A Spirited Show, Indeed

3-29-06 I saw Spirit of The Dance just a few days ago. It was interesting to note how many of the points made by another reviewer almost two years ago seemed as if they could have written about the performance I attended.

I like almost all kinds of music and dance, and Celtic music is one genre that I particularly enjoy. I was anticipating a wider variety of dance styles, however, in this show (based on the advertising and reviews), but some of it appeared to be basically the same dances except in different costumes. Still, the variety was acceptable, and the dancers were skilled and enthusiastic. One young lady did fall down at one point, but--judging from the Winter Olympics--I suppose that can happen to anyone.

The costumes were bright and varied, although I, too, was distracted by the different styles and varying shades of black to be seen in the male dancers' trousers.

I read that the dancers practice every day. One would expect that that much physical activity would be sufficient to keep the entire cast in tip-top condition, but apparently that is not the case. The male dancers looked athletic; even their arms were toned. Approximately half of the female dancers, however, exhibited soft midriffs when wearing the skimpier costumes, and a couple of them were just plain overweight for dancers.

The seats were comfortable, but the floor is relatively flat. I am above average in height, but a woman who also happened to be taller than average was seated directly in front of me and blocked a portion of my view.

At one point in the show, the focus shifts to Scottish music and costumes. The young man with the bagpipes gave the impression that he was not actually playing the instrument.

In general, the music was quite good, the costumes overall were colorful and appropriate, and the dancers' footwork was amazing.

The lead dancers were charismatic and talented. In particular, the female lead ("The Spirit of the Dance") was beautiful, graceful, and skillful. Her singing was equally as good as her dancing, and she also played the tin whistle well. Surely she has a show business future that will take her far beyond the Branson strip.

In spite of having room for improvement, The Spirit of the Dance in my opinion is well worth seeing and provides a welcome change from the standard music and comedy fare.

-Erwin Neighbors