Michael Flatley - Feet of Flames

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: After seeing a live production of Riverdance, I bought videos of both Riverdance (at Madison Square Garden) and Feet of Flames. I really enjoy both. I would now love to see Feet of Flames live. In terms of the videos, I like Feet of Flames better.

Rating:
Summary: Feet of Ashes!
Review: Hang it up Michael- you're not the best dancer that ever existed (as you proclaimed yourself). It's too bad that your ego has produced yet another over the top too much for our own good video of your Irish taps! PLEASE enough already!

Rating:
Summary: A feast for the senses, 2 hours of magic, a must for Xmas.
Review: Feet of Flames - the show - was devised & presented by Michael Flatley & his team as Michael's personal farewell to the role of 'Lord of the Dance'. It was intended not just as a show, but a total experience. Presented on a 300 foot wide. 3-tiered stage erected in London's Hyde Park, as dusk fell & a new moon rose, before an audience of 25,000, for one performance only, the show was intended to, & succeeded in, making Dance History. To capture this experience & present it on videotape using only live footage is an extraordinary technical & artistic achievement, of which all concerned in it's direction & production can be justly proud. The simple story of the 'Lord of the Dance'. based on Celtic myth, & told purely in dance & music, was powerfully presented in the original video, but this new film goes much further. Hard though it was to believe when watching 'Lord of the Dance' that this company had been formed & trained in a few months from young dancers still at, or just out of school, it becomes more credible when you see how they have matured as dancers & as a company since that risky beginning. Two companies are combined in this performance, & their dancing, timing, & stagecraft are truly admirable. Helen Egan, who dances 'The Little Spirit', Bernadette Flynn (Saiorse, the Irish Colleen), & Gillian Norris (The Morrigan) have all fulfilled their earlier promise & each is worthy of whatever the Irish Dancing equivalent of 'Prima Ballerina' may be. Daire Nolan (Don Dorcha, the Dark Lord), one of the more mature dancers in the original production is as commanding as ever, while Anne Buckley - again one of the mature artists in 'Lord of the Dance' sings as blythely, yet looks younger than she did 2 years ago. Blonde fiddlers Mairead Nesbit & Cora Smyth are as stunning as ever, their musicianship is astounding. In 'Feet of Flames' there are innovations - gone is the Goddess Erin, with her flowing emerald cape. Anne Buckley is showcased in a different fairytale gown for each of the three performances she gives of well-loved folk songs. The choir Dun, with soloist John McKeon, formerly heard but not seen, is given their own dramatic number, as chanting High Priests in dark robes, & later appear on the upper stage, like the druids of old overlooking the battleground, during the dramatic Hell's Kitchen. In 'Breakout', the famous scene much criticised by traditionalists, in which the demure Irish Colleens strip to their underwear after being taunted by the Morrigan, they start out wearing traditional Irish Dancing competition costumes! The famous Flute Jam - added after the LOTD video was made, to showcase the individual instrumentalists - for this show always has a live band! - and Michael Flatley on flute, is included. There is a new pub-style dance for the whole company, ' Dance Over the Rainbow', in the first half. Michael plays his own solo flute composition 'Whistle Down the Wind' as an Entr'acte, and then plays for a solo hard-shoe dance by Bernadette , entitled 'Dance of Love'. Altogether there are many new costumes, & while some have criticised the cape worn by Daire Nolan to increase the villainy of his appearance, I liked it, althoug he obviously found it a bit of a nuisance. The show seemed to me more balanced than 'Lord of the Dance', where Michael Flatley's obvious experience & maturity, both as a person & a dancer was thrown into sharp relief by the immature, albeit brilliant, performances by the rest of the cast. Here things were on a more equal footing, and the overall effect was smoother for it. Not that there is any doubt of Michael Flatley's prowess! The title number 'Feet of Flames' is the most extraordinary display of male dancing I have ever seen - & at 60 I have seen a lot of male dancers, including Nureyev's 'Corsaire'. It cannot be described - it has to be seen to be believed! Flatley's creative & symbolic choreography, in partnership with Ronan Hardiman's , which puts Irish music firmly into the World Music class, is fully complemented by the thorough attention to every detail of the lighting, scenery, staging, costumes, & pyrotechnics. The rich symbolism used has been well-researched, & whether subtle & apparent only to the Celtic scholar, or very obvious, as in the colours of Anne Buckley's gown, & the 3 -tiered stage for the final scene, 'Planet Ireland', consitutes a powerful subliminal continuity throughout the performance & afterwards. The audience shots were varied, & carefully chosen to give the feeling of the experience of 'being there'. One picture that stays with me is of a child small enough to be held by his father, face totally rapt, aborbed & transported by wonder. This show is not about a new story - like all the best stories, we all know how it ends. But these are the stories we like to be told again & again, the myths & fairy-tales of old. No-one is too old or too cynical to remain unmoved by them, especially when so skilfully re-told. This film is a feast for all the senses, 114 minutes of magic, a modern mystery play. From the thrilling lead up to the first scene, to the final wistful notes of Michael Flatley's solo flute, I was spellbound - I almost forgot that this was the video, not the live show.

