The dark streets and skyscrapers of 1930s New York suit the “film noir” detective drama genre perfectly. Rain swept streets, shady characters in long coats and hats, shadowy corners and hidden menaces, majestic buildings with stone statues.
But what happens if those statues can move? And only move when you are not looking at them. Keep an eye on them and they are frozen and still. But then if you turn away. Or if you blink. Or if the light goes out. Then they move like lightning. The Weeping Angels have taken Manhattan – an atmospheric backdrop to the mid-season finale of Doctor Who.
The Film Poster
This is the climax we have waited for. The Doctor parts company with companions Amy and Rory for good. We were promised an emotional farewell. And Stephen Moffat delivers tears.
Cynics would argue that the only reason for the New York setting was to allow the pre-credit sequence to culminate in the shocking reveal that the Statue of Liberty is a giant Weeping Angel towering over its victim with fangs bared. But the city that never sleeps is perfect for the story and the feel of foreboding.
I love the scenes in modern-day Central Park before the action shifts to the grim shadows of the 1930s. And Moffat ingeniously weaves the time travel element into the story with the Doctor reading from an old detective paperback describing past events so that he can interact, now, with events that happened 70 years earlier.
Of course the Angels kill people in a nice way by zapping them 50 years into the past so that they can live themselves to death. When the Angels dispatch Rory to that earlier age, Amy elects to allow the Angels to send her back as well despite the Doctor’s tearful protestations. We feel the sadness of knowing that Amy and Rory are dead but also realise that they still lived to a ripe old age and lived happy ever after. Sort of.
The regulars, including Alex Kingston returning as River Song, act their socks off. The Angels are as scary as ever. Especially the giggling little cherubs blowing out candles and the mother and son statue watching from across the road.
A fabulous finale which leaves me waiting in anticipation for the Christmas episode. After the credits roll we get a tiny glimpse of the festive story complete with new companion played by Jenna-Louise Coleman. How on earth will she fit into the narrative given we last saw her as a Dalek in the season opener?
Over to you: Do you agree with my review of Doctor Who The Angels take Manhattan? Were you sad to see Rory and Amy leave? Were there tears? What about the Angels? Still scary or have they been over-used? What about those cherubs? Share your thoughts and comments below.
Is Body Balance getting too hard. Does Body Balance release 58 step too far over the line?
Before I try to answer that from an instructor’s point of view, let’s be honest. Some clubs incorrectly promote Body Balance as “the easy Les Mills programme”. And this means some newcomers are quite surprised how hard it seems even if you teach them low options. That’s because their expectations are to expect “easy”.
With release 58 I’ve had feedback from seasoned regulars that this one is “too hard”. On the other hand other have said that they are really enjoying the challenge and say, “It’s different,” and, “I like it.”
Body Balance 58 Poster
My first impression of this class was I didn’t find it as lethal as the last one. In fact I felt the conditioning tracks last time were among the toughest exercises I had ever done. Not in a Body Balance class, but ever. But no one told me they thought that one had crossed the line.
So why has Body Balance release 58 polarised participant opinion? I have a theory but first let’s have a look at the tracks.
Tai chi warm up (Feeling Good): A very short introduction with simple moves because there’s no time for complexity. A few forward arm swings followed by huge circular movements bring a focus breathe. It’s great that we go back to the tai chi moves later in track 8 however as this opener really is blink and its over.
Sun Salutations (Little Star): Musically this is the low point of the class and pose sequence that goes with it is very complex. Extra push ups. Added standing lunges. Three legged dogs. The first time I taught this I overran. So the music was over before I finished the moves. I had to practice even more than usual to nail it. Perhaps the issue is that the sequence doesn’t match the verse chorus structure of the song. So you start and finish the four salutations at a random point in the song and not at the beginning of each verse. It is also very hard to hear and feel the beat. Maybe a less complex sun salutation repeated 6 times might have fit the song structure better. It just feels awkward.
