Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Performances of from the American Troupe, Nov 5 2002
Thsi video is ripe with great performances. The first is an awsome performance of "Les Sylphides". Led by Baryishnikov, it has some exceptional dancing. Next is a performance of "Triad" a modern peice with Amanda McKerrow. Its is done well. Next is Natalia Makarova's staging of "Pquita" the famous excerpt of Petipa (creator of Swan Lake, Nutcracker, La Bayadere) done very well by the leads and soloist. Great video 5 stars.
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67 of 72 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
If it's American Ballet Theatre, you can't go wrong, July 11 2000
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: American Ballet Theatre at the Met (VHS Tape)
This eclectic program (Les Sylphides, Sylvia pas de deux, Kenneth MacMillan's Triad, and Paquita) is a beautiful slice of ABT's wide range of repertory and features sparkling performances from Baryshnikov, Cynthia Gregory, Fernando Bujones, Cynthia Harvey, Marianna Tcherkassky, Martine van Hamel, and many others. Although the taping itself is a little less engaging than I would like (ABT's 1998 tape, Variety and Virtuosity, is far superior in this aspect), this is still a wonderful addition to any ballet fan's collection.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
AFTER A FEW DECADES ABT AT THE MET IS STILL A GEM, Feb 17 2008
By Sung-chao Cheng "Sung-Chao Cheng" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: American Ballet Theatre at the Met - Mixed Bill (1985) (DVD)
I bought this tape on laser disc format almost twenty years ago,and got rid of it when DVD came out. These days I still watch it once in a while and the ABT magic still dazzles me, to put it simply, it's a gem. There are four programs each one with its own mood and style. Les Sylphides is elegant and graceful, Sylvia-Pas de deux shows off Martine Van Hamel and Patrcik Bissell's dazzling technigue, Triad, with the smooth and agile movements of the dancers, and Paquita is appropriately the grand finale of the evening that offers ABT's numerous talents to the gratification of the audience. It is worth noticing that almost all the dancers in this tape are retired and as far as I know Fernando Bujones and Patrick Bissel are no longer alive. Anyway, for ballet fan this dvd is a must have.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
First Rate Dances by First Rate Ballet Company, Jun 18 2010
By drkhimxz - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: American Ballet Theatre at the Met - Mixed Bill (1985) (DVD)
As denoted, this is a mixed bag of dances from the library of the American Ballet Theater, performed at their home, the Metropolitan Opera House, in Lincoln Center, NYC. The performance, at the Met in the mid-80's, was directed for television by Brian Large, who is one of THE directors in the business. Three ballets and a sparkling final set piece, comprise the contents, all performed with technical versatility and panache. All but one are clearly derived from the Classical school, with Triad, choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan, providing a more modernized and, to me, more interesting approach. (I do not say "better" approach given the quality and entertainment value of all that was done, simply a personal preference). In it, MacMillan contorts, with abrupt and flowing lines, dynamic interactions among two groups of male dancers, and between the paired males and a female. The composer is Prokofiev, with whose music the dance patterns weave, leap and surge. This appears the only place in the program where male and female interact with equal force and impact at all times, rather than the basically discontinuous emphasis in the more classical dances. Unquestionably, the disc is an opportunity, rarely offered on DVD, to see this major company as it appeared in that era 25 years ago. It is worth the price of admission.
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