CIA 5001: Hi/Lo

(Warmup 8 min; Hi/Lo 24 min; Funk 15 min; Step 25 min; Cooldown & Body Sculpting 25 min; Stretch 20 min)

This is my least favorite of this series; it's not really bad, but the other tapes are better. Instructors Sherry Catlin and Junior Carvalho are skillful dancers, but their cues are very sparse; they'll say "Do that again" and then repeat an entire combo without saying anything. Junior has a hoarse and sometimes unintelligible voice, and "left" and "right" don't seem to be part of his vocabulary. Sherry is a little better but not much, and the two often have trouble staying in sync.

It's a shame, because I like the one-long-workout format, and the fast-paced hi-lo part is almost as good as Christi Taylor 's on 5004. The funk section is fun and has some creative moves. But due to the poor cueing, learning this tape would take more time and patience than most people have. There's a 20-minute stretch at the end which is a nice addition to the other CIA workouts, but there are other stretch tapes out there just as worthwhile. I would label 5001 for diehard CIA fans, seasoned dancers or idea-seeking choreographers only.

I only do the high/low part of this tape, so my comments don't apply to any of the rest of it.

The tape consists of 25 minutes of high/low, 12 minutes of funk (which can be used as a cool-down if you're not going on), 25 minutes of step, 25 minutes of body sculpting, and a long 23-minute stretch at the end.

The high/low is good, but I still like their CIA 7001 high/low much better. This one is good intensity (intermediate/advanced), but the choreography isn't as fun as 7001. Most of the moves are standard high/low moves (jacks, knee lifts, etc.), with some turns and "flavor" added in. Junior and Sherry like to use fancy arm patterns, and I usually just leave those out. Junior wears a really dorky outfit for the high/low (but he's still cute).

All in all, I'd say if you're a high/low enthusiast like me and you can get this on the exchange or through one of the CIA sales, it would be a good routine to do on short days or in combination with another tape. I wouldn't pay full price for it, though. Grade B.