Ballroom Dancing: The International Championships

I'm afraid I don't much like being dropped into the middle of a video without a decent roadmap, which is why I haven't exactly gone gaga over V.I.E.W Video's recent cultural programming. Foreign television specials such as Ice Skating All-Stars: Russian Fair (reviewed in our July-August 1993 issue), Champion Acrobats of China series (reviewed in our September 1992 issue), and now Ballroom Dancing, presume that viewers will gladly watch humans moving gracefully regardless of the context. Some will, no doubt, but many people like to know where they are and what they're watching. Ballroom Dancing, filmed in Czechoslovakia, is another non-narrated, non-introduced performance extravaganza, this time featuring dueling couples participating in the Latin and Modern competitions in the 1991 Grand Prix Unitrading Ostrova which we assume means Ballroom Dancing International Championships. The competitions feature half a dozen couples strutting their stuff in a wide variety of dances (samba, cha-cha, rumba, waltz, tango, etc.). Good lighting and filming combined with some truly wonderful dancing make for a mostly enjoyable experience--except for the disorienting quality of not really knowing what's going on. Still, with the renewed interest in the subject, thanks to the surprising success of the charming Australian independent film Strictly Ballroom, some libraries may want to consider this. An optional purchase. (See LONDON: CITY OF MAJESTY for availability.)