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POLYGRAM PROMISES IMPROVEMENTS FOR "FEET OF FLAMES" VIDEO

by Desmond Blarney

Take heart, Flatley fans – a kinder, gentler video of your favourite Irish dance show is on the way.

Despite sales of more than 3 million copies worldwide, the original Lord of the Dance video has been roundly criticised for its hyperkinetic editing, multiple camera angles, poor picture quality, and the fact that no diehard Flatheads were in the audience during filming. "In retrospect, the show would’ve had much greater impact had Michael’s more ardent fans been in attendance," said Patrick Haney, spokesman for PolyGram Records. "Fortunately for us, scores of them traveled to London to see Feet of Flames, so we made sure to capture them in all their screaming, foot-stomping glory."

With regard to the show, greater emphasis will be placed on the dancing itself, according to Haney. "We’ve been deluged with e-mail requesting that we adapt the smoother editing style of the original Riverdance video," he said. "We’ve discussed it with Mr. Flatley, and all of us agree that the public’s wishes should be satisfied."

According to sources within Unicorn Entertainment, Flatley so wants to please his fans’ request that he has taken the unusual step of teaming up with Tyrone/Abhann Productions, producers of all three Riverdance videos, to ensure that Feet of Flames will meet all expectations. Tyrone’s executive director is John McColgan, husband of Riverdance producer Moya Doherty.

"Michael’s making strange bedfellows, indeed," observed Liz McKiernan, media consultant for RTE. "But it shows just how far he’s willing to go to satisfy his fans’ demands. He realises that the first Lord of the Dance video was overdone, so now he’s going back to the basics – the simpler, the better."

As a first step in making a truly dance-focused video, the PolyGram/Unicorn/Abhann team have decided that Feet of Flames should be shown entirely in black and white. "We felt that the flashy costumes and sets were overly colourful and detracted from the dancers themselves," said Haney. "Look at it this way: ‘Citizen Kane’, filmed in black and white, is considered the best movie ever made. What was good enough for Orson Welles is good enough for us."

After some heated discussion, it was decided that every musical number – including soprano Anne Buckley’s songs and Flatley’s flute solo and jam with the band – should be omitted. "Anne’s a lovely singer and Michael’s a terrific flautist, but that’s not dancing," said Haney.

For the convenience of fans, Michael Flatley’s "Feet of Flames" dance routine will be shown entirely in super slo-mo. "We realise that the great majority of viewers – females in particular – prefer to see Michael dance in slow motion, so we’ve saved them the bother of pressing the slo-mo button," Haney explained. "Of course, they could *still* press slo-mo, in which case it would take two days to watch a four minute routine."

The most controversial decision is likely to be the complete blacking out of "Planet Ireland," the show-stopper featuring four tiers of dancers. Viewers will see a dark screen only, but taps will be audible in the background. "Since Michael Flatley choreographed this routine in total darkness, we felt it would be most appropriate to present it in the same fashion," Haney said. "We’re confident that true Lord of the Dance fans will appreciate what we’re trying to do: showcase Irish dance in its purest form."

In a concession to Abhann Productions, Unicorn Entertainment has agreed to let Moya Doherty and John McColgan provide running commentary throughout the Feet of Flames video. "Moya and John are more than happy to share their Irish dance expertise with viewers to ensure that everyone fully appreciates what they’re seeing," Haney said.

The Feet of Flames video will be released in early November. A full-colour version which includes with all musical numbers intact will be available only in DVD.
 
 

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