Dancetime DVD! 500 Years of Social Dance: Volume II: 20th century

Rating:
Summary: A low budget marvel
Review: 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.