Dance Theatre of Harlem / Fall River Legend, Troy Game, The Beloved, John Henry [DVD]

Dance Theatre of Harlem / Fall River Legend, Troy, Game, The, Beloved

Label: Arthaus DVD
Catalog No: AHM 100175
Format: DVD-Video
Release Date: 2012-02-28
Number of Discs: 1
UPC Code: 807280017595

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Notes & Reviews:

The Dance Theatre of Harlem, America's first outstanding classical ballet company of black dancers, started out as an experiment that quickly reached world-class level. It was created by Arthur Mitchell, a School of American Ballet student who had broken through ballet's color barrier by becoming the first black dancer to join an internationally renowned company, the New York City Ballet.

In this special studio production, the Dance Theatre of Harlem performs a selection of its most popular works, featuring Choreographies by Agnes De Mille, Robert North, Lester Horton and Arthur Mitchell.

An introduction to The Dance Theatre of Harlem is included as a bonus feature.

Notes & Reviews:

Run Time: 120 min.
Region: All
Picture Format: NTSC, 4:3, Color
Sound Format(s): LPCM Stereo,
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish



Reviews

As A Historic Artifact Interesting, But...
This re-release of two movies about Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1989 are important as historic artifacts, but viewing of these ballets is somewhat dull. The artists aren't exceptionally good in terms of technique, and over-act in the dramatic aspect. The first ballet, Fall River Legend, choreography by Agnes De Mille, is a very dramatic ballet based on a tale of a girl killing her father and stepmother with an axe. There is a minimum amount of dance, and the majority of the ballet is for the over-dramatic continuation of the plot. The second ballet, Troy Game, choreography by Robert North, is an exciting and fun parody of macho-men. It is set on 17 male dancers, full of energy and good humor. The third ballet, The Beloved, choreography by Lester Horton, is in the same style of over-drama as the first ballet. With minimalistic dancing and a bizarre story, it is short and forgettable. The fourth ballet, John Henry, choreography by Arthur Mitchell, is a very energetic folk-legend, with singing and dancing. It's exciting and fun, though also lacking in dance. Overall, I wouldn't call any of these except the second 'ballet', more so 'modern dance'. The DVD features short interviews with the director, dancers, and choreographers, which provide a unique insight into the ballets. I would recommend this DVD to ballet collectors, fans of Dance Theatre of Harlem, or just for the ballet, Troy Game, which was by far the best.
Submitted on 05/14/12 by danrubin06 
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Works Details

>Gould, Morton : Fall River Legend, ballet
  • Performers: Joselli Audain (Dancer); Virginia Johnson (Dancer)
  • Conductor: David LaMarche
  • Ensemble: Danish Radio Concert Orchestra
  • Period Time: Modern
  • Form: Ballet
  • Written: 1948

>Downes, Bob : Troy Game
  • Conductor: Markus Lehtinen
  • Ensemble: Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra

>Hamilton, Judith : The Beloved
  • Performers: Hugues Magen (Dancer); Casandra Phifer (Dancer)
  • Conductor: David LaMarche
  • Ensemble: Danish Radio Concert Orchestra

>Rosenstock, Milton : John Henry
  • Performers: Eddie Shellman (Dancer); Yvonne Hall (Dancer)
  • Conductor: Milton Rosenstock