Customer Reviews

Dance Theatre of Harlem

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Dance Theatre of Harlem, founded by Arthur Mitchell AND George Balanchine, is a first rate ballet company and this dvd offers a nice, varied sample of their large body of work, only a small portion of which is available on video(please see my review for "Fall River Legend" for more information on DTH). "Troy Game" and "The Beloved" are exquisitely choreographed modern dance pieces and "John Henry" is a light hearted folk piece choreographed by Arthur Mitchell and the input of the dancers themselves(this bit of information comes from what cast members have told me). The DTH dancers are all clasically trained(in those days by Arthur Mitchell and George Balanchine himself) and this is quite evident in their dancing. This production was done in Denmark and is absolutely first rate in quality, from set design to music.

so, i fully acknowledge the historical importance of this company -- arthur miller did something completely revolutionary in his day, and i give him full props for that, but sometimes i think the quality of the actual choreography for this company is not so impressive(but i think that about alvin ailey too)... it seems that these two companies rely very heavily on the masterpieces that made them big, but that they don't always continue to make equally challenging work later. this dvd isn't terribly interesting or well-produced, but it is still valuable for its historical content. i recommend it, but not highly, to those interested in dance history, but i warn you that the work is dated and not very challenging to a more accomplished viewer.

I think there is a need for "YOUNGER" dancers. The dramatization of the roles is way over acted. There needs to be more concintration on the technical part and less on the "ACTING". This will enable to be rise to the level of the other classical ballet companies.