Bellydance Underworld
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DVD details
Actor: Various ArtistsDVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown)
Format: Color, Compilation, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 60 minutes
Published: 2007
DVD Release Date: 2007-08-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Hollywood Music
DVD Reviews of Bellydance Underworld
DVD Review: Yawn.......
Summary: 2 Stars
Like another reviewer I should have known better. Gothic, experimental...??? I was disappointed and bored and felt at $19 wasted my money on this DVD.
Sashi, boring, OMG a long song and she only did about 3 moves thoughout.
Katie Kay looked like she wanted to be somewhere else and I'm sure I saw her supress a yawn. Frederique started interestingly (first minute) but fell very flat after that. Tempest, loved the song but again BORING. And The Nekyia??? What were they thinking!!! They were a circus act with oddly fitting tops if you could call them that. (The hubby liked it)
Arellah, Kimi Liddle and the others were enjoyable and for most part looked like they wanted to be there. Their costumes were great along with the sets they were dancing on. The group who were the liveliest and looked like they were enjoying themselves the most were Unmata. But a personal "thing" for me was they had hairy armpits and well I got a bit distracted by that. But that's probable just me...
So all in all not worth it. I will not be getting another Gothicy type DVD again as this is the second let down in this genra I've brought recently.
DVD Review: Boring, with few redeeming qualities.
Summary: 2 Stars
I should know better... every time I see a Tribal Fusion, Gothic, or Experimental bellydance DVD with the words "revolutionary" or "evolutionary" somewhere in the blurb, I should run far away. Because these terms don't mean what they're supposed to mean anymore. Now they are code words for "more of the same boring Rachel Brice clone crap done do more of the same depressing robotic industrial clone crap music". Or words to that effect.
It would seem that there is not an original thought in Tribal Fusion, Gothic, or so-called Experimental bellydance anymore. At least, not if you go by what's passing for "original" in this DVD. I honestly could not tell the difference between the performances by Monica Fernandez, Sashi, Katie Kay, Karakas, Frederique, or Tempest after awhile, because they look like they were all done by the same choreographer on the same day. One or two were more hip-hop in flavor, one or two were slightly more Gothically depressing (or was that just painfully slow?) than the others, but otherwise it was more of the same old, same old. Stand in place, look really serious, do your Tribal snake arms, pop and lock in slowmo like a breakdancer doing Tai Chi, roll your belly, and bend over backwards for the big dramatic finish. Lather, rinse, repeat. HELP!!!!
A few performances stood out as not totally, crushingly boring. Ariellah was genuinely creepy, and seemed to get the mood right, and her clear, precise movements gave her performance a bit of oomph. UltraGypsy did sort of a "fun" Tribal group piece, a little ray of sunshine in the dark gloomy fog. Kami Liddle rocked pretty hard, as she always does -- and so did Elisheva of Bellyqueen. Those two had some dynamic performances. But the rest... oy. I ended up watching a number of them in Fast Forward, which improved the entertainment factor quite a bit. Hey look! She's actually moving now!
Nekyia gets the "WTF" prize. That they called naked chicks rolling on a carpet "bellydance" is disturbing. That the chicks were naked and on fire and rolling on a carpet, makes for an interesting circus peepshow act or adult video, but it was not bellydance. PLEASE can we stop continually dragging the artform back to its old seedy reputation? Light yourself on fire and slither all over each other and call it whatever else you want, but please don't call it bellydance. We have enough image problems as it is.
Two stars for good production values and a nifty carpeted backdrop. Otherwise, get the Bellyqueen DVD and see actual bellydance performances done in an actually original variety of ways.
DVD Review: Met my expectations...
Summary: 4 Stars
Bellydance Underworld includes 12 studio performances by some well known tribal fusion and gothic bellydancers. I originally bought the DVD to see Kami Liddle's 'Cybele' performance as well as UnMata, but I enjoyed all of the performances and found a few new favorite dancers. Ultra Gypsy and Monica Fernandez were amazing and fun to watch. Some of the dancers were not so energized and almost looked bored. One dancer smoked at the beginning of her performance. The lighting and sound were good, and it isn't pixelated or blurry. I think my favorite thing about the vid is that there are no crazy wobbly zoomy camera shots in it!
DVD Review: a much improved second part to Gothic Bellydance
Summary: 4 Stars
Some time after the "Gothic Bellydance" DVD, comes to us "Bellydance Underworld", following similar trends and performances. To me, "Gothic Bellydance" was a big disappointment, with its too dark undertones, subpar cinematography & lighting and an overall amateur feeling. Thus, I approached this outing with some skepticism. Luckily for us, many of the flaws of the previous DVD have been deeply polished and now we are offered a professional-looking edition full of interesting and mysterious performances. A complaint, the performances run just under 50 min, which leaves you longing for more. Since the performances are uneven, I'll review each performance individually.
Ariellah: She has the first segment of the DVD, a dark gothic performance. Ariellah can be accused of having a style quite similar to Rachel Brice from the Indigo; this can be seen in a positive way; if you enjoy Ms. Brice's style and performance, there's much to savor here. After stating this, it is pretty obvious that Ariellah has a style all her own, favoring a darker approach to BD, with more varied arm work and a very good coupling to the music. Her mastery is undeniable and it's a superb performance all her own. A.
