Gothic Bellydance Revelations DVD with Gothic Bellydance-Revelations (NR) +Movie Reviews

Varied and Entertaining

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 10/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
The variety of dance styles presented in this DVD, and the sheer length of it (105 minutes) give you your money's worth in entertainment, though if you are looking for an "only bellydance" presentation, you may be disappointed, as some of these numbers are dramatic and interpretive, and owe more to Isadora Duncan and Theda Bara in their heritage than traditional middle eastern bellydancing. There are also different levels of skill in the performances, but even the lesser ones are enjoyable, and watching the DVD with an artist's eye, I find something visually interesting in all of them. What makes this a 5 star DVD is not only having this pastiche of marvelous dance and musical styles, but also the 11 superb numbers by 8 performers that are standouts, as well as several more that would be in the 4 star category.

The standouts are:
1: Neon is a shimmering knockout in her 2 numbers (tracks 12 and 17), with stunning costumes, her long blonde hair, and the precision of her movements. Track 11 has her dancing with a lit candelabra on her head, with such amazing ease.
2: Anything danced by Arielah is captivating. Here in tracks 10 and 22, she delights us with the musicality of her undulating movements, and her totally unique style.
3: Tempest is a favorite of mine. There is a sensuality and beauty in her arms that is exquisite, and I never tire of watching her. She does 2 numbers, tracks 13 and 23.
4: Blanca does a stellar dance in track 4 (she is also in track 6, but this is a number that has little dancing).
5: Sera and Solstice (Laura Parker and Melissa Randazzo) are sensational in a synchronous piece.
6: Maiiah is riveting in her cape and snake dance! (track 14)
7: Jeniviva's second piece (track 16) is excellent (her first, the opening number, is dramatic sequence at a masked ball, and is mostly atmospheric with little dancing)
8: I thoroughly enjoy the elegance of Isis in the final number (track 24)

Among others that are good are Sa' Elayssa (track 7), and Mavi's dance in which she deftly twirls and balances a huge sword (track 18). Most of the dances are presented on a bare stage, and are well lit. For a look at the many facets of contemporary bellydancing, this is a great DVD to watch. With so many different styles, you may not appreciate all of it, but some if not most of it will delight anyone interested in diverse forms of dance, and the music that accompanies it."

Some hits, some misses....

Jynanntonnyx | WA | 10/23/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As with the first GBD DVD, there are some true gems on this volume. Others....not so much. It seems that this one is getting better, maybe if they do a volume 3 they will have hit it on the mark.

I will list which performances, in my opinion, best capture the spirit of Gothic Bellydance:

Laura Rose - her music choice (Wumpscut's My Dear Ghoul), whiteface, costuming, are all very goth. Her combination of jerky, swooning, and controlled movements is very well done and fits the music. And check out her sideways belly rolls. Wow.
Blanca - I didn't like her in the first GBD, but in this one she dances to Corvus Corax's Filii Neidhardi, and I thought she captured the spirit very well.
Shakra - My favorite! They do two numbers in a row. The first is to Maduro's Discordia, and it is deliciously creepy. Watch it and see. The second is Wumpscut's March of the Dead, where they stomp around in platform boots. I love it when the dancers dance TO THE MUSIC, not just in time with it!
Tempest - I had the chance to meet Tempest a few weeks ago and she is a wonderful person, genuinely nice. She dances to Jill Tracy's You Leave Me Cold and Collide's Wings of Steel. I'm not sure about the plastic extensions in Wings of Steel but I always love her fluid and dynamic dancing.
Ariellah - She has amazing isolation, and knows how to use her music. I preferred her dance to Die Form's The Hidden Cage to the other one (it just clicked better to me).
Mavi - I prefer the Isis wing dance to Corvus Corax's Mille Anni Passi Sunt, very dramatic. The sword dance wasn't a good fit with the music and dancing style.
Sashi - Her style of dancing is not my favorite but she is very good at her style, small, precise and controlled. Her music and costuming choices fit very well within the goth genre.
Jeniviva - Her first piece is more of a music video (but it's Clan of Xymox so I'm OK with that!) but her second piece is a Karslimar, and she is very playful and flirty, and knows how to dance to a 9/8.

These are the performers I think were way off the mark. Not that they are(or their dancing is) bad, but these performances would fit better with the Evening of Experimental Middle Eastern Dance than with Gothic Bellydance:
Bellyessence and Sarah Skinner
Ayshe and Adrienne
Elsa Leandros
Sherene-Vismaya
Isis
Maiiah
Neon

All in all, I enjoy watching this DVD. There are only a few tracks I skip."

Entertaining and Educating - Wonderful value!

Bustani | ALPHARETTA, GA United States | 11/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I loved this performance video. The sheer number of dances and the exquisite variety in Gothic styles make this a great value. All of the dancers are professionals and most have solo videos that are separate from this compilation. The music is appropriate and the camera work complements the dances and the dancers. I have 3 tribal type performance DVDs and this one is my favorite. The other two are: "Evolution" and "Bellydance Underworld". To really understand the genre purchase all three if you can. They are all wonderful in their unique way."

