Latino DVDs Help Dance Off the Fat

7 Aug, 2008 By: Carrie Widder

Dance and Be Fit: Brazilian Body

The Latin dance genre has been blown open recently by widely popular films and TV shows such as Take the Lead, Step Up, “America's Best Dance Crew” and “Dancing With the Stars,” to name a few. With all the salsa and cha-cha these dancers do, it's no surprise that dancing happens to be a great workout as well. The national craze has spawned numerous cardio dance DVDs designed to tone, sculpt and help viewers lose weight.

Arriving Sept. 16 (prebook Aug. 20) from Lionsgate is Dancing With the Stars: Latin Cardio Dance (DVD $16.98). Dancers Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Cheryl Burke lead cha-cha, samba, mambo and merengue routines to burn fat. The DVD also has routines to sculpt and tone muscle that the dancers themselves use on the show, and a music-only option.

Sept. 30 (Prebook Sept. 2) brings the arrival of Dance and Be Fit: Brazilian Body and Dance and Be Fit: Latin Groove (DVDs $14.99 each) from Acacia. Both DVDs promise Latin-fueled routines that are fun and effective. Brazilian Body combines dances such as the samba, reggae, macuele and capoeira. Latin Groove incorporates two 20-minute salsa programs, and includes optional Spanish and Spanglish audio tracks.

The “Ten-Minute Solution Series” from Anchor Bay Home Entertainment joined the dance craze earlier this year with Ten Minute Solution: Fat Blasting Latin Dance Mix (DVD $14.98). The DVD, which is available now, comprises five segments, which include Fat Burning Cha-Cha, Salsa Slim Down, Hot Cardio Mix, Merengue Moves and Tango Toning Twist. Led by Stella Sandoval, the routine is a total body workout and requires zero equipment.

Released last year from Woodhaven Entertainment was Fiesta Latina Vol. 1 and Fiesta Latina Vol. 2 (DVDs $14.99 each), led by dancer and creator of the series Luly Mitchell. The workout DVDs have fat-burning and weight-loss routines featuring merengue, salsa, samba, flamenco, tango and norteño dances. The DVDs are available in both English and Spanish.