tanya Tucker's Country Workout to The Goddess Workout (bellydance) and was hoping to add the hula to my collection, but this isn't it.

There is no doubt looking at this woman's muscle tone that she gets a good workout, however anyone looking for a relaxing or beautiful dance in this video needs to look elsewhere.