The instructor, Elise, was kind enough to answer some questions from Amazon.com about the Element line of DVDs.
Why do you think the recent trend for women is to seek the dancer's silhouette? Elise: A dancer's silhouette is the ideal physique for a woman today. It provides strength through lean, elegant, streamlined muscles. The strengthening of the dance conditioning movements will help melt away fat while creating lean musculature that is still feminine and graceful. The stretching element of dance creates length, not only in the muscles, but in the spine as well. Training with ballet conditioning will give a woman a strong, tall slender body.
How did you manage to create a ballet conditioning program that doesn't use a barre or any other equipment?
Elise: I created a workout that uses the strength of the core to create balance and stability in the body. The sequences on this dvd are both accessible and challenging for anyone! Many ballet conditioning exercises actually don't use the barre as a weight-bearing tool—it's only for balance. In this DVD a beginner can use a chair to aid in balance, as they build core strength. A more advanced practitioner can do much of the series without the aid of a chair, simply by bracing the body with the strength of the abdominals, and a lifted, elongated spine.
Who is this workout good for?
Elise: This workout is amazing for women and men of all shapes and sizes! Ballet Conditioning uses one's own body weight as resistance, so it is safe to do every day, for women AND men… from the strongest athlete, to the ultimate newcomer to fitness. It works to build strong, lean muscle, raise the heart-rate, and speed up metabolism. Dance also helps create rhythm, grace, and balance while building a supple flexible spine. .
What do you think consumers will find different about Element DVDs from other workout programs?
Elise: I know that consumers will enjoy the pure elegance of these DVDs. This is what truly sets the `element' series apart from other brands of DVDs. The Element DVD's encourage a solid mind/body connection, which encourages practitioners to explore their physical edge, while being truly mentally & emotionally present in the moment. These programs are fluid and graceful in their movement, and provide a HUGE physical fitness element in a nurturing and encouraging environment. .
Tell us about the connection with this DVD and the efforts to reduce global warming.
Elise: Element DVDs support the harmony of mind and body, which encourages a social and global awareness. This harmony encourages us to do what we can to make a difference in the world. For every four Element DVDs sold, a tree will be planted in a national forest. Consumers are therefore doing their part to reduce their carbon footprint, and the dangerous effects of global warming. If we work together, we can spread health and happiness one deep breath at a time.
Ballet Dancers always have slender bodies that are both strong and lean with lovely proportion and gorgeous body lines. One of the greatest secrets to a dancer's body is ballet conditioning which focuses on all muscle groups. In this unique program, your muscles will work smoothly in unison to create a long, streamlined silhouette with flat abs, a lean lower body and beautifully defined curves. Moving gracefully and fluidly through this series of exercises, you will strengthen and stretch your way to a dancer's body.Element is proud to support the Arbor Day Foundation. For every four Element DVDs purchased a tree will be planted (up to 20,000 trees annually). In addition to generating oxygen, trees provide air pollution control and decrease atmospheric carbon dioxide levels thereby reducing global warming. www.arborday.org
Elise Gulan has over 18 years in dance education including Ballet, Pointe, Tap, and Jazz. She was a principal soloist for the Virginia Ballet Company where she danced for seven years appearing in productions such as Copelia, Swan Lake, and Nutcracker Suite. She brought her love of expression through movement to her new career as a certified personal trainer and instructor of Yoga, Core Fusion and Core Energy Flow. Elise enjoys helping her students to find their inner strength and to energize their joy of life through physical and mental fitness.
