Gothic Bellydance
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DVD details
Actor: Ariellah, Asharah, Ayshe, Blanca, JehanBrand: STRATOSTREAM
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 85 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-03-30
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: StratoStream - WorldDance New York
Product features:
- Stark.sublime.intense. The phenomenon of Gothic Bellydance or "Raks Gothique" is a multitude of poetic visions born out of the Goth, or Gothic, subculture, music, imagery and fashion, and expressed in the language of Bellydance. Modern "Bellydance" is an amalgam of historical dance styles coming from both East and West. Its diverse vocabulary allows the dancer to experiment with the widest ra
DVD Reviews of Gothic Bellydance
DVD Review: Imperfect, but Inspirational
Summary: 3 Stars
As a novice bellydancer and a lover of dark aesthetics, I was positively thrilled to discover that a DVD such as this was available. I pre-ordered it and awaited its arrival with baited breath. In retrospect, I worry that my eager anticipation for this DVD may have raised my expectations unrealistically high. Like virtually every other existing thing in the universe, this DVD has its high and low points.
In contrast to performance DVDs, for instance the original Bellydance Superstars video, the camera angles utilized in Gothic Bellydance allow for a better appreciation of the dancers and their choreographies as a whole. It did not include lengthy belly and chest close-ups which result in the cropping out of a significant part of the dance. For instance, I think that in order to really appreciate even isolation movements, one needs to see them presented in the context of the entire body to view the controlled motion in contrast to the stillness of the rest of the figure. And, of course, if you focus the camera on the abdomen or chest for too long, you completely miss the complementary arm movements, etc. in the shot! In this DVD, thankfully, the camera tended to stay with the dancer as a whole. I suppose this approach would prove to be quite monotonous for a major motion picture, but the real purpose of the DVD is to document the performances, and what is really on display here is not the compositional skills of the camera person but the skills of the dancer.
Also in pleasant contrast to some DVDs is the simplicity and austerity of the set. While some lighting effects and perhaps a bit of smoke is used, the set itself is not cluttered with arbitrary props which obscure the dancers; if props are present on the set it is because they are deliberately placed there by the dancers and are integral to their performances. However, the use of photographic overlays and digitally inserted designs and patterns do often break up the expanse of black backdrop surrounding the dancers. In most cases the technique makes for an interesting visual, rather like a moving collage, and its rare that these overlays obscure and/or distort the dancer significantly. There are a number of cases where editing was heavily used, but in the case of the two most greatly edited pieces, it's not such a great loss since these two pieces involved the least amount of actual dancing anyway.
The majority of the costumes presented in this DVD are gorgeous, sensual, and inventive. Gothic Bellydance certainly provides a wealth of inspiration in this category. Another of the things I greatly appreciated about this DVD is the variety of styles presented. The cabaret style of bellydance was represented by Neon, Tanna, Jeniviva, Tempest, and others, while tribal fusion wove its way into the mix via Asharah's and Ariellah's performances. The two pieces by Martiya Possession, comprising the dancers Ya Meena and Raven, provided an interesting contrast with their seemingly more folkloric style. Unfortunately though, the quality of the performances varied quite widely.
I found Ariellah's solo pieces to be superb. Her interpretation of every musical nuance and her muscular control is something I aspire to develop myself one day. In my opinion, out of all the dancers presented in this DVD, she was able to bellydance to traditionally non-bellydance music the most successfully. Likewise Asharah's performances were a joy to watch, although I think at times she could appear a bit sedate or aloof. Jeniviva's pieces grew on me over time, and personally I prefer her second number "One Night in Gotham." Her style and arm movements remind me very much of Suhaila Salimpour.
As an art-form, bellydance is fluid enough to allow the incorporation and influence of various other elements without losing its essential core, which it has already done throughout its history. Some of the performances in the Gothic Bellydance DVD showed that a combination of the Gothic aesthetic and bellydancing can be done interestingly and well, unfortunately others presented in the DVD tended to lose sight of the core along the way.
Overall, I would say that this DVD is imperfect but still inspirational, which is to be somewhat expected of the first DVD of its kind. I would recommend it to those who are already interested in exploring Gothic bellydance as a treasure trove of ambience and costuming ideas. However, if you're just a bellydancer or bellydance enthusiast seeking to broaden your collection of fantastic performance videos featuring all-around, professional-level skilled dancers, you may wish you had looked elsewhere.
Description of Gothic Bellydance
Studio: Stratostream Release Date: 11/10/2006Bestsellers in DVD
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