Michael Flatley: Feet of Flames (Widescreen)

 

 

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I'll try my best to do this production as much justice as I can. This performance, titled "Feet Of Flames" is billed as Michael Flatley's last performance in the role of the "Lord Of The Dance" and I think he does an excellent job here! It is a fitting send-off, very grand and epic in scope and scale. I did get to see the original Lord Of The Dance show live on stage in Philadelphia in 1997 and was totally blown away by the experience. The dancing, the beautiful music and the celestial and haunting singing of Anne Buckley remain in my heart to this very day. There is just something about hearing that music live and feeling the vibrations course through your body with every step the dancers make. It gives new meaning to the saying that you just HAVE to be there. There is NOTHING like the energy of a live stage dancing performance. Particularly not one like this one, with sure fire and energy and passion.
Do not be fooled into thinking that is is just an out-of doors version of the original Lord Of The Dance show. It IS in a sense, and yet in many ways it is not. This show takes the original Lord Of The Dance production and kicks it into high gear. All of the original music and dances are back, but the dance routines look different a bit and more elaborate. They are longer and feature quite a bitof more complicated step work and more character interaction. There are also many new dances and more original musical pieces that make this a totally new experience.
I loved the fact that Bernadette Flynn (the "good" girl in the show) got to do her own solo dance in the middle of this. It really gave her a chance to shine. The new numbers played by the dueling violinists were lively and lovely at the same time. The costumes and sets for this show were much bigger and elaborate than those for the original show. I would EASILY say that for me, the combination of old music and new numbers with more elaborate and totally new dance sequences was wonderful to watch. It made certain that I did not feel I was watching "the same old show" done over again. There were just so many new things to see and to hear and to take in. I loved Michael Flatley's solo flute performance near the beginning of act two. Very lovely stuff. I must say though that for me the highlight was another chance to hear Anne Buckley sing. What a GOLDEN voice. So beautiful and tender, yet rich and deep and passionate. The three songs she did here were even better to me than the ones she sang in the original Lord Of The Dance show. Her version of "Marble Halls" to me was even better than Enya's rendition, which I had previously loved. Ms. Buckley introduced me to the haunting love ballad "Carrickfergus" that had me reaching for my Kleenex even as I was wide-eyed and smiling from ear to ear. And the Gaelic piece she did (An Maigdean Mhara, if my memory serves correctly) was so beautiful that mere seconds after Ms. Buckley began to sing this number, my floodgates FLEW open and did not close for the full 3+ minutes of this song. Also I loved the fact that in this show instead of having just the green hooded cape for all three of her numbers, this time Anne got to wear three diffferent and very beautiful dresses, one for each song that she did (green, white, and gold). Exquisite costumes to fit with a stunning voice and an incredible beauty with great stage prescence. I for one cannot wait for her solo debut album.
In short, this was an unforgettable experience. I have loved Celtic music and dance for years now and this performance only made my fires burn all the hotter with enthusiasm. The music, the dancing, the lighting, the story of a noble warrior saving his land from a dark knight's conquest...they combined to take my breath away and give me one of the greatest entertainment experiences of my life. If you get to see this I hope you get to enjoy it and even love it as much as I did. I still love this show today, more than two years after I got to see it, and I know I always will. Peace.

On July 25, 1998, in Hyde Park, history was made. Performing on the largest stage ever built, Michael Flatley with over 100 dancers performed Feet of Flames in front of an audience of 50,000 people.

With the plan of it being his last performance, Michael Flatley decided to do one last, huge, triumphant and expanded version of Lord of the Dance. He called it after his solo: Feet of Flames. The entire show is Michael performing at his best. Compared with the original Lord of the Dance, Michael and all the dancers have become much more free, and they relate to the audience at an incredible level. With all new costumes, added dances and songs, Feet of Flames is truly a masterpiece.

Michael's flute solo Whispering Wind, is a touching traditional air. He is a world champion flautist and his playing is beautiful. Celtic Fire (a new number with the band) showcases the often neglected talents of the musicians. It is traditional Irish music played in very untraditional way, and it is absolutely fantastic. The new Siamasa number is simply a joy to watch. The dancers look happy, and are so energetic one just wants to get up and dance with them. But the most incredible part of the entire show is Michael's new solo. With no music and no other dancers, it shows just what he does. From slower, variated rhythm patterns, to blazingly fast footwork, and everything in between, this is Michael Flatley's masterpiece.

I have watched Feet of Flames 30+ times since I got it this past October, and I absolutely love it. The 'Making of FOF: Into the Fire' is almost a full length film in and of itself, and gives a fantastic day by day report of the two weeks leading up to the show. Feet of Flames is Michael Flatley at his best.

I own Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, and Feet of Flames. I Must say Feet of Flames was a waste of money, Thank goodness it was a gift.
If you own Lord of the Dance, Don't bother buying Feet of Flames! Its the same show, Yes there's a few differences there.
1) its an outdoor concert, 2) 2 New Songs/Dances, and thats pretty much about it.
I really think they lost what they were trying to achive.

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1.0 out of 5 stars Don't purchase this video
Well, I am going to be very blunt about this video. I was most disgusted with the dancing- it was vulgar. Read more

Published on April 6 2004 by stephanie Wilson

4.0 out of 5 stars Oh, for More Dancing, Less Posturing
I can think of ever so many aspects of this which could stand improvement, but when the dust has settled, this is still a show which is great fun to watch, and which is a document... Read more

Published on Mar 10 2003 by Karl Henning

1.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as I would hope
Ok, so I got this video, it was not at all like I had hoped. It was not in anyway IRISH dance. It might have been some kind dancing, but I can never call it Irish dance. Read more

Published on Feb 21 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic dancing, great music, DVD features are great!
After giving away my VHS tape of Feet of Flames, I immediately ordered it on DVD. Best purchase I made this year! Read more

Published on Jan 21 2002 by Jane Austen

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 Stars - Barely - What a Disappointment...
I had purchased this DVD for my daughter who is very much the dancer. Unfortuntely, WE ALL were forced into snore-mode after just 10 minutes of this film. Read more

Published on Jan 19 2002 by Thomas Hubbert

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Concert - Poor Cinemetography
The music and production are outstanding. However, they are ruined by the video portion. Whoever edited the video seemed to feel a need to show all the video editing gimmicks... Read more

Published on Nov 16 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you could ask for in a video!
I loved "Lord of the Dance" the first time I watched it. So naturally, I was exploring other videos done by Michael Flatley and I came across and purchased "Feet Of... Read more

Published on Sep 7 2001 by Philip G deRosier

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fantastic variation of LOTD
I thoroughly enjoyed this variation of LOTD.The dancers, musicians, and singer all seemed to be having fun while doing their numbers. Read more

Published on Sep 6 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars FEET OF FLAMES--BY MICHAEL FLATLEY
THE FEET OF FLAMES PERFORMANCE BY MICHAEL FLATLEY & HIS GORGEOUS DANCERS IS TOTALLY OUT OF THIS WORLD. Read more

Published on Aug 9 2001 by PHILLIP BARVA

2.0 out of 5 stars Feet of Flames goes down in Flames
Did anyone else notice that he seemed to kiss and flirt more then he danced? Get a room already! Doesn't he have any other time to do that! Read more

Published on July 31 2001

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