Ballet Barre for the Adult Absolute Beginner

Like most women my age (mid 40s), I’m trying to lose some weight and tone up. I enjoy working out, and have been a consistent exerciser my entire adult life. I’ve always wanted a “dancer’s body”: long, lean, limber, and toned. I’ve done barre fitness classes in the past and really enjoyed them, but had never taken an actual ballet dance class in my life. I wanted to learn proper ballet form and posture before dusting off my old barre fitness DVDs, so as not to aggravate previous back/hip/knee injuries (from cycling and trail running). Finis Jhung’s program kept coming up in my search for adult beginner DVDs, so after reading all the rave reviews I decided to give it a try…and I’m SO glad I did!!!The plan was just to do this DVD every day for a few weeks or so to practice proper form, then put it aside and do the other barre workouts (using my newfound skills to do the moves correctly). But I’m enjoying this one so much I’ve already ordered others in the series! Mr. Jhung teaches proper form in an easy-to-understand manner. He breaks down each move so that you understand the reason for doing it a certain way. This ensures that proper form becomes automatic, and after awhile you’re doing the moves correctly without having to think about it. And I absolutely LOVE his “work with the body you’ve got” attitude; he makes ballet approachable and fun. Every time I do this DVD I learn something new that I didn’t pay attention to before, so it will be in my regular workout rotation for a long time.This is not a workout or fitness DVD, but surprisingly I’m already seeing some results in my body from doing it: without changing anything else, I’ve dropped a few pounds and am starting to slim down and tone up overall. Dance is the best kind of workout for achieving a lean, slim look because it strengthens every muscle group (including those little stabilizer muscles that most workouts overlook) without bulking up. When I did barre fitness classes before, I was in great shape but never developed that graceful strength and movement of a dancer. Now thanks to this DVD I’m finally starting to achieve that! Those other programs are nice, but most are basically just calisthenics done in a leotard to appear ballet-like. Those exercises are good and I’ll still do them, but to look like a ballerina you have to do actual ballet!Another wonderful and unexpected side effect of doing this program is that I am starting to move so much more gracefully in my daily life. I would even say that I’m starting to feel “elegant”, which is a huge deal to me…I’m a natural born klutz, and prior to this was about as graceful and elegant as a bull in a China shop. This newfound poise is a serious self-confidence booster! Added bonus: since I’ve been doing Jhung’s DVDs, the pain from my existing injuries has almost completely diminished…in fact, I’ve stopped doing my PT exercises altogether!Whether you’re new to ballet or have years of experience, you’ll learn something from Mr. Jhung. This DVD is a can’t-miss!!

At 66 I am just starting to study Ballet. I have no previous music or dance training to draw on. After considerable reading of beginning ballet material in books and online, I discovered that four beginner ballet videos or teacher videos were repeatedly recommended: any DVD by Finis Jhung - I selected Ballet Barre for the Adult Absolute Beginner by Finis Jhung with dancer Sachiko Kanai- 2014 DVD; Ballet Class for Beginners with David Howard- 1982 VHS/DVD; Ballet Workout by Melissa Lowe 1984 VHS/DVD; and Ballet 101, A Beginners Class by Jennifer Nunes- VHS/DVD 1997. I read that any Finis Jhung DVD is pricey compared to the rest and are virtually never found online for sale at a discount.I purchased all four of these programs from Amazon in DVD format.I find that Finis Jhung's DVD is by far the best teaching choice for the true adult beginner!My analysis starts outside working in.First jacket information. The Finis Jhung DVD has a detailed list and individual description of each of 18 exercises with time and tempo on the jacket cover. For example: "8. Pointe tendu Music New Ballet Music 9, Track 6, 4/4 adagio". None of the the other three DVDs have any listing of tracks on the jacket cover. Nor was any insert placed with within the jacket to provide a listing or description of the tracks.I feel that Finis is directly and most successfully targeting the new Adult Ballet Beginner Student. The others are not at all that target adult ballet audience specific.Finis has been teaching ballet since 1972, but he is still very active into the present in improving and upgrading every aspect of his teaching DVDs! He uses the most advanced modern individual track searching techniques and contemporary ballet dancers. I found that the dancer in this DVD, Sachiko Kanai, only started working with Finis in 2010. It is very easy to very quickly search and find any individual track on his DVD. This and the informative jacket information are the first inklings for me to understand why Finis's more expensive teaching DVD will be worth the price! The other three DVDs I purchased and viewed were originally recorded in VHS format in the 80's and 90's, and then apparently transferred directly into DVD format without any updating of material. None of the DVDs had technical improvements in individual track accessibility equal to the refinements in Finis's DVD.Finis teaches in the program himself and he really teaches! He tells you what the reason is for having "knees bent" or "ears up" or always trying to be "in number one'. In his quietly supportive and confident speaking style, Finis tells you the reason why you have to make a specific movement in a specific manner.After purchasing and viewing four different teaching system introductory ballet DVDs. I come to the conclusion that the The Finis Jhung program is the only one of the four that I can see is technically and actively supported in the present by the originating artist. And It is updated new today for the target audience I absolutely belong too- The Adult Absolute Beginner!The Finis Jhung Ballet Barre for the Adult Absolute Beginner DVD does indeed cost more than any of the other three introductory ballet DVDs I purchased on Amazon and viewed. But it is by far the best prescription and the most effective DVD teaching remedy for any true at home adult beginner ballet student!