Everybody Dance DVD

I purchased this DVD because that I already own the VHS, and I've almost worn it out! The sets and camera "tricks" are only so-so, but the choreography is a challenge for the upper-elementary aged kids. I use "La Bamba" every year for Cinco de Mayo, and the kids don't want to leave class. Also, I've used both "Locomotion" and "Everybody Dance Now" in program presentations, complete with lighting effects. Dance steps are shown in a manner easy to follow and learn, and the kids love the "cool" music. Just keep in mind that the difficulty level makes it geared for fourth grade and above.

If you're looking for a DVD that will help you learn some basic simple party dances, don't buy this one. Although the dances are simple, the DVD does not do a good job of teaching the steps. The "learn the steps" section is too slow to be helpful and the actual dance section moves the camera off the feet so often that it's difficult to learn from them either. As one friend said: "This makes me feel like I can't dance, and I know that's not true!"

I bought this tape to teach my 4th grade students a dance for their annual dance concert. The video is almost embarassing. The dances are very repetitive, basically the same 4 or 8 count moves over and over and over and over. And some dances only have steps, with no arm movements. The songs are slowed down, which might be good for learning, but they are so slow that they are boring. My students definetly gave all of these dance a thumbs down, and I don't blame them!

My daughter loves this video - she wants me to dance with her - I'm using it to teach her how to Swing Dance (not necessarily the steps shown on the video) - I lead, of course! The song selection is lively and the tunes make your feet want to dance. We enjoy this because of the lively dance tunes and being able to dance while watching other children dancing...