Gothic Bellydance Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Gothic and Bellydance are perhaps not the most obvious combination in the world but this DVD demonstrates that it can be a very intriguing and entertaining mixture. Although it is hardly purely gothic and the choreography has lots of influences way beyond traditional bellydance. The costumes and makeup were certainly stunning. Not all the music was to my taste (but I'm merely showing my age here) but it did suit the atmosphere and the performances.

The presentation of the DVD itself cetainly will provoke mixed reactions. From the main menu, I made the mistake of going straight into "Play" which produced the 85 minute series of dances with absolutely no information about who was dancing or what the dance was supposed to be about. For that, you need to go into "Visions" where you will find all you need to know about the performers. But, considering all the artsy overlays used during the dances, a quick caption before each one wouldn't have hurt.

At first, I thought the artsy approach to the visual style might detract from the actual dancing but the camerawork generally served the choreography rather than the other way around, with a minimum of abrupt cuts and the dancer almost always being framed in full figure. Even so, some of the imagery seemed excessive although it was probably included to reinforce the gothic theme. But flashing song lyrics on the screen was definitely unnecessary.

As for the performances themselves, as can be expected with such a mixed program, there were highs and lows. My favorite dancers were Ariellah, Ayshe, Tanna and Tempest. They seemed to capure the intended mood perfectly. But Jehan's performance seemed more like a Madonna video than bellydance and Neon kept reminding me of Sandahl Bergman in Conan the Barbarian (that's not necessarily a bad thing). Compared to the other dancers, the duets by Raven & Ya Meena were rather uninspiring and repetitive.

Overall, I found the performances quite intriguing while my wife seemed to love nearly every minute. It would be interesting to see these dancers in front of an audience where that interaction might produce a bit more sparkle and spontaneity. I know the emphasis on these performances is supposed to be gothic, but it would have been nice if the dancers could occasionally crack a smile just to indicate that they were really enjoying what they were doing.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Gothic Bellydance

Product Description:

Stark...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.

Gothic Bellydance incorporates many Bellydance styles: Cabaret, Tribal Fusion, modern dance, echoes of Gypsy dance, Flamenco, Asian, and Indian dance ' all called to express the darkness and mysteries of life, death, and eternity that inspire Goth philosophies and lifestyles.

This first of its kind, groundbreaking collaborative project brings you the work of innovative and uncompromising 'dark fusion' artists including recognized pioneers of Gothic Bellydance. TeMPeST and Ariellah of California, Asharah, Ya Meena and Raven of Washington DC, Jeniviva, Ayshe, Jehan, Tanna, Blanca, and Neon of New York City, as well as music by outstanding composers and performers including Solace, Jehan, Collide, Knossos, and Gypsy Caravan.

Enter our dark labyrinth and meet souls possessed by an ancient evil spirit, a black-winged fallen angel, an incarnation of Kali and Isis, a leopard-woman from the island of Dr. Moreau, a tormented silent movie vamp, a Gothic 'Lolita' in love with Death, a wanderer in spiritual exile, a snake morphing into a human, a seeker violated and redeemed by divine domination, a Siren exercising her lethal charms, a worshipper of a winged serpent, a flame whose deadly habits are all-too-human, a run-away gargoyle, a maiden transforming into a warrior sorceress, a haunting deja vu where victim, violator and avenger merge into one... and more.

Get 10% OFF