Rating:
Summary: Don't bother
Review: I own Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, and Feet of Flames. I Must say Feet of Flames was a waste of money, Thank goodness it was a gift.
If you own Lord of the Dance, Don't bother buying Feet of Flames! Its the same show, Yes there's a few differences there.
1) its an outdoor concert, 2) 2 New Songs/Dances, and thats pretty much about it.
I really think they lost what they were trying to achive.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Theatrical Show
Review: Like most people, I ridiculed Riverdance and everything of the like. But working in a store that sold this, I was absolutely floored by how awesome Michael Flatly's Feet of Flames was. This can not be compared to River Dance or Lord of the Dance (precurors to Feet of Flames). This is much more a show; kind of like the difference between Cirque Du Soleil's Saltimbanco and Quidam. The production value skyrockets and makes anything else (before it) look archaic.

Feet of Flames showcases MORE than just Celtic-style dancing. There are musical numbers by both a female duo and a solo singer. There IS some sort of story involved but I never focused too much on it. The dancing is fantastic. While the show is geared around Michael Flatly's skills, he does allow his other dancers to have some of the spotlight.

The interviews/making-of is quite insightful. Who would have though that Flatly loses several pounds (of water/sweat) during each performance? It's a wild show that showcases just how profitable 'riverdancing' can be. The sheer energy of the show, the performers and even the crowd will make you want to dance along with it.

Rating:
Summary: Lord of the, oh I mean Feet of Flames.
Review: This should be titled Lord of the Dance not feet of flames. The two shows are almost identical. If youv'e seen Lord of the dance then you have seen Feet Of Flames. There are a few minor changes here and there but basically the same stuff. My biggest gripe is that Flatley seems way to full of himself in this one! I mean he is so in love with himself its anoying! I truely enjoyed his dancing in the original Riverdance filmed in Ireland, but id say after watching Feet of Flames he deserved getting bagged on by Mike Meyers!!! The sensuality is bit more ramped up in this show, and it reminds me more of Vegas show than anything else. Can someone please knock some sense into Flatley so he can fit his swelled up head through the door. That way I can go back to enjoying his dancing with out his puffed up ego!

Rating:
Summary: The World's Greatest Dance Show
Review: All I can say is that if there is anyone who doesn't love this show after seeing it than we don't live on the same planet. This show inspired me to take Irish dancing. Now I've worked my way up to going to the world championships next year! In other words, it's a masterpeice. Personally I would give this 10 stars. There just is no comparison.

Rating:
Summary: Hmm
Review: I just recieved this as a Christmas Present in the GOld collection, and it's not bad but...when it first started playing it, I thought that I had accidently put on Lord of the Dance and they had upgraded it, and when I realized that it was in fact feet of flames i was a little disappointed. Michael Flatley obviously can't be as creative as he and others claim for him to be. Instead of revamping LOTD, he started a new show and added in a couple more segments. Not really worth your money. While as one mother from Tennesse has stated there is a bit more sex appeal in this one then the other one. Not vulgarly so as she may have exaggerated, but tighter outfits and shorter hemlines and slight gestures. If you would like to see both and do not previously own any of them, your better off buying the gold collection. If not, most libraries have LOTD, so you could just buy this one, its got everything plus some. While it's not all together horrible, but it does seem that they might be loosing sight of what they are doing.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome Production
Review: This show has some of the greatest dancing and musical talent that I have ever seen.


Rating:
Summary: RIVERDANCE, FEET OF FLAMES - VHS
Review: I bought this for my 3 1/2 year old daughter. She loves videos with singing and dancing. She/we absolutely LOVE this tape! We watch this tape just about every day and still enjoy watching it from beginning to end. My husband is even asking me when the Riverdance show is coming to town so we can order tickets! So order it and enjoy! You won't be disappointed :)