Dancing With The Stars: BOOK and Workout Review

I was offered the chance to get this book for free and review it for Gather readers.  I recieved it by UPS Monday evening, and I wasn't thrilled at first sight (the cover leaves a bit to be desired).  Meaning it is not something that would have led me to pick it up in a book store.  But as they say - never judge a book by it's cover.  Inside there were great color photos, dance overviews, trivia bits, all kinds of backstage information, and of course the workout itself.  It would have been worth the price just for that.

The first section was all about how Stars got started; it was taken from the BBC hit Come Dancing and then later Strictly Come Dancing.  They Americanized it and got stars from all different media to come on to the show; casting is a much luck as anything else.  Once they get a star to agree, they pair them with a professional dancer and add grueling work hours, amazing dance routines, and very quickly they become dance partners.

There is a small part on the judges, how judging is done, choreographing, and a little show history.  Then it is on to the DANCES.

Each dance has it own section.  A short overview is given on the dances' history, what is expected in that dance, and any significant trivia related to it.  A few couples are spotlighted for each dance and so are some of the costumes.  Great emphasis is given on how costume design, makeup, and hairstyle are all combined to give every couple a particular look for that dance.  This is peppered with judges comments, some quotes from participants, a music list, and trivia bits, which I really enjoyed.

This is followed by a lovely section on some unforgettable moments from the show (some of my personal favorites were NOT there but there were still some really good ones).  There is a small part about Tia Carrere who lost a lot of weight on the show (she had just given birth a few WEEKS before the show started) and that segues well into the next part of the book.....

THE WORKOUT

I love the way the work out is described.  Each exercise is described and SHOWN with pictures of the different moves involved.  The instructions are easy to understand and what each moves help you accomplish is stated.  You know what to expect, what you are working on and your goal.   It is neat how they had some specific exercises for a particular dance.  For instance exercises for the Paso doble includes a section on arms and shoulders and another section on thighs, buns, and hips.   Jive dancing has exercises for quick feet and great legs.  Included is a warm up, core exercises, and a cool down.

After all this you might ask what is next:  At the end of the book there is a page for each of the first four seasons showing the all the couples and listing their names and winners of the competition.  Then there is a listing of all the dances from the shows and their scores.

All-in-all this book was quite a surprise.  It was cute, funny, and very upbeat; it was a  fast, easy, entertaining, and interesting read.  I liked all the personal bits, dance histories, and the "back stage" stuff.  The 8" x 10" size really showcased the excellent photos.  The colors popped, the words were witty, the stars shine, and in the end it left me with a smile; you can't ask for more than that.