Michael Flatley, reportedly the highest paid dancer in the world, recorded this show, "Michael Flatley Returns As Lord of the Dance", in 2011. Filmed live in Dublin, 2d and 3d cuts of the film were prepared. Apparently the 3d version is atrocious. For a concert film, the 2d version features atypically excellent camera work. Whilst most dance concert footage tends to busily zoom into feet and body parts, here a good balance is struck between performer and stage. We get a healthy sense of both distance and horizontal space, and the film's editing is classical and never intrusive.
I know little about dance, but the dancers I saw the film with seemed enthralled. Flatley combines traditional Irish dancing with tap, jazz, modern dance and flamenco. Famed Irish composer Ronan Hardiman is responsible for the show's now iconic score. Dance connoisseurs scoff at Flatley - his is a kind of pop-dance, mass market kitsch - but you can see the attraction. It's a sexy show, designed for a wide audience. Most impressive to me, though, were the concert's solo routines, in which you're allowed time to soak up the nuances of solitary performers. In contrast, the concert's group routines expose Flatley's lack of imagination.
8/10 - Worth one viewing.
I know little about dance, but the dancers I saw the film with seemed enthralled. Flatley combines traditional Irish dancing with tap, jazz, modern dance and flamenco. Famed Irish composer Ronan Hardiman is responsible for the show's now iconic score. Dance connoisseurs scoff at Flatley - his is a kind of pop-dance, mass market kitsch - but you can see the attraction. It's a sexy show, designed for a wide audience. Most impressive to me, though, were the concert's solo routines, in which you're allowed time to soak up the nuances of solitary performers. In contrast, the concert's group routines expose Flatley's lack of imagination.
8/10 - Worth one viewing.