Temperaments in Motion

Although Professor George Bozart, University of Washington, said of choreographer, editor, producer, and director (all noted separately during the interminable opening credits) Godfrey Silas's compilation of arty dance music videos that it was "highly recommended for modern day afficionados [sic] of classical music," this aficionado begs to differ. Combining music from Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, and others with footage of "dancers" (mostly posing) in the style of a Sears catalog shoot--only with the models/dancers instructed to replace the practical and economical look with pouty, dreamy stares--Temperaments in Motion also (unfortunately) aspires to art. Meaning: the sequences of classical dance that are readily discernible as such are often presented in such a fragmented way (isolated body parts are a recurrent motif) that the viewer feels as if he's peering through the blinds of a shaded department store window at mannequin limbs. I realize I'm sounding a bit like a (warning: technical critical term ahead) b-i-t-c-h, but I haven't seen this kind of "videographic genius" (Bozart) in about 10 years (when dull and pointless experimental video was all the rage); if I'm very lucky, I won't see its like for another decade. Not recommended. (R. Pitman)