Customer Reviews

Dances of India - Kuchipudi Ranga Pravesam Dances & Songs

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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I should have listened to the other reviewers of this product. Don't buy it if you are a real Kuchipudi dancer, or have ever been one. The singer has a wobbly voice that cannot stay on the right note, the dancer is lacking in energy and expression, and the whole production has a second-rate feel to it that is very disappointing after you have watched many of the more polished Bharatha Natyam CDs. Having said that, I'll admit that this production is a good idea. I just wish it had been done by someone with more talent.

As an experienced dancer, but not professional, I beleive that the dancing is pretty good. I do have to agree however with K. Palanis review that she is not as flexible but her foot work is decent. As far as the dancer in this dvd doing any impressive moves... I didnt quite see that. Bhama Kalapam was done well, but not the best I've seen. The lyrics with their translations is very good for someone that doesnt speak Telugu. It would help with the facial expressions rather than trying to copy the video. Overall I thought the choice of songs and dance are good.

After watching this DVD, I noticed that the Padma Chebrolu's sense of laya is far, far from perfect. Moreover, she seems to have forgotten that one of the most important elements in Kuchipudi is the dancer's ability to bend sideways in the waist line, just as the contemporary masters, such as Uma Muraleekrishna has shown in her recent DVD production.

As to Padma Chebrolu's skills of balancing the brass tumbler on her head while dancing, a real danseuse has to do it with far greater amplitude and ease, and speed. As for Jathiswaram, the dancer did not select a complex piece and could not dance fast enough.

Of course, we cannot expect quite an old dancer to have the agility or even the subtle richness of abhinaya (absolutely required in items like Bhama Kalapam!) that one can witness in the DVDs of such contemporary virtuosos as Varsha Ramesh, but - for god's sake! - there must be a certain minimum standards that even some totally unfit, elderly dancers should be aware of.

The only good thing about this DVD is its structure and image quality. It is certainly very good features to include the subtitles of lyrics and the booklet with the meaning of the songs - if you already well-familiar with the Indian culture.

Mixing everything together is one of the typical problems that any dancer faces who attended a few brief courses of Bharata Natyam, Kuchipudi, Andhra Natyam, Mohini Attam and other classical dance styles. This is what we see in this DVD.

My close friend's family comes from India. Few weeks ago, I was at her house and knowng I am a ballet dancer, she asked if I want to see the dance of my life. She showed me the plate and the tumbler dance. Dancer stands on the edges of the plate and balances the brass tumbler on her head and dances. She looked like a doll. The costume, the braid (never seen a beautiful long braids before) and the music was fantastic. I showed my friend's DVD to my mom and begged her to buy me one. Now I have one. I also really like the veil dance. I just can not understand how a dancer can move like that. I keep watching this DVD over and over, just can not get over it.