Bamboo Dream

Rating:
Summary: MESMERIZING!
Review: As I write this the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan is making a triumphant US tour. I am assuming that some who see their performances may want to memorialize the experience by getting this DVD. They will not be disappointed. And I'd recommend it for those who are modern dance aficionados but haven't seen this group yet.

On a stage that appears to have a grove of real bamboos spread irregularly across it, the lithe and beautifully costumed dancers of the troupe perform dances based partly on Western modern-dance techniques combined with what appears to be the slow-motion movements of Tai Chi. The seven sections of the piece--Morning Mist; Spring Breeze; Summer Heat; Autumn Path; When Rain Stops; At Midnight; and Snow--are set variously to music of Arvo Pärt, the Estonian composer of slow-moving neo-mystic music and featuring recordings of the likes of violinist Gidon Kremer and pianist Keith Jarrett, or the twelve cellos of the Berlin Philharmonic, and bamboo flute improvisations--ravishingly beautiful--by flutist Huang Sheng-Kai. There are some unusual touches, such as in the 'Snow' section having male dancers on the floor aiming sleekly modernistic-looking electric fans at the women dancers whose hair and long flowing costumes undulate slowly in the breeze. It's a strangely effective combination of modern and archaic, somehow.

Everything about this production is impeccably done--the lighting, the videography, the music, the costumes and, most of all, the compelling choreography.

I wouldn't be surprised if this DVD becomes a popular Christmas gift this year.

Scott Morrison

Rating:
Summary: East plus West
Review: For those of us who have run out of Jiri Kylian to watch this a wonderful treat.If you know Arvo Part's music it will even add a dimension to your pleasure.