Article summary

Learn some of the hottest dance moves you've seen in music videos, award shows, and concerts from the likes of Britney Spears, 'N Sync, and Jordan Knight from this 55-minute video. Darrin Henson moves with limbs of taffy as he teaches the energetic and innovative moves he choreographed for the biggest celebrities. He breaks down the patterns into individual moves, then quickly puts the moves together, and then you perform the pattern with video clips from the stars for whom it was choreographed. Great fun! Unless you're blessed with instant recall, though, you'll need to rewind segments of the tape frequently to learn the moves. And unfortunately, Henson cues his own "right" and "left" instead of the viewer's (the opposite, because you're facing him), so you have to continually reverse his directions in order to mirror his moves. Recommended for limber, experienced dancers--coordination required! --Joan Price

Customer's review

It Takes Persistence to Follow - But Proves Rewarding

Yes, this DVD may challenge beginning dancers. And it will take persistence and repetition to learn the steps. But like anything challenging the reward comes from seeing if you can do something that you thought you could not.

To give some insight into where I'm coming from I have been dancing a wide variety of styles for a while now and collect dance instruction DVDs and books--as well as have regular private and group instruction. Dance is a passion that I have dedicated myself to.

I really enjoyed this DVD. I have found that DVDs alone (or on-line instruction and books) cannot substitute for learning from others at clubs or from a private instructor. But this DVD showed me what kinds of steps are possible, and gave me some insight into how to choreograph my own moves.

What I have learned so far from "Darrin's Dance Grooves" has been a lot of fun to try on live dance floors--and has added welcome new moves to my repertoire.

Waste of $

I don't know who could learn it in a day as one customer had claimed, but it definitely would not be me. Also, self-obsession of Darren sometimes is very scary, not to menetion annoying. if you a beginner, the moves in the movie "Honey" are actually easy to learn and Laura Ann Gibson is a much better instructor.

Great coreography

When I watched this DVD I was suprised how good it was. I didn'nt know how fast it would be! I learned it in a day! I can't wait until I show my friends! It is so much better than a regular dance class.

Only for experienced dancers or the naturally gifted

I think I have figured out why there are such contradictory reviews regarding the speed with which Darrin shows the movements. Darrin has only two speeds. Very slow (which unfortunately seems to get a little faster with each routine), and full speed to the music, which is VERY, VERY FAST. His slow speed is easy enough to follow, but I found it impossbile to jump from slow-motion right to hyper-speed. And I have never had a dance teacher that expected me to either! So Darrin starts out going slow enough, but after that he goes way too fast. He needs to go over the routine a few more times in-between while gradually bringing up the tempo each time. But infuriatingly, after taking our money, he acts as if he doesn't have the time or the inclination to give us a proper and thorough lesson. Instead, he directs us to use the rewind button and work it out on our own.

The majority of the moves are fairly simple by themselves and easy enough to pick up by watching him. The challenge lies in the speed with which they must be performed and put together. However, there were some advanced movements that really needed to be broken down very slowly and explained. But again, we are infringing on his time and he doesn't bother. I suspect he spent a lot more time teaching the routines to his crew of professionals than he did with us.

I agree with everyone else's criticisms. The camera angles are bad, cutting off the feet at inopportune times. He should have taught one routine all the way through, rather than bits and pieces from several. He faces you and calls out his own right and left. I knew this going in, but it proved to be harder to compensate than I thought it would be. Darrin doesn't call out the direction of his turns at all, and I found it really difficult to figure it out with him facing me. I actually enjoyed Darrin's interviews. However, it seems this material was not included to be an extra feature, but to fill in and make up for the too-brief instruction time. With the DVD, is it possible to skip these sections and go right to the dancing. But unlike every other DVD I have ever watched, the "menu" button on my remote doesn't work on this one making it difficult to navigate even though there is a menu.

I suspect this DVD was never designed to be a real teaching tool, but a teaser to get us to attend Darrin's dance seminar. This DVD has the potential to needlessly crush your confidence in your dance abilities, or at least give you a good beating. I don't think it is a complete waste of time, I like the moves. Just don't expect to be able to follow him easily unless you are a very experienced dancer or have a natural gift for learning choreography. Not because the moves are too hard for you, but because he doesn't use good teaching techniques.

This is NOT how you learn to dance

This is a "I"M DARRIN, LOOK AT ME VIDEO". There is little dancing and you can't learn what dance is on the tape. I found out about "Groovin With The Groovaloos" videos and THAT is how you learn how to dance! These dancers are amazing and the teaching on the tape is just what I was looking for. It's a group that has their own website too, www.groovaloos.com. You can order the videos off their site. If you want to learn streetdancing stuff like breaking, popping, locking, and hip hop, YOU MUST GROOVE WITH THE GROOVALOOS!!!!!!

Darrin's Dance Grooves

Article summary

Customer's review

It Takes Persistence to Follow - But Proves Rewarding

Waste of $

Great coreography

Only for experienced dancers or the naturally gifted

This is NOT how you learn to dance

Related topic

Amazon.ca: Darrin's Dance Grooves: Video

Darrin's Dance Grooves | MTV MOVIES

YouTube - Darrin's Dance Grooves ...

Amazon.ca: Customer Reviews ...

DARRIN'S DANCE GROOVES - VHS Reviews ...

Darrin's Dance Moves - Shoptoit.ca

MuchMusic.com | TV

Shopster: The Hassle Free Dropship ...

YouTube - niciolea's Channel

Wendy Leard School of Dance - Dance ...

Customer Quotes

Backstage At VMAs: Eminem, Avril ...

lululemon athletica | Washington ...

Interview with Darrin Henson ...

NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: NEW YORK ONLINE ...

Nautilus, Inc. Strengthens ...

As Seen On Tv Product Store Online Music

Marketplace Snapshot - Serious Stats ...

Tower.com: Bellydance Superstars ...

Tower.com: Ultimate Emergency Dance ...