Standing Strength (Next To Me): I’ve listened to this song on the radio all year and have expected it to turn up in Balance. At six and a half minutes this is a challenge but the music breezes along so that you think it is over much quicker. Only at the end when your quad muscles are screaming do you realise the music carried you through a tough set of warrior, lunge and triangle poses.
Corey Baird and the team from BB58 video
Balance (Somebody I used to know): Another chart hit that’s amassed hours of radio play. It has a completely different feel to the music we usually get in balance tracks. But despite the unusually uptempo number the movements are quite slow and flow together well. Tree pose is always welcome and it’s good to see eagle and warrior 3 back after a break.
Hip openers (Every Little Thing she does is Magic): A lovely optimistic upbeat cover by Les Mills of a very old Police hit from the 1980s. Again a relatively simple sequence; half lotus, swan, and a quad stretch. I love the smiles on people’s faces when they try to lift their front arm during the quad stretch. Wobbles are good guys! We finish with frog pose which I always think takes us to the fine line between pleasure and pain. And there’s no dignified way to get out of it is there?
Core abs (Shake it Out): Well this is definitely hard. Cycle crunches, leg raises, and those seated abdominal leg pulls are obviously making a guest appearance from CXWORX. Is this track the reason some people say that this release is too hard?
Core back (Power): This is tough as well (but not as lethal as it’s equivalent of 3 months ago). There is so much bum squeezing in this section. Bridge pose with leg lifts, striking cobras, elbow walking planks around the world locust poses bring fire to the gluteals. A very busy track with no breaks and quick transitions I think it is very effective. But do we need bird pose at the end? Even for people who can do it there is so little time to set it up and perform it effectively.
Twists (Paradise):Coldplay’s anthem allows us to revisit the tai chi moves from the first track. Eagle pose twist feels awkward at first but if you keep both feet on the ground and not trying to balance on one you’ll get it quicker. The twisting lunges choreographed to the anthem chorus are powerful and strong. Again actually a simple set of moves driven on by a powerful song.
Twisting Pyramid Pose
Forward bends and hamstrings (Your Song): I think this is a cover of the Nicole Kidman version of Elton John’s classic from the film Moulin Rouge. A simple sequence again but “How wonderful life is” when you reach high for those baby back bends. I like the intensity the twist in the pyramid pose brings to the legs. An emotional conclusion.
Relaxation and Meditation (Contemplation and Softly Falling): A mystical and haunting piece of music with a subtle beat almost lulls the heart back to resting as you breath deeply. As the music changes to the last piano outro we can change our focus from breath to body and bring ourselves back into the real world.
I like Body Balance release 58. It is a good choice of well-known tunes and challenging exercise. But is it harder that what has gone before? I’m not sure it is. The core abs track is genuinely tough. So perhaps it is the more uptempo songs that makes the release feel harder than the simplicity of some of the moves suggest. Maybe it is the music that is harder?
I would love to know what you think about this.
Over to you: Do you agree with this review of Body Balance release 58. Are you a Body Balance instructor? Please let me know what you think of this class. Is it too hard or just right? Participants what do you think? Go on share your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
I am writing this post with aching legs and burning shoulders. And it is all Body Combat Release 53’s fault. This is a relentless work out. It hardly lets up for a moment. Several times when first teaching this, I forgot to breathe. So the next time I warned the class to take care. Afterwards someone tweeted me to say that they too had failed to follow my breathing advice.
So let’s talk about the tracks.
Poster for BC53
Upper Body Warm Up (Written in the Stars): As usual an uplifting opener with a strong beat and catchy tune. As well as the usual jabs, upper cuts and hooks we also get to preview descending and ascending elbows from later in the class.
Lower Body Warm Up (Are You Ready For This?): Spot the instructors and participants who have done Body Combat for years. This song first appeared in release 10 way back in 2001. I find this a very busy lower body warm up with very quick transitions and a lot going on. The timing in the capoeira ginga shuffle is hard to nail. Overall though very effective as we get warm very quickly.
