The Video Dictionary of Classical Ballet

List Price: ~~$49.99~~
Our Price: $44.99
You Save: $5.00 (10%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $24.01 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details

Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD details

Actor: Georgina Parkinson, Kevin McKenzie
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 270 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1991-08-15
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Kultur Video

DVD Reviews of The Video Dictionary of Classical Ballet

DVD Review: Wonderful Video!
Summary: 5 Stars

I think this is a video for every ballet enthusiast. It is well spoken and pronounces the French words easily. The steps are clear and put in slow motion and fast motion. I recommend that ANYONE, ages 1 to 100, should see this video.

DVD Review: Very good resource
Summary: 4 Stars

This video series has so much information, so many different ballet moves, it really is a good resource. I didn't give it 5 stars because some of the dance moves aren't given a title by the narator. But this would probably help any beginner with learning ballet. Very thorough.

DVD Review: Learning the language
Summary: 5 Stars

This 2 CD set is the perfect aid for those who want to learn the basic vocabulary of classical ballet. There is no better way to learn than to see the positions, barre, center work, combinations, etc. expertly demonstrated then deconstructed and explained. Each section is numbered for reference and is indexed to the insert that is included with the CD set. I myself am not a dancer but, because of a book I'm writing in which one of the main characters is a dancer, I need to learn the basic language of dance. There are many published glossaries of dance terms, but nothing written could ever come close to depicting what classical ballet is composed of: for that purpose the medium has to be visual.

Others who better know ballet can decide if this is the definitive work on the subject. To me it seems so.

A note about the technical quality: some reviewers complained about sound quality. In my opinion, that's being really nitpicky. The visuals are spectacular. Let's leave it at that.

DVD Review: For the advanced student of professional only
Summary: 5 Stars

I am under the impression that many people buy this DVD to learn ballet. That is not the point. You can look up moves, positions, etc., but this is not a step-by-step to teach you something you haven't learned in class. It's basically a summary of how steps are done. If I'm trying to remember how move X is started, I'll pull out the DVD and already know what to look for. But it will not teach me step X. You will be disappointed if you buy expecting a class replacement, but will be happy if your intention is to use this DVD solely as a reference and as a supplement to proper classes.

It's not an overly-pretty DVD. There aren't fancy costumes, and the dancers are wearing classwear. Music in the background is to keep tempo, so don't expect to pop in the DVD and hear a beautiful orchestra and watch full dances. You will see the word, hear it pronounced in French, then see the move performed a couple times in a class setting (without onlookers). This is all. You can easily skip from scene to scene to find what you want. This is what you get.

DVD Review: Intriguing!
Summary: 4 Stars

I have always wanted to be a ballerina and always fascinated about the many different styles and techniques, BUT, I didn't realize how many different positions there were! I loved this DVD, it was so fascinating and amazing at what these dancers can do. All the hard work they put in by conditioning their bodies to give us a beautiful outcome of a performance. The DVD shows different dancers doing different postions of dance. I have a deeper respect and love of ballet.

Description of The Video Dictionary of Classical Ballet

Now on DVD! The essential video dictionary of all classical ballet movements performed by some of the greatest names in American Ballet. Teachers and students alike find the Video Dictionary of Classical Ballet the most innovative and dynamic tool ever developed for learning and studying the movements of ballet. 4 1/2 hours on two DVDs, this set includes over 800 variations in Russian, French, and Cecchetti styles. Many of the movements are shown in slow motion with multiple camera angles and voice-over narrative description. This engaging program demonstrates the complete language of ballet:Positions and Directions . Barre . Linking Steps . Center Practice . Pirouettes . Adage . Allegro . Batterie . Pointe . Musical Enchainements. For easy reference, a printed index of all the movements and variations performed is included. This comprehensive guide is demonstrated by four of the most outstanding figures in American Ballet: . Kevin McKenzie (Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre, former principal dancer, ABT) . Georgina Parkinson (Ballet Mistress of ABT; former principal dancer, Royal Ballet) . Merrill Ashley (former principal dancer, New York City Ballet) . Denise Jackson (former principal dancer, Joffrey Ballet)

General DVDs

DVD Video

Bestsellers in General DVDs

Man on Wire
Release date: 2008-12-09; DVD
Best price: $13.37
Price in other shops: ~~$26.98~~

Blue Planet: Seas of Life (Special Edition)
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2007-10-02; DVD
Best price: $17.59
Price in other shops: ~~$59.98~~

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Release date: 2008-10-21; DVD
Best price: $8.44
Price in other shops: ~~$26.99~~

Planet Earth & The Blue Planet Seas of Life (Special Collector's Edition)
Planet; Release date: 2007-10-02; DVD
Best price: $52.97
Price in other shops: ~~$119.98~~

The Beales of Grey Gardens - Criterion Collection
Image Entertainment; Release date: 2006-12-05; DVD
Best price: $13.60
Price in other shops: ~~$19.95~~

A Haunting in Connecticut
Release date: 2008-09-30; DVD
Best price: $3.53
Price in other shops: ~~$6.99~~

Grey Gardens - Criterion Collection
Image Entertainment; Release date: 2001-08-14; DVD
Best price: $25.20
Price in other shops: ~~$39.95~~

Religulous
Lions Gate; Release date: 2009-02-17; DVD
Best price: $10.20
Price in other shops: ~~$29.95~~

The BBC Natural History Collection featuring Planet Earth (Planet Earth/ The Blue Planet: Seas of Life Special Edition/ Life of Mammals/ Life of Birds)
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-04-01; DVD
Best price: $85.99
Price in other shops: ~~$199.92~~

Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2007-04-24; DVD
Best price: $19.49
Price in other shops: ~~$79.98~~

Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs

Ballet 101 - A Beginner's Class, DVD
Release date: 2004-08-21; DVD
Best price: $21.99

Ballet Class: Intermediate & Advanced
Release date: 2008-04-29; DVD
Best price: $10.60
Price in other shops: ~~$19.99~~

Inside Ballet Technique: Separating Anatomical Fact from Fiction in the Ballet Class
by Valerie Grieg
Princeton Book Company; Published: 1994-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.19
Price in other shops: ~~$18.95~~

The Ballet Companion: A Dancer's Guide to the Technique, Traditions, and Joys of Ballet
by Eliza Gaynor Minden
Fireside; Published: 2005-10-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.17
Price in other shops: ~~$29.95~~

Classical Ballet Technique
by Gretchen Ward Warren
University Press of Florida; Published: 1990-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $27.42
Price in other shops: ~~$39.95~~

Element: Ballet Conditioning
STARZ HOME ENTERTAINMENT; Release date: 2007-12-04; DVD
Best price: $7.16
Price in other shops: ~~$14.98~~

100 Lessons in Classical Ballet: The Eight-Year Program of Leningrad's Vaganova Choreographic School
by Vera S. Kostrovitskaya
Limelight Editions; Published: 2004-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.64
Price in other shops: ~~$18.95~~

New York City Ballet: The Complete Workout, Vol. 1 and 2 Image

New York City Ballet: The Complete Workout, Vol. 1 and 2
Uni; Release date: 2006-11-07; DVD
Best price: $19.97
Price in other shops: ~~$29.98~~

Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet (Dover books on dance)
by Gail Grant
Dover Publications; Published: 1982-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.67
Price in other shops: ~~$4.95~~