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The Irish hard-shoe sensation Riverdance underwent its secondincarnation with Live from New York City, a 1996 performance filmed atRadio City Music Hall. The dazzling choreography and energetic score remain, butMichael Flatley was replaced by less-flamboyant Colin Dunne, a superb technicianwho works well with Flatley's former co-lead, Jean Butler.

About a half-hour longer than the 1995 original, Live from New York Cityexpands upon the second act's theme of the Irish leaving their homeland forother parts of the world. In the most engaging new number, "Trading Taps," atrio of Irish dancers faces off against two urban American tappers. While muchof this show will be familiar, it's different enough to be enjoyed on its ownterms. It's also more stylishly shot, but that's also its biggestdrawback--frenetic editing that allows only brief glimpses of the dancers andleaves the viewer dizzy. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (64)

This video is the best.
I loved this video. If you have seen Riverdance before, then you won't be disappointed and if you have never seen Riverdance, then after seeing this video you will want to watch again and again. I would give this video 5 stars but the editing can be confusing at times. The content definitely deserves 5 stars but the editing isn't. The original Riverdance video is better in that respect because it seemed like you were watching the show live. But R2 seems more like a movie or taped production. The dancing is first rate. I had never seen or really heard of Irish step dancing before Riverdance and now I love it. There are also other types of dance that should please everyone. I highly recommend this to anyone. You will not be disappointed. END

Very poor editing and camera zoom positions
It is disappointing to see just how poorly the video angles, camera placement and editing were done. The energy of the tap performances and the dancers was never the focus of attention - instead, the producer(s) seemed to want to go crazy with their continuous jumping from one camera to another without any thought to showing the performance in its best light. The camera angles continually changed around the stage , with extreme closeups of head and torso that simply did not do *any* justice to the dancing.

The original "Riverdance - The Show" video is a *much* better edited performance, albeit with fewer actual tap dancing scenes. The performance of another similar video "Lord Of The Dance" did not sit well with me either, perhaps because the originality and energy of the dancers was subsumed in an over-produced, over-glitzy performance. Some improvement in the editing over *this* video, but still not anywhere as good as it could have been.

I would recommend the original "Riverdance - The Show" over any of the subsequent performances that have been released. Now, if I could only find that performance in DVD format - the only release that I know of is VHS!

A Reviewer from Canada
I have a previous version of this DVD. However it is two side and not convenient. I wait for a new version like this one for a long time. Unfortunately, this "Superbit" DVD picture quality is not good. I fully agree the review of another reviewer on Dec/17/2003. The only benefit I got from this DVD is "One Side".

Technically this DVD is a Disaster
Terrific performance. Choppy editing. I was looking forward to getting this wide screen Superbit DVD. What a disappointment! First of all, it's not wide screen--it's actually SHORT screen. On a wide screen TV it takes less space than a "full screen" 4:3 DVD or VHS tape. That is, large black bands on the sides and narrower black bands on the top and bottom. One can try the "zoom" function on the TV, but with two unfortunate consequences: You lose the top and bottom of the pucture and you make the already very poor definition picture even worse. Superbit indeed! In short, though described as "anamorphic" on the box, it surely is NOT. It's extremely fuzzy on my 50" monitor, much more so than almost any of the many dance DVDs that we own. As another reviewer suggested, they could have produced this travesty by simply copying a VHS tape. Superbit? Forget it!

A Wierd Similarity
I am a huge fan of Riverdance. I remember the first time i saw it on PBS. Afterwards we ordered the video. I noticed something in the final dance before the credits when everyone came out to dance. On Maria Pages right, there were three African Americans. In the new version there is a dance that features African Americans. The dance must have been cut out of the video. Anyways, the new Riverdance is just as good if not even better then the original!! It's a great buy! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

How Did This Happen to RIVERDANCE?
If you have followed RIVERDANCE seriously, this version will make you remember Moya Doherty's warning in A JOURNEY about crossing the line. What with the blinding entrance backlights, smoke machines, swaying hips, headset mics and the ugliest costumes this side of Vegas - the line is barely to be found in this tired, truncated incarnation.
You should own it, however, for the inspired performance of the splendid Breandan de Gallai and for the American tap dancers.

New is not always better
I would not recommend this version if you have not seen Riverdance before. Some of the scenes are ruined because of the almighty closeup. A good portion of the show is watching the dancers torso, not complete dancer, with feet moving. All you watch is their smiling face bobbing up and down. This version is also much slower then others I have seen; many slow songs and watching people playing musical instruments. I would only get this if you are collecting the different Riverdance shows. Buy Michael Flately's version if you are new to Riverdance. Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames great.

