Stephanie Herman's Artistry of Fitness: Esprit de Danse

Although the blurb on the video box promises the tape will help "develop a longer, leaner, stronger body," I thought phooey: Stronger? Yes. Leaner? Okay. But longer? Well, I don't know if I actually got taller during this workout, but my friends are calling me Stretch-girl. The simple movements of dance and the cultivated elegance of ballet are combined in this graceful instructional tape aimed at sculpting and elongating the viewer into a lithe and willowy she-god (or he-god). Instructor Stephanie Herman (a Balanchine prima ballerina who has performed with dance-stud-muffins Baryshnikov and Nureyev) leads a low-impact, gentle workout for people not used to vaulting across rooms with buttocks splitting leaps. Together with two assistants, Herman demonstrates a tapestry of moves mixing ballet, jazz dance and even some Broadway steps with stretching, breathing and muscle control exercises. For anyone interested in something a little different from today's bulimic exercise genre, this video puts the viewer center stage--a soloist in their own dramatic ‘danse'. Two kicks up. Highly recommended. Two other tapes in this series are also available: Fitness Through Conscious Movement and Stretch & Feel It. Aud: P. (N. Plympton)