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I didn't see a discussion on this. Has anyone else gotten this dvd or bluray?

I'm really quite enjoying it. Having the full Elite Syncopations is quite nice. Judas Tree is a bit surprising and a bit unsettling and Concerto is very beautiful espeically with dancers like McRae, Choe, and Nunez dancing it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfFqcaJIZnM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfT_VYUrL-I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieH45VPCyxM

-goro-

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I received my copy from amazon.uk. It's a mixed bag. Best for CONCERTO, a real revelation. Nunez is particularly lovely in it. JUDAS TREE was already out on video (also DVD?) with Mukhamedov/Benjamin...this time Acosta/Benjamin. Not the cheeriest of works but it still packs a punch (ouch). ELITE was a real disappointment with this mostly-bland cast, compared to the spectacular 1975 BBC TV film with Penney/Mason/Coleman/Sleep et al. Only McRea was comparable to the 70s cast, in the pennultimate solo (Coleman in '75, I think). Still, this DVD is worth the price just for CONCERTO and Acosta in JUDAS TREE.

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Yes, Nunez is absolutely beautiful in "Concerto". Steven McRae and Yuhui Choe also deserve to be mentioned for their wonderful energy in the first movement.

Contrary to Natalia, I think Acosta is a dramatic black hole in "The Judas Tree". All of his beautiful technique and flawless jumps do not illuminate the character or the story. I had no idea what the Foreman felt about the Woman or anyone else onstage. So the focus was shifted to Leanne Benjamin as the Woman and Edward Watson as the Friend. What extraordinary performances from these two dancers! Benjamin is sexy, sinewy, fierce, and disturbingly vulnerable. Watson plays the Friend (or Jesus figure) as an unwillingly tender lover. His rippling torso and hips express his character's hesitation and eventual surrender. I'd read reviews of "The Judas Tree" that were overwhelmingly negative, labeling it a misogynist work. I couldn't disagree more. It's a flawed piece: the ending is extremely abrupt and there are some lamentable Jets vs. Sharks moments for the men. But on the whole, it's startlingly modern and very unsettling. Shouldn't art unsettle us?

"Elite Syncopations" fell flat for me. For ballet comedy, see "The Concert".

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