Crunch: Pick Your Spot Pilates

In an era of activism, filmmaker Connor Luke Simpson enters the world of Fat Acceptance, a provocative social movement that is seeking to change the negative perception of obesity. Is everything we know about obesity wrong, or, will this movement just become a footnote in the history books?

With swimsuit season perpetually around the corner, CRUNCH: BIKINI BODY features three workouts to take anyone from flabby to fit. There are no excuses not to look amazing on the beach when these workouts pack fat-burning action into 10 minutes of exercises each. This title focuses on abs, butt, and thighs with fun cardio workouts.

Welcome to CRUNCH Fitness! Want to shimmy and shake your way to a great body? Then this is for you. These easy to follow dance routines are unlike any workout you have done before they are fun, they are sexy, they are CRUNCH. Exercise should always feel this good! Come on let your hair down, get your groove on and get ready to sweat. You have nothing to lose but a few extra pounds. Let´s Go Go!

Welcome to CRUNCH Fitness! Get the best of both worlds and the most for your effort with this winning combination: calorie-burning cardio along with Pilates-based toning. Impact safe yet so effective, it maximizes your fat-burning potential. You'll start with easy-to-follow cardio that skillfully blends dance and low impact cardio with standing Pilates-inspired moves into one routine to challenge your aerobic fitness, improve your posture and put you more in touch with the power of your "core." Then, kick off your shoes and hit the floor to tighten and tone your favorite body parts, including abs, butt and thighs. Get long, lean, sexy muscles with our series of Pilates mat exercises, sure to give you a year-round bikini body! For faster results than Pilates alone, this combo workout can help you sculpt your body AND burn fat! For all fitness levels. A mat or rug and bare feet are highly recommended for the Pilates floorwork.

From the rains of Japan, through threats of arrest for 'public indecency' in Canada, and a birthday tribute to her father in Detroit, this documentary follows Madonna on her 1990 'Blond Ambition' concert tour. Filmed in black and white, with the concert pieces in glittering MTV color, it is an intimate look at the work of the icon, from a prayer circle before each performance to bed games with the dance troupe afterwards.

Joan Denise Moriarty doggedly followed her dream of bringing ballet to every corner of Ireland. A pioneer of early 20th century Irish dance, she dared to create a uniquely Irish form of ballet inspired by her love of nature and Irish folklore. Her life's work has been largely overlooked since her death.

This is a 1995 video shot in a room decorated for Christmas (there's a big decorated tree, presents, decorations, the whole 9 yards). Joannie is the only excerciser and she does it all to Christmas music. The intention of the tape, according to the box and Joannie's intro is to give you a fun workout to do between Thanksgiving and Christmas to keep your stress level down and keep you from gaining weight. […] Joannie is perky and slighlty grating at certain parts, but she is obviously trying to be upbeat and praise you for working out during this hectic time (one of the moves she talks about is to mimic holding holiday food trays!). But the music is great! There is certainly something to be said for working out to Rudolph in the August heat and humidity. — videofitness.com

Both during and after pregnancy, yoga is a perfect way to firm your body, build strength, and gain flexibility. These two yoga practices, filmed in a serene garden overlooking the Pacific Ocean, are also a wonderful way to maintain emotional balance and reduce stress during the exciting and often hectic times surrounding the birth of a child. In the prenatal sequence you'll practice safe and simple movements intended to strengthen and tone your body at any stage of pregnancy, while providing relaxation that will help create a luminous space in which your baby will thrive. The postnatal sequence is designed to redefine your body, restore your energy, and help you reconnect to yourself and your own wellness.

Produced by JVC in collaboration with a Smithsonian/Folkways Recordings editorial board of scholars and Multicultural Media, The JVC Anthology of World Music and Dance presents examples of folk music and dance from eight geographical regions split into 30 volumes (approximately 50 min. each).