Product: Hoopnotica: Hoopdance Basics - Beginner, Level 1 (2006)
Rating: 4.0
Worth owning and reviewing
I enjoy this DVD very much and, as others note, it's especially helpful for beginners or budding intermediate hoopers. I play the segments at a slower speed to observe the professionals' hand, arm, and foot work; it's particularly helpful to internalize their instructions before developing unhelpful tendencies--this is especially true of the trickier moves such as the "corkscrew." I also like the narrator's encouraging "don't give up" messages throughout. I personally haven't understood the technique for "floating" and consequently could wish for more thorough instructions for that move, but I'm going to stick to it until I learn how it's done. The DVD offers good instructions that are generally well broken-down and easy to access by chapter divisions. If you go to the Hoopnotica website, you'll find their hoops and helpful information about the size and weight of the hoops they recommended for the program. As others note, this is not a workout DVD, but as anyone who hoops knows, once you get going, you won't want to stop, so it does turn into a workout anyway. I've just now purchased Christabel Zamor's 2009 book/DVD combo, "Hooping: A Revolutionary Fitness Program," which is getting high ratings from users. I look forward to that too!