tf-gal
Year: 2003
Distributor: Natural Journeys/Goldhil Home Media
Instructor(s): Kili
Previously, I have been on a hiatus from making reviews for the Island Girl series, but I finally found the Island Girl: Hula Workout for Beginners DVD in a Half Price Books for only 2 dollars. The assets of this DVD are similar to Island Girl: Hula Workout for Weight Loss, but the disc itself was actually the original release instead of the 2004 rerelease with the new title (Basic Hula) and the Island Girl logo.
In this workout, Kili introduces seven basic hula steps: kaholo, ka’o, ‘uniu, hela, ‘uwehe, ami, and kawelu. These steps will be featured in the choreography for “Hula Rock Mama,” which is “a modern hula dance with a fitness flair”, as Kili calls it. Kili shows a portion of the dance that you will do at the end of the program, and then she breaks down the choreography so it’s easy to understand.
The warm-up is pretty straightforward, and I saw an awkward movement that Jillian Michaels used in the 30 Day Shred, but there was something that intrigued me while I was following along with Kili: she did not explain the ku’i kicks and the double hela at the beginning of the workout. I have noticed that those hula steps were featured in previous Island Girl workouts (Cardio Hula/Hula Abs & Buns), and were not mentioned when she demonstrated the choreography. It can be misleading if Kili says that she was going to incorporate seven basic hula steps in the workout, but what she meant when demonstrating the choreography was nine hula steps instead of seven.
In the second part of the workout where she was jumping around on one foot, I thought that part was confusing because I did not want to get injured easily, so I stuck with what she was doing during that part without a need to modify it. Eventually, I ended up dong the choreography twice in a single workout session (which was my first one), and polished up the hula steps so that I can understand the story. Kili says that once you learn the story of the song, the choreography is much easier the next time you do the workout, which is a good thing about repetition.
After doing the choreography twice, the cooldown consists of some hula steps done at a much slower pace along with a few stretches. At the end of the workout, Kili thanks the viewer for working out with her, and doing it the hula way; the right way. She wants to let the viewers know that if you do this workout 3-5 times a week, you will firm up and tone your muscles. Here are a few phrases that Kili says in Hawaiian which is a little takeaway before the credits roll: “Live aloha,” which means “Live with love”, and “Mālama i kou kino,” which means take care of your body.
Even though some of the things explained by Kili at the beginning of the workout were misleading, Island Girl: Hula Workout for Beginners is a wonderful addition to the Island Girl series. The bonus traditional hula performance and the photo gallery make up for those statements that Kili mentioned earlier, but it’s still a great dance fitness workout to have in my collection.
Instructor(s): 8/10
Set: 10/10
Outfits: 9/10
Music: 6/10
Production Value: 9/10
Overall Benefits: 10/10
Exertion: 9/10
Ease of Movement: 6/10
Audio/Visual Modifications: 4/10
Special Features: 9/10
Use of Equipment: N/A
Total Score: 80
Intensity Level: Moderate Intensity
Impact: Mixed Impact