Element: Ballet Conditioning DVD Review

by Natalie Belford

Retail Price: $14.98

Element: Ballet Conditioning is by far one of my favorite workout DVDs that I own. When I first saw it I was not going to get it because I never really took dance lessons as a kid and I thought in order to succeed with this DVD I would have to know all about ballet. However, it turns out that I was wrong; I have been very successful with this workout DVD despite my limited ballet knowledge.

One of the things that this workout DVD talks about is how graceful and muscular a dancer’s body is, it also claims I will have a dancer’s body after using this DVD. Now while I have been doing this workout for several weeks now I still do not have a dancer’s body, but I will say I am in the best shape I have been in for a long time. Elise Gulan who is the instructor for this series is a great lead to follow, not only does she have over 18 years of dance education she has also performed in various productions as soloist for the Virginia Ballet Company.

What I liked:

No Equipment Needed – One thing that I really enjoy about this DVD series is that no equipment is needed, not even a barre for the various ballet dance positions. Dancers do not ever use equipment to help them exercise; they only use the barre for balance. New users might find it helpful to use a chair until they develop balance, but other than that, nothing is needed.

Used By Anybody – Another great thing about this workout DVD is that it can be used by anybody, no matter how basic your knowledge of ballet is or how strong you are the DVD can be used successfully. The main reason that anybody can use the workouts found inside the DVD is because the routines rely on the body’s weight for resistance. Even better is that using that method makes the workout safe for everybody because there is no lifting of anything to heavy, so the risk of injury is limited.

Setting – Something else that really stands out in this workout DVD is the outdoor setting. Most DVDs are taped inside a house or workout room, which gets old and boring after awhile. This one is taped outside, which brings a freshness to the DVD but also helps motivate me when working out.

Cuing – The cuing done by Elisa is perfect. I have gotten plenty of advanced warning about what to expect next, so I am never caught off guard. Knowing what is coming next allows me to workout easier, and I do not feel like I am missing something or even missing a step because of how well the cuing is done.

What I didn’t:

Music – One of the worst things about this DVD is the music that is playing in the background. I personally enjoy fast-paced music when exercising because it helps get my blood pumping and my body moving. The music played in this DVD is rather slow, similar to elevator music. However, what I did was turn off the sound and played my own music in the background.

Knowledge of Ballet is Needed – If you have never taking any kind of ballet classes before you are going to have a harder time following this routine. The routine requires some basic knowledge of ballet, including feet positions, in order to do a variety of the exercises. The problem for people who have no experience in ballet is the DVD does not zoom in close enough to the feet to show the correct footing.

Elements: Ballet Conditioning is one of my favorite workout DVDs. I love how easy it is to follow the instructor Elisa, but I will say having a background in ballet is helpful. While the exercises themselves is what originally caught my attention I have to say Element also cares about the environment. One thing that I find really nice is that for every four DVDs that are bought Element will plant a tree, which reduces the carbon footprint and helps combat the worst effects of global warming.

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