All Rise...

Judge Katie Herrell wonders if she can get reimbursed for the vase she kicked over while attempting to "dance."

The Charge

Step on stage. Get fit with Fame!

The Case

Clear the rec room! It's time to dance!*

The Fame Dance Workout includes three dances from the new version of this classic film. Lessons, or "workouts," include a modern dance, a speedy African Dance, and an acrobatic jazz dance. Led by the characters/dancers in the film, the 15-20 minute sections are basically rehearsals for dummies.

One dancer leads a group of his/her "friends," plus you, the audience, through step-by-step instructions of each dance. They break the dances into multiple sections and gradually put every section to faster and faster music until the entire dance is being performed in a version of real-time.

The final 15-minute section features a group of dancers performing all three dances in a row, set to a "new remix of the hit song, FAME!" You're invited to dance along…if you can keep up.

Judging by the terminally "Long Wait" on my Netflix queue for a copy of the new movie Fame, slumber parties everywhere are reveling in the new Fame/Glee landscape. But for the uncoordinated and unrhythmic set, the Fame Dance Workout is just a reinforcement of everything you already knew, which in the dance world is a lot. While the dance instructors do their best to go through every move slowly, they do throw in a lot of terms non-dancers won't know, and, ultimately, while you are sweating you might also be flailing uncontrollably like I was.

I was hoping my embarrassment would be tempered by inspiring scenes from the movie, or stunning music and on-location dance-offs. Instead, most of the music is provided by a drummer in the corner and we never leave the dance studio…even for clips of the movie.

The Verdict

*But you should be under 18, on a diet of Red Bull, and—at the very least—have taken some beginner ballet or jazz classes.

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