Lots of stuff and ideas

elise coromar | New York | 02/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Even though I am not a goth person, I still bought this DVD out of curiosity. I actually liked a lot. Even though a few (very few) of the performances were boring and repetitious, the great majority of the dancers came up with some unique and out of the ordinary numbers and costuming. For Goth, Laura Rose and Shakra were the hard core real thing. The others brought out their dark side expressing it in their own individual way. I loved Blanca's performance in the black costume and Elsa Leandros idea of using cane or stick dance steps applying them to the Medieval spiked flail maces is pretty cool. I was particularly impressed with her Turkish drop while swirling those things at full speed. Great zills also. My favorite was Ariellah, I just love the way she moves. Overall, I'm glad I bought this DVD."

Not Your Mother's Bellydance

Parthena Black | Oklahoma | 02/18/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're looking for a traditional bellydance performance video or have strong opinions about what is and isn't "gothic" or "bellydance", this video is probably not for you. If you respect creativity and are open to different styles and interpretations of dance no matter what its label, you'll love it. It's a treat for me since although I've heard of most of the dancers, I hadn't seen the majority of them perform. Categories, styles and labels aside, this DVD contains some amazing performances.

Two of the performance pieces are mainly theatrical and contain little bellydance. Jeniviva's first piece is more like an introduction to the DVD that includes many, if not all, of the other dancers. Everyone's got masks on so it's hard to tell. You can spot Neon by that blond hair and bangs and there's a clear shot of Blanca. A tattooed arm might be Tempest or Ariellah or a number of others. Jeniviva does all of thirty seconds of actual dancing and we're cheated out of getting a better look at her fabulous costume, but the piece is dark, sexy and very well done. Her second piece is an amazing solo with pure, joyous energy that highlights all of her skills and more than makes up for the first one - if you didn't have your heart set on it being "Gothic." Blanca's (the main reason I bought the DVD - she's one of my favorites) two performances also show both facets and both are mesmerizing in their own ways although they are completely opposite. The more I look at her slow, theatrical piece the more I love it.

If I was going to get all nit-picky and choose which piece was true to the DVD title, I'd have to say that it's Laura Rose's. The music and costuming are perfect and she is an amazing bellydancer that I want to see more of. She does an amazing horizontal belly roll that absolutely must be seen and all of her moves are pure belydance incorporating several different styles. She's really gotten creative with Khaleeji movements.

Shakra performs a very dark piece that leans more toward the theatrical with some more great bellydance moves than I initially thought. After viewing the trailer for their Shakra's Industrial Strength Dance Workout - Tribal Bellydance, World Fusion I was embarassed that I hadn't realized that some of the movements are based on African and other cultural dances. I am fascinated with their style and want to see more of them. Part of the second half of the performance reminded me of an aerobics class for zombies with its big, energetic and robotic movements and the six inch KISS-style platform boots that make the dancers appear larger than life. They look like they had a lot of fun with this creatively choreographed and perfectly performed piece. As a trio, their moves are perfectly in synch and if there are any mistakes, they're not obvious. I definitely want to see more of them as well - a performance DVD would be nice.

I was also very impressed that this DVD includes a performance by a "mature" dancer, Elsa Leandros, but disappointed in that this is the only performance that I'm disappointed with. Elsa does a medieval style routine to Jehan's Metal Mix music in a costume that simulates chain maille. I get the intent and the energy, but her dancing looks somewhat awkward and as if not a lot of thought went into the choreography. The props are a bit too large and the routine would have been a great one for sword instead. The length of the skirt in the costume is also at fault. The knee-high gladiator sandals under a mid-calf-length skirt detract seem to draw the eye downward and away from the hip and belly movement. The skirt is an odd length and snug fit and not at all flattering to the dancer. In fact, I don't think that it would look good on anybody. A longer, fuller skirt or even Melodia pants under the skirt would have made a significant difference - or maybe even just getting rid of the sandals.

Neon's first track left me wondering, "What the hell was that?" but as always, her unique style and energy prevail. Instead of music, Neon is dancing to a poetic spoken piece with music in the background. She calls this a photo-novel, I believe. There is a part with some fast moving still photos with balloon quotes. You have to pause and move through these slowly to read them, which you should to make the rest of it make a bit more sense. I don't think I've ever seen this done before and had to watch it a second time to appreciate it. Her second piece is that typical snakelike snappy Neon energy and of course, another one of her unique costumes.

The majority of the remaining performances are closer to traditional and tribal bellydance and I can't find fault with any of them. I'm blown away by Ariellah, so much so that I plan to buy her instructional DVD as soon as I can. Sarah Skinner and Bellyessence's piece didn't seem to "fit" at first but the more I watch it, the more I understand and appreciate it. I'm impressed that this DVD attempted to include a mix of ages and body types of dancers. The beautiful Isis is amazing, and I love Tempest because she has my body type. We're pretty straight up and down - no amound of weight gain gives us hips and no amount of weight loss will shrink our waists. The costume in her first performance is gorgeous and the skirt has the necessary layers and draping around the hips to help us cheat a bit.

I enjoyed all of the performances and the DVD makes me want to see more of these dancers. Most of them are new to me. Unlike others I've purchased, this one lacks dancer bios - although it does list their websites - and I would have appreciated them. The DVD includes more than twenty performances, so even if a few aren't quite your pair of zills there's still plenty to enjoy. If I like it this much after the first few viewings, I'm sure that I will enjoy it even more as time goes on.

The performances include almost all of the props as well - candles, wings, sword and even a snake! There's lots of creative use of fabric, including a hooded cape, and the music, including a few selections by Jehan, is incredible. I'm a strong advocate for artistic creativity and artists who are not afraid to step outside of the box, and I'm giving it five stars."

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