Two easy-to-learn 20-minute dance workouts from the "Dummies" people. Michelle LeMay instructs.

Beginning exercisers who think they'd enjoy a dance workout. Even though the choreography is simple, and there's a 20-minute tutorial, this isn't for the rhythm challenged. You can't be a total dance dummy. The impact is low and all you will need is a good pair of athletic shoes.

You can tell by the large selection of cardio dance DVDs on this website that I'm not anywhere near close to beginner level (although I am definitely not a choreography queen), so I handicapped myself by skipping the 20-minute tutorial and going right into the routine. I figured that if I could get this mostly right the first time around, then the majority of beginners would be okay with it, providing they practiced to the tutorial first. Michelle LeMay surprised me — I only know her from her stretching DVDs, so I wasn't sure how she would be as a dance instructor. It turned out she was pretty lively, and also quite graceful (no wonder, as I discovered upon reading the back cover of the DVD — she is a National Aerobic Champion). She can be rather snake-like with her spine, so don't be disappointed if you can't quite mimic some of her upper body moves. LeMay breaks down the moves for you, beginning each step half time, with the feet only, and building from there. While you'll see the classic moves such as grapevines, step-touches and box steps, she always adds in something creative and stylish. The two 20-minute routines turned out to be a lot of fun, though not very challenging for anyone who already does a lot of intense cardio on a regular basis. But beginners who want to start off with an easy cardio routine that will keep them engaged will love this!