Review of Dirty Dancing: The Official Dance Workout

Patrick Swayze, a girl named Baby, summer romance, and having the time of your life. Who can resist the allure of the hit movie Dirty Dancing? But does all that love and happiness translate to a great workout? Now you can find out with Dirty Dancing: The Official Dance Workout. Yes, you read that right, now you can learn to dance like the kids from the movie and get in a workout while you're at it.

Dirty Dancing: The Official Dance Workout is an exercise DVD released just in time to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the movie. It is directed by Cal Pozo and features instructors John Byrne and Tracey Mallet. The instructors and their perky group of backup dancers teach four routines set to music from the movie. The routines are not the same as those from the movie, but are in the same style. There are six exercise sections on this DVD. First, is the Syllabus which is an eleven minute introduction to the steps, counts, and variations used in the four main routines. Second is the twelve minute routine set to the song Love Man. Third is the lighthearted thirteen minute routine to Yes. Fourth is the Latin dance inspired Johnny's Mambo for fourteen minutes. The last routine is to Do You Love Me?, and lasts for twelve minutes. Once you master the four dances, there is a twelve minute Challenge section, with music only (no instructions). For fun, there is a Saturday Night Dance section, with mood lighting and dancers in sparkling costumes.

Overall, this is a fun exercise video to watch (and do). The sets are are cool (and complete with watermelons), the instructors are personable and easy to understand, the background dancers are fun to watch, and the costumes are a riot. The Syllabus is great, and explains the moves nicely for beginning dancers and gives variations on the basics for the more advanced Dirty Dancing enthusiasts. Each choreographed routine uses the steps in the Syllabus, and is broken down in manageable pieces. The routines are not repetitive or boring. You feel like you have learned something kind of cool when you finish one. The workout is fun enough to distract you from the exercising. Once you learn the routines, you can skip to the option where you do all four routines in a row, which is a great option for when you are ready to really dance and feel the music.

The whole concept of the workout is a little cheesy. I am all for a great dance flick, but if themes and a little cheese get on your nerves, this workout is not for you. Also, there is no official warm up and cool down. The workouts do progress from gentle to harder, but the focus is more on the dancing and not so much on the standard workout format. Also, you have to do a lot of clicking to get the workout you want. There is no option to run straight through the whole thing. A few of the background dancers get completely lost on the steps throughout all the routines, and if you watch them you will probably get lost, too.

If you are a hard core exerciser, you probably won't feel your usual burn, and if you are a professional dancer, you are better off cranking your Dirty Dancing soundtrack up and rocking out with your own routine. If you are a fan of Dirty Dancing, love jazz hands, or are simply looking for a fun low impact workout, then this DVD is a good option for you. The video is professional and a good value for the dollar.

The DVD is available in many major retail stores, such as Sears and K-Mart, Amazon, or on the official website at www.dirtydancingworkout.com. The price range is from eight to fifteen dollars.