Dancing on Dangerous Ground

Rating:
Summary: 5 stars! An Irish Dancer's Review
Review: As an Irish Dancer myself who won first at the regional dance drama competition last year, I have been to numerous perfomances competitions and have seen nearly every Irish dance performance on video/DVD. To me what is so spectacular about this show is simply the choreography. The dancing is the highest of quality with world champion dancers. It is also extremely passionet with spectacular acting. The style is new and loose. The choreography has some new types of fun things like dancing while doing push ups and dancing in a pub like seen and much more. And last but not least the story is very interesting to watch. Just becuse the outfits and stage lighting aren't super glitsy and flashy like Lord of The Dance, doesn't mean that it isn't exciting. The dancing is absolutly perfected and more intricate than almost any show Irish show I've ever see. Oh yeah did I mention how good and unique the music style is!

Rating:
Summary: Irish Dancing
Review: Colin Dunne is definitely NOT Michael Flatley. In fact, he is "flat" as the prototype lover in this re-creation of an old Irish legend. His surly expression dominates his role even in romantic segments and his dancing lacks "pizazz", for a better word. Jean Butler does not disappoint; she is charming and talented. And, the music and the instrumentalists are excellent. The ensemble is large, adequately costumed, and proficient. If you enjoy the art of dancing, this will satisfy. Frankly, I enjoyed Tony Kemp as Finn McCool as much as anybody.....and he did not dance a step. Some of the segments to the story were too drawn out. I am not surprised the production failed. Riverdance was superb......this is not. I wish I had bought a used copy instead of paying full price. Oh, well, live and learn.

Rating:
Summary: You will love this!
Review: Dancing on Dangerous Ground is my favourite Irish dance show. It is very different to any of the other shows that I have seen, either live or on dvd. If you are a fan of Lord of the Dance or Feet of Flames, you will find that DODG is not as flashy, there are no explosions or skimpy costumes!
I think I would describe it as sophisticated, elegant etc. The music is beautiful and the dancing is the best you will see. Great male characters with strong dancing and beautiful female dancers who float in their lovely simple but feminine costumes. Jean Butler is stunning and the chemistry between herself and Colin is visible and adds to the excitement of the performance.

This is a two part DVD. Part one is the full live performance of the opening night in London and part 2 is "Dare to Dance", a documentary of the making of the show. This documentary is as good as the performance and just as enjoyable to watch. You see the dancers arriving for their first rehersal, meeting the producers and hearing for the first time about the show and what is expected of them. You are in the room with them as they learn the difficult new steps. See Jean and Colin work together as they develop the choreography for the dancers and themselves. There are also interviews with Colin and Jean as well as other members of the troupe who include Jeans sister and other well known Irish dance show dancers. See the dancers backstage before the show, feel their nerves! Witness also the troubles between the producers, backers, Jean and Colin that most probably lead to the show's eventual downfall. For any dancer who aspires to one day dance in a show, this documentary is a "must see".

I have now watched my copy of the DVD most probably a dozen times and never get tired of it. I have read on message boards that other people have found it boring, I can't imagine why! They are talking about a version that was aired on American television which I believe was a cut down version of the show and maybe they are used to seeing MF strut his stuff! I also own copies of Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames so you need to be aware that DODG is at the opposite end of the Irish Dance spectrum ( if that makes sense! ) Maybe the cut down version didn't include the fantastic pub scene or the beautiful wedding or the......you will have to buy it to find out!

Also, lastly,, there is only Irish dancing in this show, no Spanish or tap as in Riverdance. It is truely a show for lovers of Irish dance. I hope that you will love it as much as I do. Thanks.

Rating:
Summary: Not a Riverdance or Lord of the Dance
Review: I was fortunate enough to see the show live in London in Dec. 1999. I was very impressed with the dancing, but also that it had a story line, unlike some of the other Irish dance shows. Colin Dunne and Jean Butler are world-class Irish dancers as were many of the members of the supporting cast. When the PAL version of the DVD came out, I got it and was fortunate enough to have a multi-system multi-region DVD player and could watch it, which we have several times. While I did enjoy Riverdance with its myriad dance styles, it was interesting to watch a story drama. Although the DVD cannot compare to a live performance, this DVD does the show justice. Even more so since the show went belly-up from financial problems soon after the sold-out week at Radio City Music Hall in NY (the only venue outside of London).
The documentary following the show is much like "Riverdance: A Journey." It is interesting to watch a show develop and see the creative process in action.
The only sad thing is that because of the bankruptcy action, the tapes of Solas' performance (live in London!) have never been commercially released, although there have been promo copies recently available on Ebay, which Seamus Egan's agency produced to promote him and Solas for other film and stage productions. Some of the subtlety is lost in the live performance recording, but the score does shine through.
A real must for any fan of Irish dancing. I just don't know why the distributors took over 3 years to bring the show DVD to the US and Canadian audiences.

