12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Giselle's Bare Essentials, February 27, 2008
This review is from: Giselle: Ballet In 2 Acts (DVD)
I purchased this version of Giselle to get a sample of the dancing of the great Bolshoi ballerina, Lyudmila Semenyaka, and she is razor sharp in her technique in this performance. In fact, all the dancing is excellent here. Another entertaining aspect of this DVD is the behind the scenes coverage. It opens in Semenyaka's home, showing her playing with her todler, stretching and warming up in the kitchen, and trying on her wili costume. We then see her warm up, hammer her pointe shoes, and rehearse a bit in the theater. We also see her in between acts, getting ready, as well as going home to greet her child after the performance. Another positive for this DVD is that the image(full screen) and sound are both very clear and crisp. So what is wrong with this performance? Two things: There are cuts in every performance, but this is ridiculous! Not only is the peasant pas de deux absent, but in the second act, most of Myrtha has been removed! Another serious negative, is the acting. It is totally lifeless from start to finish by the entire cast. There is a very sleepy, quiet quality to this performance. I am glad to have a sample of some nice solos, but that is about all this DVD has to offer.
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