Flately's Lord of the Dance
- celticmodes
- Posts: 260
- Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2009 8:09 am
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
- Location: Michigan, USA
- Contact:
Flately's Lord of the Dance
I knew not to expect tradition. Someone invited me and I thought it would be nice to see some Irish inspired showmanship. The music was all taped and was as expected. The fiddler's were recorded I guess so they wouldn't mess up their tuning when the kinda danced across the stage. None of that bothered me.
What did bother me, and to such an extent that I was surprised, was the taped "taps" of the shoes of the dancers. I just couldn't understand what I was seeing. Those dancers are good...actually beyond good. I have to assume someone thought it would be best to bowl a 300 each game instead of letting the pins fall where they may.
Can you imagine training and perfecting your art just to play along to a tape of one of your better performances? God, what a waste. I feel sorry for those very talented performers.
What did bother me, and to such an extent that I was surprised, was the taped "taps" of the shoes of the dancers. I just couldn't understand what I was seeing. Those dancers are good...actually beyond good. I have to assume someone thought it would be best to bowl a 300 each game instead of letting the pins fall where they may.
Can you imagine training and perfecting your art just to play along to a tape of one of your better performances? God, what a waste. I feel sorry for those very talented performers.
celticmodes
[Reviol 8 key | Oz Vambrace | Dusty Strings Ravenna | Luna Trinity Parlor]
[Reviol 8 key | Oz Vambrace | Dusty Strings Ravenna | Luna Trinity Parlor]
- Cathy Wilde
- Posts: 5591
- Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2003 4:17 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Location: Somewhere Off-Topic, probably
Re: Flately's Lord of the Dance
That pretty much says it all, about it all. (alas) They probably figure that people who pay $50 a ticket (or whatever) are going to expect perfection, so that's the one way to guarantee it.celticmodes wrote: I have to assume someone thought it would be best to bowl a 300 each game instead of letting the pins fall where they may.
Deja Fu: The sense that somewhere, somehow, you've been kicked in the head exactly like this before.
- johnkerr
- Posts: 1001
- Joined: Wed Apr 17, 2002 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: Falls Church VA USA
Re: Flately's Lord of the Dance
Dirty little secret: Riverdance does the same thing.
- Duffy
- Posts: 233
- Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2002 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: Racine, WI
Re: Flately's Lord of the Dance
When children aren't allowed to fail in school; kids sporting events don't have scores so the little darlings won't lose; folks who borrow money that they can't realistically make the payments on expect protection from foreclosure; and poor business practices are financially rewarded by the federal government . . . then I suppose its only right to expect all performances to be perfect. I guess we all should quit practicing and learning new tunes and just listen to computer generated music.
Unfortunately sometimes it's less painful to listen to a recorded version of the national anthem.
Mike
Unfortunately sometimes it's less painful to listen to a recorded version of the national anthem.
Mike
- Cathy Wilde
- Posts: 5591
- Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2003 4:17 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Location: Somewhere Off-Topic, probably
Re: Flately's Lord of the Dance
Well put.
<SIGH>
(wanders off to continue wrecking The Broken Pledge -- no worries about imperfection and failure here!)
<SIGH>
(wanders off to continue wrecking The Broken Pledge -- no worries about imperfection and failure here!)
Deja Fu: The sense that somewhere, somehow, you've been kicked in the head exactly like this before.
- Baglady
- Posts: 337
- Joined: Sat Oct 05, 2002 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: twin cities
Re: Flately's Lord of the Dance
What's sad is not so much the avoidance of mistakes but the reduction of theatrical magical moments that can occure when the unexpected happens. When the sets go up and the mackup and costumes go on and those lights come up, magic happens and much of that is lost when it is canned in any way. You may as well tape the whole thing and run it on Youtube.
I know canned music reduces costs, heaven knows I've done it myself, but much is lost when it isn't live.
I know canned music reduces costs, heaven knows I've done it myself, but much is lost when it isn't live.
Baglady
Put the music under thier feet and lift them to the dance.
Oh, and,
"If you want to play chords, use standard tuning. It is better." --Martin Carthy
Put the music under thier feet and lift them to the dance.
Oh, and,
"If you want to play chords, use standard tuning. It is better." --Martin Carthy
Re: Flately's Lord of the Dance
just the magic
ya don't really need magic do ya?
ya don't really need magic do ya?
- Joseph E. Smith
- Posts: 13780
- Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2004 2:40 pm
- antispam: No
- Location: ... who cares?...