Great Show
This version, published by the Detroit PBS station version is a recording from the show in Geneva. It's a very similar show to the New York City version, though the minor changes are still just as enjoyable, if not more so.

The video is much sharper focused and the camera work flows better than the New York show. This show is sharper than the Superbit version of the NYC show too. The production didn't seem to be as high a quality as before but it does work fine.

In much the same way that this let down the NYC show, the camera crew neglected to realize that they cut off the dancers feet a little too often, which in this show was very important.

The Audio is STEREO only, but very clear and quite acceptable.

Although I'm happy that this version didn't need me to flip the DVD over for the second half of the show, it did have a noticable transition to the second layer of the DVD between scenes in the second half of the show. Why this transition didn't happen during the black screen at the half way mark is particularly shortsighted.

Overall very enjoyable and worthy of an addition to Riverdance fans DVD libraries. ... Read more

Description

The Superbit titles utilize a special high bit rate digital encoding process which optimizes video quality while offering a choice of both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. These titles have been produced by a team of Sony Pictures Digital Studios video, sound and mastering engineers and comes housed in a special package complete with a 4 page booklet that contains technical information on the Superbit process. By reallocating space on the disc normally used for value-added content, Superbit DVDs can be encoded at double their normal bit rate while maintaining full compatibility with the DVD video format. ... Read more

Reviews (64)

This video is the best.
I loved this video. If you have seen Riverdance before, then you won't be disappointed and if you have never seen Riverdance, then after seeing this video you will want to watch again and again. I would give this video 5 stars but the editing can be confusing at times. The content definitely deserves 5 stars but the editing isn't. The original Riverdance video is better in that respect because it seemed like you were watching the show live. But R2 seems more like a movie or taped production. The dancing is first rate. I had never seen or really heard of Irish step dancing before Riverdance and now I love it. There are also other types of dance that should please everyone. I highly recommend this to anyone. You will not be disappointed. END

Very poor editing and camera zoom positions
It is disappointing to see just how poorly the video angles, camera placement and editing were done. The energy of the tap performances and the dancers was never the focus of attention - instead, the producer(s) seemed to want to go crazy with their continuous jumping from one camera to another without any thought to showing the performance in its best light. The camera angles continually changed around the stage , with extreme closeups of head and torso that simply did not do *any* justice to the dancing.

The original "Riverdance - The Show" video is a *much* better edited performance, albeit with fewer actual tap dancing scenes. The performance of another similar video "Lord Of The Dance" did not sit well with me either, perhaps because the originality and energy of the dancers was subsumed in an over-produced, over-glitzy performance. Some improvement in the editing over *this* video, but still not anywhere as good as it could have been.

I would recommend the original "Riverdance - The Show" over any of the subsequent performances that have been released. Now, if I could only find that performance in DVD format - the only release that I know of is VHS!

A Reviewer from Canada
I have a previous version of this DVD. However it is two side and not convenient. I wait for a new version like this one for a long time. Unfortunately, this "Superbit" DVD picture quality is not good. I fully agree the review of another reviewer on Dec/17/2003. The only benefit I got from this DVD is "One Side".

Technically this DVD is a Disaster
Terrific performance. Choppy editing. I was looking forward to getting this wide screen Superbit DVD. What a disappointment! First of all, it's not wide screen--it's actually SHORT screen. On a wide screen TV it takes less space than a "full screen" 4:3 DVD or VHS tape. That is, large black bands on the sides and narrower black bands on the top and bottom. One can try the "zoom" function on the TV, but with two unfortunate consequences: You lose the top and bottom of the pucture and you make the already very poor definition picture even worse. Superbit indeed! In short, though described as "anamorphic" on the box, it surely is NOT. It's extremely fuzzy on my 50" monitor, much more so than almost any of the many dance DVDs that we own. As another reviewer suggested, they could have produced this travesty by simply copying a VHS tape. Superbit? Forget it!