Rating:
Summary: A STEP ABOVE THE USUAL
Review: IF YOU ARE EXPECTING A RIVERDANCE OR LORD OF THE DANCE TYPE SHOW YOU SHOULD SKIP THIS. NOT BECAUSE IT IS BAD BUT BECAUSE IT IS SO GOOD. IT TAKES IRISH HARDSHOE DANCING TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND PERHAPS BEYOND. DODG ACTUALLY HAS A STORY AND PLOT THAT YO CAN FOLLOW AND ENJOY. JEAN AND COLIN WERE NEVER BETTER. ALSO YOU CAN SEE THE EVER ELUSIVE CARA BUTLER, JEANS' SISTER AND A PERSONAL FAVORITE OF MINE. ALSO INCLUDED IS A MAKING OF VIDEO CALLED DARE TO DANCE. BY WATCHING IT YOU GET A FEELING FOR THE TENSIONS AND CONFLICTS THAT ULTIMATELY LED TO THE DEMISE OF THE SHOW. I WAITED A LONG TIME FOR THIS DVD TO COME OUT AND I'M GLAD THAT I DID. YOUR IRISH DANCE COLLECTION WOULD NOT BE COMPLETE WITHOUT IT.

Rating:
Summary: Stirring stuff
Review: This is really a very accomplished piece of dance and theatre. The principal dancers are at the top of their field, and their looks are also perfect for the tale. The music is beautiful and evocative, very dramatic and often lovely. The voice of Finn sets the stage for this classic tragic tale. The musicians blend with the dancers; it's great to see the fiddle player as she saws away with great skill and fire. Personally I find Jeanne Butler extremely attractive, while Colin Dunne is a handsome devil.

Recommend this as a marvellous blend of drama, dance and music.

Rating:
Summary: Worth the wait
Review: This was a fantastic show. The sets and costumes were perfect, rather than gaudy and over-the-top. Jean Butler and Colin Dunner were at the top of their game and they did an awesome job with the choreography. It's true that this show is a lot different than Riverdance or Lord of the Dance - it tells a story and I all the company members did a better job acting than other dance shows. If you want a flashy extravaganza, go with Lord of the Dance - this is not for you.

Rating:
Summary: Dancing at its Best
Review: Unlike the other two reviewers I have only watched my copy of Dancing on Dangerous Ground once. The performance section is about an hour and a quarter long, totally dancing. That is good. Compared to 'Riverdance,' 'Feet,' or 'Lord,' this is an improvement, since the latter DVDs are about half dancing and half singing-and-orchestra. I will take the dancing any day.

Both Dunne and Butler are fine, although aging, dancers. Jean can also express emotions realistically, and it is a joy to watch her face and hands as she expresses love for Colin Dunne. Dunne, on the other hand, does not look so much love-sick as just sick. He looked like he was getting ready to hurl, to barf, instead of to kiss the girl.

I would assume the Irish legend behind this DVD was more complex than appeared in the dance itself. Basically an old lech marries a young chick, but she has the warmies for a younger dude. On what I assume was their wedding night old lech gets drunk, maybe drugged, and the chick runs off with the younger dude. A war is started, but somehow Colin Dunne ends up with Jean Butler. This is enough of a story line for watching them dance, but I would hope the legend itself had more going for it.

The costuming for the New York performance was excellent. Colin Dunne's long white coat was an inspiration. Jean Butler's white wedding dress, short in front for dancing and long in back, was very nice. I am sorry the show died for financial reasons. I would think they could have put together a repertory company that toured Britain doing an assortment of Irish legends put to dance and done well. But I may be totally wrong. In the United States people will pay large amounts to see almost anything Irish on stage.

I have seven DVDs of Irish dance performances, and like them all. This one is good because it is all dancing, and shows that a story can be told with tap-dancing as well as ballet. It will never become as popular as, for instance, Nutcracker or Swan Lake. But it is still worth buying and watching. It could very well be called Investing on Dangerous Ground. Some day, performance Irish dancing to tell a story, an Irish legend, could become not only popular but financially viable. I would hope so. Then we could see more of it.