- Contact:
Re: Flately's Lord of the Dance
... a non-believer, hhrrummmph!!!Denny wrote:just the magic
ya don't really need magic do ya?
- Zax
- Posts: 72
- Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2002 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: N.W. Nebraska
- Contact:
Re: Flately's Lord of the Dance
i just saw LotD this past saturday, and was beyond disappointed. having seen the 'original' version on tv with Michael Flatley playing the lead character, i was simply not prepared for the live show to suck as badly as it did!
So Flatley hasn't danced in LotD for 11 years, and i was prepared for a different lead... but sadly, the lead was... well... to put it plainly: he was plain! he was completely uninspiring, and lacking anything even remotely near Flatley's sheer ability to command attention. it's not like i expected the lead dancer to have the same kind of presence as Flatley, but some element of magnetism or appeal would have been nice.
he could dance nicely, tho. it wasn't that he couldn't dance. he could. it was just completely lost on me, since i was generally more interested in watching anyone else on the stage besides him.
too bad.
as for taped music and tapping- our show was actually live: live whistle, live fiddle and live tap- tho it was hard to tell that, since the speakers were far off to the side of the stage, so there was an infinitesimal gap between what we saw and what we heard, but i was up close and could see the fingers matching the music down to the accidentally shortened notes, so it was live.
other than that? a GREAT light show, and if you're into "Celtic Kitsch" you'll love Lord of the Dance!
otherwise, watch the video.
So Flatley hasn't danced in LotD for 11 years, and i was prepared for a different lead... but sadly, the lead was... well... to put it plainly: he was plain! he was completely uninspiring, and lacking anything even remotely near Flatley's sheer ability to command attention. it's not like i expected the lead dancer to have the same kind of presence as Flatley, but some element of magnetism or appeal would have been nice.
he could dance nicely, tho. it wasn't that he couldn't dance. he could. it was just completely lost on me, since i was generally more interested in watching anyone else on the stage besides him.
too bad.
as for taped music and tapping- our show was actually live: live whistle, live fiddle and live tap- tho it was hard to tell that, since the speakers were far off to the side of the stage, so there was an infinitesimal gap between what we saw and what we heard, but i was up close and could see the fingers matching the music down to the accidentally shortened notes, so it was live.
other than that? a GREAT light show, and if you're into "Celtic Kitsch" you'll love Lord of the Dance!
otherwise, watch the video.
Aim for Deep Focus.
- Zax
- Posts: 72
- Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2002 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: N.W. Nebraska
- Contact:
Re: Flately's Lord of the Dance
btw- i just wanted to mention that there are 2 separate troupes that tour, and each one has multiple members that play the lead role (3 people in one troupe, and 4 in the other)... as well as each having three members who play the Dark Lord. so, while i was fated to see the show with the limp-lettuce-guy, there is a 6 in 7 chance that anyone else will catch a different lead! just so i'm not discouraging anyone too much.
Aim for Deep Focus.
- johnkerr
- Posts: 1001
- Joined: Wed Apr 17, 2002 6:00 pm
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
- Location: Falls Church VA USA
Re: Flately's Lord of the Dance
I'm just amazed that Lord of the Dance is still out there touring. Two troupes? Wow. I thought by this time he'd have settled it into Vegas in a version with topless dancing showgirls. That I'd go see in a New York minute - and never even complain about it not being traditional.
- MTGuru
- Posts: 18663
- Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 12:45 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Location: San Diego, CA
Re: Flately's Lord of the Dance
You're thinking of Rubberdance - the BDSM version.
Vivat diabolus in musica! MTGuru's (old) GG Clips / Blackbird Clips
Joel Barish: Is there any risk of brain damage?
Dr. Mierzwiak: Well, technically speaking, the procedure is brain damage.
Joel Barish: Is there any risk of brain damage?
Dr. Mierzwiak: Well, technically speaking, the procedure is brain damage.
- s1m0n
- Posts: 10069
- Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2004 12:17 am
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
- Location: The Inside Passage
Re: Flately's Lord of the Dance
Not all change is bad; some "changes to the tradition" are improvements!johnkerr wrote:...topless dancing showgirls. That I'd go see in a New York minute - and never even complain about it not being traditional.
And now there was no doubt that the trees were really moving - moving in and out through one another as if in a complicated country dance. ('And I suppose,' thought Lucy, 'when trees dance, it must be a very, very country dance indeed.')
C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis