Kelly Peters' Make It Happen video is great for children and adults alike who are interested in hip-hop dance but have never taken a class before. I bought the DVD knowing absolutely nothing about this style of dance other than what I had seen on music videos. Though, as I recently found out, Kelly is a dance instructor for children, it didn't make a difference for this video. In fact, I think it's better that way. The kids that dance in the background with Kelly are absolutely amazing, and gave me more energy and, perhaps, hope, than a group of 30-something pro dancers whose level of difficulty I feel I could never reach in my lifetime. Kelly Peters is a fantastic teacher who not only shows you some of the basic, classic hip-hop moves you can use to make your own combination, but the history and elements of hip-hop culture as well. His energy and enthusiasm are contagious, and you'll find yourself hungry for more when the video ends. It's a fun ride you certainly don't want to miss!
Never have I done a dance video with as good of instruction as this one. With other dance videos I've bought, I get extremely frustrated with how fast they go through the steps and get annoyed with having to constantly rewind, pause, and change to slow motion. Not only does Kelly go through each step very slowly and throughly, but there's also a split screen that makes the moves even easier to understand. Here's how the split screen works:
On the left side of the screen is a view of Kelly from behind,
like if you were standing behind him in a studio.
The right side of the screen gives you a front view of Kelly that is
like looking at a mirror. So instead of doing the opposite of what
he does, you mirror him exactly.
These two views make understanding and executing the moves SO much easier. Although you WILL probably have to go through the final combination several times to be able to do it nonstop without mistakes, he simplifies the individual moves so well that the rewind button will not need to be touched very often.
There's also lots of extra features I really enjoyed, such as three bonus moves, which include The Wave and a break dance move called the Baby Freeze. I thought these were much tougher, but they're something fun to continue working on after you've finished the video. (Imagine being able to show everyone your first break dance move! It was exciting for me!) There's also a dance-off where you get to see Kelly's amazing kid dancers show their moves, and an interview with two very talented choreographers. I highly, highly recommend this video for anyone wanting to learn more about hip-hop, and I very anxiously await Volume 2!
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Kelly Peters: Make It Happen - Hip Hop dvd movie.