Combat 1 (Rock N Roll All Night): This is a disappointing track. It’s very short and is a rather insipid live version of the song. However we see the jump front kick in Combat 1 for the first time (it’s usually in track 4) and that raises the heart rate slightly before you blink and find that the track is over.
Power 1 (Shine On): Now the work out cranks up to lethal levels and pretty much stays there from now on. I found my shoulders were particularly sore after release 53 and it’s because all the three power tracks have a hook in the combinations thus working the same muscle groups over and over. The moves in Shine On are simple and the high amount of reps lead to fatigue and a fast heart rate. Use the short skipping break in the middle to get back control of your breathing.
Dan and Rach doing side kicks in Track 4
Combat 2 (Sweet Dreams): When I first heard this music I thought it was very dark and gothic. I’ve since found out that it is a cover of the Marilyn Manson and not the Eurythmics version so that explains it. Karate takes centre stage here with very powerful blocks and palm strikes. We build up the side kick sequence slowly and then ramp up the power. And I love the Kata which reminds me of the one from my all time favourite combat track, Scooter’s Jigga Jigga way back in release 25.
Power 2 (True Believer): Wow. Another relentless power track with a catchy sing along tune, pounding beat and great words let me create motivating cues. “You’re my inspiration” indeed. Another combo with a hook continues to burn the shoulders. I love the 7 upper cut combo with the huge seventh punch. And finishing with thirty odd upper cuts off the same arm elevates the heart rate to the top of the scale. We learn how endless punches like this can actually work the core as well as the arms. They are like sit ups stood up.
Combat 3 (Swagger Jagger):Cher Lloyd in Body Combat? You’re kidding right? I’ve seen much written on this song on Facebook and on discussion boards. It is an abomination. But the capoeira moves, very low lunges, esquivas, and the knee strikes and kicks torture your legs to the point where the music is irrelevant. If the pain doesn’t take your mind off the music just sing along to the melody in the chorus but substitute the words from the song it has ripped off, “Oh my darlin’. Oh my darlin’. Oh my darlin’ Clementine”.
Muay Thai (Blade): For a few releases now the Muay Thai tracks have featured rock songs. Personal I prefer my MTs to be thumping dance, techno trance tracks and this one is as thumpy dancey techno and trancey as it can get. Blade’s been in Combat several times over the years and it fits the programme so well. This is one of the moments I forgot to breathe. It’s a cardio blaster which will take you to the limit. On reflection the moves are very simple but the sheer intensity will leave you breathless. When I saw that the running order for this release was only 53 minutes I wondered why they didn’t double up this short MT track. I now know why. There is no way we could do it twice.
Power 3 (Summer Rain):Dan Cohen says that if you look up the word “epic” in a dictionary you will find the definition is “Body Combat 53 track 8”. At almost 8 minutes of flat-out punching it certainly feels epic. One of my issues with track 8s recently is that most of them finish with a long section of endless jabs. Finally we have variety mixing jabs and upper cuts into a frenzied melee. Even with my bandana on I found sweat pouring down into my eyes. It finished a little blurry.
Conditioning (Bangarang): Another dubstep song by Skrillex. More exercises based on hovers to blitz the core. In the notes booklet they describe the moves as “oblique shredders”. Start in plank (on knees or toes) and draw a knee to the side and in then kick out on an angle. Repeat for an eternity. This track worx!
Cool down (Is there anybody out there?): A pleasant cool down song. It is always good to see swan poses and down facing dogs in the last section – great leg and hip stretches. And a lovely finish with a return to the Kata from track 4.
Body Combat Release 53 is the best all round release for a while. It is such a good work out that I can forgive Swagger Jagger’s intrusion. If it wasn’t for the under-whelming track 2 this would have scored a well deserved 10 out of 10.
Over to you: I hope you enjoyed this review of Body Combat release 53. Are you a Body Combat instructor? Please let me know what you think of this class. Participants what do you think? Share your thoughts. Go on! Leave a comment.
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