Under Review: It’s Carnaval and Cardio!

Can’t afford to head to South America to celebrate Carnaval? Start a dance party in your living room instead! So maybe the Dance and Be Fit Carnaval Workout isn’t quite the same as hitting the streets in Rio, but it’s a fun dance DVD nonetheless—and even has FBG reader Brittany addicted.

The DVD struck me as a cross between the Bollywood workouts we’ve tried and a Hawaiian luau—lots of hip swiveling, fun dance moves (and names of dance moves), voice-over cuing (a minor drawback in a dance DVD) and a set complete with palm trees. The instructor, Kimberly Miguel Mullen dances barefoot, but I opted for shoes; I’m not sure how dancers do the barefoot thing.

The party gets started with a warm-up that includes a hip-swiveling road march, the Carnaval version of marching in place. My arms were on fire after this five minutes because there is a lot of holding your arms straight out to your sides—the better to tone those shoulders, my dear. One crazy bent-over arm-swinging move was my favorite of this segment.

Three 12ish-minute dance segments make up the bulk of the workout. The moves are easy to follow, which is good because on occasion Kimberly cues right as you should be doing a new move, instead of the split second before that would help you prepare. In the Wind It Up segment, there are a few turns that got me super dizzy, so I opted out of those, freestyling the moves instead. Moves with names like vanity arms (wherein you fake holding a mirror), butterfly arms, and sailor make the moves easy to remember andfun to do. Each segment is completely different from the last, so there is no boring repetition that will have you begging for mercy (or a drink!).

This workout DVD can be as high energy as you want it to be, but the moves in the Step It Up and Jump It Up segments are especially energetic. You cover a lot of ground, and jumping and kicking will get you every time. The best part? Toning is disguised as dancing fun—you won’t notice all of the strength and core work that is happening in pliés, kicks and hip-shakingwhen you’re grooving to Caribbean beats the whole time.

FBG Rating (Out of 5):
Instruction: ★★★
Long-Term Likeability: ★★★
Music: ★★★★
Fun Factor: ★★★★
Meets Expectations: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★1/2

Fit Bottom line: A fun Carnaval cardio dance party that tones as you groove!

—Erin