Put On Your Own Show!

Former ballerina with The Royal Ballet, Sue Zaliouk teaches kids how to put on their dance show, with extensive choreography set to five different versions of the same piece of music. Using simple props, kids don attire suitable for country, jazz, rock 'n roll, pep band, and semi-classical dances. For each new dance, Zaliouk introduces a few variations on the main steps to emphasize the nature of the music. While the dance instruction is really quite good, we have two problems with the program. First off, the music is especially written for the dances; children might have a hard time tracking down a piece of music that will mesh as naturally with the intricate and varied steps they've learned (on the other hand, however, a little imagination and creativity may overcome this problem). The second flaw is more a matter of misrepresentation. Although the cover art promises "singing," "dancing," "costuming," and "make-up," very little time is spent on anything other than the dancing. As a kickstart for the imagination this might be useful; otherwise the highly specific nature of the dance, and the lack of information about costuming, make-up, and singing--as the box promises--make this an unnecessary choice for most libraries. (Available from: WGTE Home Video, 136 Huron St., Toledo, OH 43692.)