A Wierd Similarity
I am a huge fan of Riverdance. I remember the first time i saw it on PBS. Afterwards we ordered the video. I noticed something in the final dance before the credits when everyone came out to dance. On Maria Pages right, there were three African Americans. In the new version there is a dance that features African Americans. The dance must have been cut out of the video. Anyways, the new Riverdance is just as good if not even better then the original!! It's a great buy! ... Read more

Reviews (49)

Sometimes the original is truly the best
A far cry from the static monstrosity the show has become on Broadway, the original Riverdance with Michael Flatley and Jean Butler is unbeatable. Colin Dunn may be a skilled performer, but no amount of championship titles can make up for the fact he lacks Flatley's presence and command of the audience. This production of Riverdance is the only one you need - forget Riverdance: The journey and the Radio City Music hall nightmare. This is Riverdance the way it was meant to be, before the producers drove Flatley away and stole his creation. The can claim credit all they wish, but Michael Flatley proved where the true passion for the dance went when he bravely formed his own production of Lord of the Dance and later, Feet of Flames. The current Broadway Riverdance show is fine for making the producers money and appeasing the tourists, but they cannot deny the passion and fire of the original is gone. The only thing worth watching the Broadway cast for is the added solos of Maria Pages and the newer modern tap routines. But there is no beating the original production, with it's passion and fire that truly embody the spirit of the Celts. Between Bill Whelan's gorgeous score and Flatley and Butler's unequaled talents leading a fabulously talented cast, this is truly an example of a great idea that should never have been tampered with.

Buy this version!
I've seen both versions of "Riverdance," with and without Michael Flatley, and I think this one is far and away the better. His successor is a terrific dancer, in a rather self-contained style, but he lacks Flatley's gusto and his rapport with the other dancers and the audience (compare the duos with Jean Butler in both versions and you'll see what I mean). Flatley always looks as if he's enjoying himself, and he throws himself into every performance with passion and enthusiasm -- even after many hundreds of shows, it's not "just a job" to him! Ms. Butler is superb: she can be light as thistledown, or stomp out an intricate rhythm in tap shoes with the best of them.
As for the rest of the film, I could have done with fewer choral selections, although both Anuna and the Gospel group perform well. I would have liked to see more of the band: as an Irish music aficionado, I was stunned to read the credits and see the caliber of musicians who'd been performing, but the tape didn't give more than the odd 10 seconds to anyone besides Davy Spillane. And I can't imagine why the filmmakers didn't include the tap dance segment, which was, to me, the best part of the New York tape.
But this version has it all over the other in one very important respect: whoever filmed it understood something about Irish dancing. They focused on the footwork, which, to a fan of this dance style, is THE most interesting part. The show was a gigantic hit in Ireland -- and in the heavily Irish communities in the U.S. -- in large part because it took a traditional (sometimes hackneyed) ethnic dance form and turned it on its ear. If it's filmed as just another razzle-dazzle dance show, with no attention to its roots, much of the enjoyment goes out of it -- and I think that happened in the New York version.

Background information
I am amazed that so many of those who have seen the video are puzzled by the inclusion of the echos of Spanish and Arabic music in this film.

This is truly a mesmerizing video, not only because of the spectacular dancing but also because of the inclusion of the diverse cultural and historical facts of Irelands past.

The answer to the diversity of the "phenomenon" is found in the history of Western Europe. When many of the survivors of the wrecks of the Armada ended up on its shores, Ireland came under the influence of the invasion of the Moors in Spain,. Naturally Spanish/Arabic culture became inculcated in the culture fo the country. So now it must be included in the musical heritage of Ireland.
As for the gospel music, the Irish that emigrated to the Eastern United States added their ballads and jigs to country music as well as the Africans that were slaves in those same areas and these two became intertwined.

I found all of the music to be authentic and moving.
I am Italian by heritage, but just for a moment I was envious of all thse who can claim Irish dancing as their own.

I'm Hooked
Michael Flatley is a fine dancer and coreographer, and for me the original Riverdance is still his best work. Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames are impressive bits of showmanship, but in all their flash and glitter they lose the powerful, simple beauty of Irish dance that still holds center stage in the original Riverdance.

Riverdance-The Show is also shot and edited well, like being in a front-row seat, not like a music video. I can't stand the staccato camera cuts in Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flame, but then I'm of an older generation not raised on MTV.

Jean Butler shines in Riverdance, reason alone to view this show!

I have watched this video over and over and am not tired of it yet! Except I skip most of the songs now. Just give me the dance!

THIS IS THE SHOW!!
this is the one show that is the best one, with the true stars!i saw the other riverdance shows but this one is the one. some people say that flatley is arogant, but i think he is being proud and you can see it at his eyes, it is simply great and he is the best so you can't blame him to be proud at himself. the same goes for jean butler, she is just perfect in this show i never seen better "irish dancer" than her....
IT IS SIMPLE THE BEST! ... Read more