Explosive Dance [DVD] [Import]

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Description

This fast-moving dance special brings together the world's foremost dancers performing at the Royal Albert Hall in London on September 15, 1998. Headlined by the spectacular Riverdance cast, choreographed by Wayne Sleep and directed by Ross MacGibbon, never before have so many different genres of dance appeared together on one stage. With mesmerizing performances from the Riverdance cast, Darcey Bussell & Yuri Yanowsky (The Royal Ballet), Antonio Marquez, Dmitri Gruzdyev & Tamara Rojo (The English National Ballet), Deborah Bull & Ashley Page (The Royal Ballet), The Jiving Lindy Hoppers, Club Salsa Dance Company, and many more. 90 minutes.

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Filmed in 1998 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Explosive Dance opens with a trio of jazzy tap dancers showing their stuff. Soon they are joined by a trio of Irish step dancers and a dance-off ensues. They tap and twirl, challenging each other, and ultimately blending into one seamless troupe. This is one of the best performances of the evening. Strictly Ballroom fans will love Antonio Márquez & Dancers. A tall, robust man in a sequined matador's jacket, Márquez can command a stage. The Jiving Lindy Hoppers are enthusiastic and show incredible athleticism in their too-short set, and the Club Salsa Dance Company outdo themselves with a sexy, intense, booty-shaking number. Of the five ballet performances, the best is the second number by the English National Ballet. A minimalistic modern piece with erotic overtones, it's a sleek and provocative duet. The impassioned duet of a policeman and his lover by the Royal Ballet, however, is also very gripping. Choreographer Wayne Sleep heads a Charlie Chaplin number that is entertaining but disappointing in its lack of originality. For the finale, the cast of Riverdance (not including Michael Flatley, Jean Butler, or Colin Dunne) takes the stage and wows the audience with their precision and flair.

A major oversight of Explosive Dance is that it does not provide the titles of the musical accompaniment. This is particularly frustrating for the ballet numbers (is this Swan Lake or are feather headbands back in style?). Explosive Dance is enjoyable and has many good performances, but it devotes too much time to traditional ballet for a show that bills itself as "explosive." --Dana Van Nest