Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Let's start by saying that I've done Zumba classes on and off for years, and have the Total Body Transformation DVD's at home, which I do regularly. I was starting to get burnt out on the same exercises so I figured I'd upgrade my Zumba DVD's to the newest system, and was super excited to try the new workouts. This Zumba is very…different. More intense for sure, but also because it incorporates more basic aerobic moves along with new (and some old) Zumba moves. It definitely feels less… authentic than the original DVD's, the music has a lot more modern electronic/club elements and it overall lacks the core latin spirit I'd come to love about Zumba. But it seemed like a good workout, so I went with it. I was a hardcore dancer for 12+ years in my youth, and again, I've been familiar with Zumba for many years. So far, the 30-Minute workout with Gina is the only one I can tolerate. These workouts are like Zumba on speed and it's very tough to keep up. Not necessarily physically though - more with the actual steps themselves. They're over complicated and change every two seconds so you end up feeling more concerned with trying to get the steps right then actually dancing and having fun. The Super Cardio Dance Party workout is the worst. I was getting into it and keeping up for the first couple routines, but once it hits a routine called "Vum Vum", the steps would change within every 2-4 movements and it added directional movements that would constantly throw me off no matter how many times I practiced them. I wanted to be patient and thought I just needed more practice with it, so I've tried this workout on several different occasions now and always get annoyed with it halfway through. Something about it just doesn't feel like real Zumba. The ONLY aspect I like about this version of Zumba is that they've started incorporating Bachata which of course everybody loves. But there's hardly any salsa or merengue incorporated in any of the songs (just a few here and there), and none of the original hip-hop or samba movements - several of them are "fusion" songs which in theory is cool, but the routines go so quickly that you don't have time to master them before moving on to something else. I tried the "learn the moves" portion of the workout on two separate occasions, but it doesn't even cover the most complicated/fast-paced ones in the workout. I'm not a type of person that can just freestyle with my own movements when I get tripped up. As a seasoned dancer, I can't handle not being able to keep up with basic steps. It seems ridiculous that even someone with a dance and Zumba background would have a hard time with it. I'll continue to do the 30-Minute Burn workout as I do like that one and the steps aren't crazy - plus it's let by Gina who I like. (Where is Tanya in these DVD's????? Why does it seem like all the (historically latin) females featured in previous DVD's have been replaced by (sorry to say) white girls?? Sorry, but it's a legitimate question. I just get the impression that Zumba has shifted it's marketing techniques towards middle-class suburban moms now. Not that there's anything wrong with incorporating more ethnicities within the instructors, something just seems a little off balance here.) Also, another gripe is that the Cardio Dance Party workout doesn't have any (ANY!) stretching in the cool down. It's just a basic slower-step movement to a (GOD AWFUL) super-cheesy ballad that sounds like terrible library music from the 90s and is like nails on a chalkboard to my ears. Seriously, whoever picked this cool-down song needs a serious lesson in good workout music. Sometimes cheesy is fun, but this sort of cheesy feels ridiculous and humiliating. I lose 20 cool points every time I listen to it. Moral of the story - if you're uncoordinated in any capacity, or don't have some sort of dance or movement experience, you're going to be frustrated with this workout. Very possible that even if you are (coordinated with a dance background), you may still be frustrated. If you want to try Zumba but you haven't already at all - I would HIGHLY discourage starting with these DVD's.