Monica Fernandez: This is an absolute winner. Ms. Fernandez delivers a full-throttle, highly energetic tribal performance with class and amazing display of both control and strength. On top of being an excellent dancer, she's gorgeous-looking. A+
Mira Betz: A very mystic tribal performer, an excellent dancer with a great amount of control and grace. Worth your time. A
Ultra-gypsy: A somewhat interesting performance, with some funny-looking moves that look a bit out of place. Slight lack of coordination among the five dancers detracts a bit from the performance, which is anyway quite nice. B
Sashi: Probably the most "Goth" of the lot, Sashi waves and shimmers, providing an ethereal-looking performance to a song from industrial Goth masters Collide. Sashi is well known in the BD community by her pierced wings, but this performance demonstrates that she doesn't need props to be a classy dancer. A
Kami Liddle: A tribal dancer heavily rooted in The Indigo looks and style, she dances to Solace, which is a statement on its own. Her performance is interesting, varied in rhythm changes and movements. Excellent! (On a personal note, I find she's got a certain stylish resemblance to Sharon Kihara, my favourite Indigo dancer, which obviously doesn't hurt her to my eyes). A+
The Nekyia: A female trio whose performance is not actual bellydance. Skimpily dressed, they perform with fire, which is rather spectacular, but there's no dance whatsoever. This is more of a nightclub-style rarity. C
Katie Kay: It takes some time to get used to her, funny hair and all, but she's most interesting because she has pretty unique armwork. In a sense, she's very different from other tribal dancers out there, because she delivers a hypnotic arm-based performance instead of the power-core, hard-shimmy-deep-bellyroll combinations other dancers use. Her hands are exquisite and she knows how to move them. The music choice could be better, though (Pentaphobish-like industrial ME fusion). A-
Frederique: She performs a gangster-themed fusion, which is rather repetitive and odd-looking. Not particularly interesting. C-
UnMata: It's easy to pick on them because of their peculiar aesthetic approach, but one should not be deceived. UnMata members know each other well and that results in a tight, highly synchronized performance that is exciting and fun. Exceptional. A
Tempest: A very crafty dancer, her performance is not exceptionally appealing. Her act is very studied, with excellent setup, attire and attitude, but the actual dance is somewhat limited. She seems to have many fans, but if this is a showcase of her talents, I'm not very impressed. She's also prominently featured in "Gothic Bellydance" DVD. C
Elisheva: Wow! I mean, wow! This performance is not very "fused" to anything, being more of an "almost traditional" drum solo, but...wow! One of the most excellent, gracious, overall magnificent dancers I've ever seen (and by now I've seen a few). Worth alone the price of the DVD. A+
One final note: this DVD was shot simultaneously (same day & session) with "Bellyqueen: The Bellydance Experience". This one also contains some tribal fusion and other styles of fusion and it is absolutely superb. Together, they rank among the best bellydance performance DVDs in the market. Get both!
DVD Review: Fairly good variety, was hoping for me though.
Summary: 4 Stars
I really enjoyed this DVD, but thought it should have been longer with 2 or 3 more performances added on. I was excited to see there was a fire fusion performance, but then was dissapointed (not meant to be offensive to the troupe that performed, they appear to have great creativity)to see not much really happened dance wise or fire wise.
There will probably be performances and / or costumes on this DVD that you wont like, but I think a main point of the DVD was to show how varied styles & performances can get in the "fusion" genre of bellydance. Its important to remember to keep an open-mind and respect all dancers. I didnt like some of the costumes because bellydance should be about showing the beauty of the dance, not your "assets" - no matter how nice they are! I feel that a costume that is overly skimpy really distracts from the dance. But my opinion on some of the dancer's costumes doesnt blind me from seeing what amazing dancers some of these women are! I saw some pheonominal muscle control, creativy & grace and would love to see many of these dancers again.
On another note, I had a lot of trouble with this DVD freezing, going blank, refusing to forward to the next scene (it will eventually go but I have to fight with it), etc. Tried it in two DVD players and it keeps happening. All my other DVDs play fine. I am wondering if anyone else has this problem? I am trying to figure out if it was a production issue on the whole lot of these DVDs, or if I just got a bad one - in which case I need to have the Seller replace it for me.
Description of Bellydance Underworld
Expressive, dark and mysterious define The Bellydance Underworld, a utopia far away from the mainstream where solace is found. Unearth this eerie subculture to discover Tribal-Fusion, Experimental and Gothic Bellydance performances. Rules are broken, authority is defied with unique costumes and sublime music from such talents as: Solace, Mosavo, Maduro, Collide and The Mutaytor. Chapter List: 1. Ariellah: Black Gothic Bellydance 2. Monica Fernandez: Sonic Jungle Sessions Tribal-Fusion 3. Mira Betz: Mirage Dark, Mystic Fusion 4. Ultra Gypsy: Mazamir Tribal Fusion 5. Sashi: Crushed Industrial-Gothic Bellydance 6. Kami Liddle: Cybele Tribal-Fusion 7. The Nekyia: Slinky Fire Fusion Trio 8. Katie Kay: Karakas Tribal-Fusion 9. Frederique: Blood Oil Gold Tribal-Fusion 10. UnMata: Akkadian Penumbras Improvised Tribal Fusion 11. Tempest: Doomsday Serenade Gothic Bellydance 12. Elisheva: Rhythm of the Heart Percussion Fusion Solo Special Features: Chapter Selections Interactive Menu Dancers Biographies Behind the Scenes Footage About Tribal-Fusion Article About Gothic Bellydance ArticleGeneral DVDs
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