Rating: 
Summary: Great ballet DVD for kids
Review: Both of my girls, 8 and 2 love this DVD. Most of the performers are kids, and the story is really easy to see. My little girl danced around and basically had a great time. My 5 year old son was less thrilled and found the wolf eating the duck a little off putting. Naturally the duck comes back to life and all is well at the stories end.Highly recommended, and quite a bargain.
Rating:
Summary: Great for Kids
Review: I bought this DVD for my kids, who are familiar with "Peter and the Wolf" from CD and book versions. Both the 5 year old girl and 3 year old boy wanted to see it again at the end of the first showing. It is well done, and my kids obviously enjoyed seeing other kids perform on stage. My kids have no prior exposure to ballet, and this is why I bought it. Based on one of the prior reviews, which complained of close up camera work, I nearly didn't order it. It turns out that the occasional close up is not at all a negative, especially for my kids, since it allowed them to identify with the character. They argued which one they wanted to be. In any case, usually most or all of the stage is shown.
The DVD, although short and without extras, is inexpensive and a good counter to the latest disney shlock.
Rating:
Summary: Little Girls Love This Ballet
Review: I bought three copies of this DVD, one for myself, one for my 8-year-old granddaughter, and one for a friend's daughters, ages 11, 9, and 6. All of us, including my friend and his wife, loved it. It is the perfect length for children who are being introduced to ballet. The costumes are beautiful and colorful, and, of course, the music is outstanding. The students dance very well. At the price, it's a bargain. Buy this video & enjoy it with your young ones. Even boys would like this one!
Rating:
Summary: Little Girls Love This Ballet
Review: I bought three copies of this DVD, one for myself, one for my 8-year-old granddaughter, and one for a friend's daughters, ages 11, 9, and 6. All of us, including my friend and his wife, loved it. It is the perfect length for children who are being introduced to ballet. The costumes are beautiful and colorful, and, of course, the music is outstanding. The students dance very well. At the price, it's a bargain. Buy this video & enjoy it with your young ones. Even boys would like this one!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Interpretation!
Review: I found this little chestnut on the day we (finally) purchased a DVD player. As a parent and sometime performer, I'm always looking for new ways to introduce my children to classic stories and music. In this production of "Peter and the Wolf," they get both. As my wife and I watched, we both realized that here was a very clever rendition. I'll grant you that there is very little teaching of musical instruments here, beyond what is written in the narration. But as a simple ballet, using minimal sets, this rendition of an old favorite rings very true. The music, as much as the dancing, sells this disc. I would take my daughters to see such a production in a theater. Casting was masterful. The principles were delightful, and their characterizations were never over-stated. Sir Anthony Dowell lends a wonderful air of old-fashioned story-teller as both the narrator and the grandfather. The use of chorus to depict meadow, tree, or pond was very cleverly done. All in all, I'm sure Prokofiev would be pleased. I know I was.
Rating: 
Summary: Not suitable for ballet
Review: I think the story of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf is not fit for ballet since this music was written for introducing musical instrustments. However, my daughters love this story and the dancers.
Rating:
Summary: Not suitable for ballet
Review: I think the story of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf is not fit for ballet since this music was written for introducing musical instrustments. However, my daughters love this story and the dancers.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I understand that evaluating this DVD may depend on what one is looking for. I've seen a full production of Peter and the Wolf as a continuous ballet, not as a learning experience narrated so that children (and others) can figure out which instruments represent what. This production confuses a learning tape with a ballet. Aside from the distracting narration, I found the photography very disturbing. Instead of letting the viewer see a dance in its entirety the camera jumps around from instant to instant so you can hardly catch one single movement from its beginning to its conclusion. Worst of all was the constant clipping off of the tops of peoples heads, sometimes even the eyes. I recall that Fred Astaire insisted that the camera always show full body shots so people could really experience the dance. Whoever edited this film should learn from Astaire. For me the DVD was very disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: PLEASE get this for your children!!!
Review: My twin toddlers (boy and girl) have absolutely LOVED this DVD since I got it when they were about 18 months. They have learned so much from it: different animals, different instruments from the orchestra (their sounds and names and can identify them in other situations), and they LOVE to imitate the dance. This video is so well done for children. It doesn't move too fast with quick shots here and there, typical of so many videos today, but is focused, up close, colorful, and paced just right. I really wish I could find more videos like this, but I am afraid there are quite few. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Charming Classic
Review: Not much to say. I found it absolutely charming. The dancers are all very good, especially considering their ages. Anthony Dowell gives his expected expert performance. This would make an excellent introduction to ballet for children, perhaps inspiring them like "The Red Shoes" did when I was young.
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