Customer Reviews

Dancetime DVD! 500 Years of Social Dance, Vol. 2

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While browsing through the film collection over at Keene State College, I ran across two 45-minute video tapes named "Dancetime: 500 Years of Social Dance." The first volume was subtitled "15th-19th Centuries," the second "20th Century." Produced by Dancetime Publications and performed by a very personable troupe of young dancers that calls itself Dance Through Time-all on a bare stage but nicely costumed-they take us on a whirlwind tour of dances like the Balli, Galliard, Minuet, Quadrille, Polka, and Waltz (I am naming very few of the many) through the Castle Walk, Tango, Charleston, Jitterbug, Twist, right up to Hip Hop and Country Western. I was quite breathless by the time the second went bad on me (some people play them on dirty machines and return them with no shame or apology) and I had to stop watching to protect my player.

A relative in back in my former hometown tells me that these tapes are so popular in New York Public Libraries that there is a long waiting list for them and you cannot renew them after you keep them for a week. But now these two wonderful sets are out on DVD and have all sorts of extra features not found on the tapes.

For starters, you can simply play them through and let the frequent short subtitles keep you up on what is being danced. Or you can play them with a text superimposed over the picture. Or you can play only the text and the sound without the picture. But in those last two cases, keep your finger on the Pause button, because the text remains on the screen only as long as the dance does and you will never be able to read it all at that pace. There are also two or three CD-ROM features of historical interest, such as time-lines.

The dancers are all young and personable, and they make it all look so easy. Some of the narration is drowned out by the music but not very often. My senior citizen groups especially love watching the dances of the early 20th century.

Very highly recommended.

This DVD traces the history, dance steps, fashion and romance of the 20th century. Surprisingly, it is both an educational and entertaining experience.

I had such a good time seeing the dances that my parents and grandparents did. They are lively, sexy, and spontaneous. When I saw the dances of my own youth, I re-experienced many wonderful memories. This volume was fun to observe from beginning to end. The DVD contains background information, which is worth keeping for its encyclopedic content.

What a fascinating DVD this is for those of us who love history and dance. To be able to see the many changes in our fashion, music, and dance styles is a real eye-opener! From the 15th century's traditional ballroom dances to the 20th century's iconoclastic hip hop, our culture has truly "evolved" in astounding ways! The 2-volume set includes so many music segments and period fashions that the diversity of historical eras really amazed me. Actually, I enjoyed this so much, I can hardly wait to see the instructional videos.

This is a group of ballet and show dancers performing their "witty" impression of social dance. I didn't see a single dancer being social with their partner(s). Then again, I could not stand to watch the whole DVD. The production is a dated VHS transferred to DVD (i would rather say 1988 then 1998). And those annoying narratives...

I was somewhat disappointed by this video. I was expecting to see more ordinary people dancing in normal real life setting at least from the 1930s on and not broadway type dancers on a stage with no audience(which to me is very sterile.) Although they are all good dancers,they tend to make most of these dances,that should be typical of their era, somewhat the same (and not reflecting the social context enough.) I am still waiting for a film made perhaps with a collage of footage from films, television and/or even better, real ballrooms,dance halls,etc. with ordinary people dancing. Does such a product exist?

For educational purposes, especially in public schools, this is a great product to introduce students to the different styles and era of dances. The costuming, music, and dance steps are not only entertaining but fairly accurate to the periods. I have used it in public schools as a quest artist for the arts and humanities classes on a high school level and they found it informational as well as allowed them a chuckle or two.