tf-galYear: 2007
Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment/Starz Home Entertainment
Instructor(s): Jennifer Galardi
Dance Off the Inches is a series of dance fitness workouts that are designed to take the “work” out of your workouts. The instructor makes sure that each workout is fun and easy to follow, even if you have two left feet. I have seen Pedro from PG’s Continuing Journey do some of the DOTI DVDs, and I actually decided to take a used copy of Dance Off the Inches: Hip Hop Party. The case wasn’t in the best shape, but I decided to cut off the front cover because it had a small dent. I did keep the spine and the front cover in tact, along with making a custom DVD cover that is similar to the previous DOTI releases that were advertised in the pamphlet that came with the DVD (Fat Burning Jam, Tummy Tone Party Zone, and Sizzling Salsa) in 2006.
As with all Dance Off the Inches DVD releases, they come with a step guide that breaks down the 10 essential dance steps that will be used in the routines. The instructor is present without any backup dancers in the step guide, and does take the time to demonstrate the moves up to tempo first before she breaks them down: some isolations that make up the base of the move, then adds in the arms and a little bit of style at the end. Form is essential if you want to make the most out of your workout, and the step guide is a great place to start before going in to the main workout portion.
At the beginning of Dance Off the Inches: Hip Hop Party, Jennifer Galardi has created three different hip hop routines: the first one is based on old school hip hop, the second one is a sexy smooth hip hop routine, and the third one incorporates moves from other dance styles from around the world. First of all, she does recommend that you view the step guide and practice the steps first before doing the routines so you can master them easily. Jennifer Galardi was previously featured as an instructor in Prevention’s Dance It Off, so I can assume that this workout is going to be fun.
The warm-up begins with doing some traditional isolations that are common in most dance routines, which essentially focuses on one part of the body. Usually, hip hop dance routines have body rolls, popping, locking, and twisting, which lots of style and flavor. Before beginning the hip-hop routines, Jennifer places an emphasis on the upper body and the midsection because the core helps stabilize the rest of your body so you maintain your balance. This portion of the workout is relatively short, but gets you body warmed up to dance. (I am not going into the cooldown for this particular routine because it is pretty straightforward)
After the warm up is over, Jennifer introduces a base move which is at the start of each of the hip hop routines. Most dance routines have something called TIFT-ing, or taking it from the top each time you learn a new step or two. This is one of those rare instances where the TIFT-ing did not bother me at all with this particular dance fitness workout, and she does a great job with introducing new moves from the step guide and building on the choreography.
Generally, I think that each of these hip hop routines brought something unique to the table because of the different moves that Jennifer adds into the choreography. The Basic Hip Hop segment had some old school moves, the Sexy Smooth Hip Hop Routine utilized a lot of body rolls along with playful arm motions, and the World Hip Hop routine took inspiration from typical dance moves found in Afro-Brazilian, Latin, and Indian cultures. (The music was probably the best part about this dance fitness workout to me.) At the end, I felt like there was always something for everyone in this workout, no matter what style of hip hop resonates with each individual.
Rating
Instructor(s): 10/10
Set: 8/10
Outfits: 9/10
Music: 10/10
Production Value: 10/10
Overall Benefits: 9/10
Exertion: 9/10
Ease of Movement: 10/10
Audio/Visual Modifications: 3/10
Special Features: 6/10
Use of Equipment: N/A
Total Score: 84
Intensity Level: Moderate Intensity
Impact: Mixed Impact