Carmen Mota's Fuego: Spanish Passion [DVD] DVD – Color, August 8, 2006

My friend the recipient of this gift was very happy with her gift and absolutely loved the dvd and the dance

Big Disappointment. This DVD is NOT classical Flamenco Dancing. Do NOT buy it if you want to see real Flamenco Dancing. Act 1 is approximately 23 minutes long. It is all modern dancing with dancers dressed in Flamenco outfits; they even do a dance similar to 'River dance". I am sorry, but that is not FLamenco. The music is not authentic; it is a mix of modern wanna be flamenco music and classical music, they do not even bother to show the musician in Act 1. There are too many dancers (20 plus) on stage;it looks more like a heavily produced Broadway Show with no emphasis on the music.Act 2 started really well with one female dancer and 3 or 4 males dancers doing the real Flamenco, then it just goes downhill. The additional 16 minutes is just mediocre dancing and once again, too many dancers on stage. What a waste of money. Out of the 42 minutes, only 3 or 4 minutes are worth watching.

For the most part, I enjoyed the DVD. All of the elements of flamenco seemed to be in there, and if you like flamenco, you will like the DVD. My reasons for not giving it 5 stars are: (1) program seemed short (~45 minutes) for the $$; (2) the behind-the-scenes extra was NOT subtitled at all -- if you do not speak Spanish, well, you won't get much out of the interviews. In my opinion, those two items are enough to lower its rating. IMHO, consider the aftermarket (lower $$) versions of the DVD if you are familiar with those particular vendors.

Beautiful performances.

This marvelous DVD comes in 2 acts, and they are very different. Act 1, at nearly 23 minutes is mostly of spectacular and very theatrical ensemble pieces, where the dancers do excellent synchronization, and there are numerous overhead camera angles so that you can see the patterns they are forming with the choreography. This portion is more along the "Nuevo Flamenco" lines, with music that ranges from Carl Orff to more modern lush orchestral pieces that have a Spanish flavor. The 4th piece, "Talante," using chairs as props, is terrific. It crossed my mind that "Talante" is the kind of piece Bob Fosse would have done had he been a choreographer in this genre.Act 2 is where you get the flamenco "carne y papas" so to speak, with a marvelous group of musicians, cante hondo, and palmeadas. Also this is where the superb dancers get to shine brilliantly and there are several solo pieces to marvel at, and at just a little over 19 ½ minutes, makes you want to view Act 2 all over again.The dance troupe of 18 are all gorgeous, ultra professional, and technically up to the tasks the creative force behind "Fuego!," Carmen Mota, and her son, choreographer Joaquin Marcelo have for them. Also a visual delight is the beautiful costuming, imaginative lighting, and the overall production values are outstanding.The bonus "backstage" feature is fascinating, if you understand Spanish. There are interviews with Carmen Mota, Joaquin Marcelo, and here we learn that he is hearing impaired, and it is so interesting how he goes about creating without hearing the music. We also get to hear from soloists Joana Gonzalez, who has been dancing for Mota for 16 years, and Antonio Santiago, who is the one that dazzles us in Act 2 with his taconeado.If you like dancing, especially flamenco, you will like "Fuego!" a lot and be inspired by the passion and beauty of these 18 lovely dancers.