I was so incredibly excited about receiving this DVD in the mail. But you know what they say about building things up- The higher the tower, the faster the fall? Well, for me, this DVD just fell.

I was disappointed the minute I popped the DVD. I was dressed to kill, ready to learn how to walk sexy, roll my hips seductively, and how to make my partner jealous of the floor while doing floor work moves. First impressions are huge, and the music hits you like a bad 1980's porno. This movie was copyrighted in 2001. I know there was sexy music in 2001, so time-frame-wise it should have seemed fairly current and up to date.

The way the DVD is set up is the instructor is taking one of her actual dance classes and showing the audience the moves. The people in her class are so diverse. We have real people REALLY dancing. There is a teacher, a cancer survivor, a mom, there are people of different religions, different cultures, different skin colors. They aren't all tall and skinny, some are short, and stocky. They aren't all perky 20-somethings, some of the women are older than my grandmother is. Which at first, struck me as an odd way to teach exotic dancing, but the more I've been thinking about it the more sense it seems to make. They took real people, people exactly the same as those who are going to buy the DVD and taught them the same moves they wanted to teach their audience. Sure, they didn't inspire lust in me, but they gave me confidence, if they can do, so can I! They took an almost taboo profession and made it accessible and available to the rest of the world, which I commend them for. The students even get the opportunity throughout the video to share their impressions of the experience of learning exotic dancing with the viewers. I mean they are constantly talking about self expression and self confidence. It wasn't just dance moves they were learning, but the ability to open up, let loose and express a side to yourself that you might rarely let out.

For content  the DVD covers 4 areas. First is 'Walking'. They go through techniques that help you portray confidence, intention and connection with the person you are dancing for. Explaining that your body language is one of the easiest ways to let people know how your feeling and let them know what it is you want. Next they cover hip rolls. She teaches the viewers sanding rolls, revolving rolls, squatting rolls, kneeling rolls, and rock and rolls. It's variations on the hip roll from various positions. Next she shows the viewers a bit about floor work, the different ways to crawl, pose, roll and stretch while on the floor in order to look sexy and enticing. Finally she shows you how to put it all together in order to perform a strip tease. They also provide you throughout the segment with a list of props you might need to use, including: pillows or blanket, full length mirror, oversize man's dress shirt and sexy heels. Overall the moves were informative but fairly generic. Nothing really fancy or mind-blowing, just enough of the basics to get you started.

When I first saw the DVD I immediately thought, "Wow, this is so OLD!" but continued to watching and dance and follow along. At the end of it my impression hadn't really changed, but hey, this is exotic dancing, it's supposed to to impress OTHER people. So I called my two closest girl friends, and some guy friends to come over for a bit , never hurts to ask for a second opinion. Pop the DVD in and then I posed the question, "Does this turn you on?" Very straight forward, my girlfriends giggled, the guys were shocked. Which quickly turned into laughter as we watched the DVD together, everyone getting up and trying out the moves. The general consensus ended up being we all felt it had a dated feel to it, and didn't really incorporate enough to be able to exotic dance in a way that would be exotic. It was fun, but nothing exactly moves I'll try on my partner, at least not until I find a DVD to supplement this one with some snazzier moves!

Just this past weekend, we held a girls night out to celebrate the engagement of two of my close girlfriends. We were giggling and going through possible things to do and I suggested giving this DVD a try. While my opinion of it hasn't REALLY changed in terms of how dated this program feels, I have to say it has brought me a great deal of pleasure and I enjoy it more every time I watch it. As the group of us took to the stage and strutted our stuff I became aware of how EASY it is to take these very basic moves and make them into your own. Watching all of us twirling around I noticed how each girl took the moves and did something to make it her own. While I stick firmly to my original thoughts that this DVD isn't going to turn you into a professional stripper. I DO guarantee that if you approach this with an open mind you'll have a blast trying this DVD, particularly if you are open enough to try it with close friends!