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• Michael Flatley - The 10th Anniversary Complete Collection - Lord Of The Dance/Feet Of Flames/Celtic Tiger | DVD | (27/11/2006) from £41.97   |  Saving you £-6.98 (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Celtic Tiger: The international acclaimed master of dance Michael Flatley returns to the stage to spearhead his powerful new 90 minute dance spectacular Celtic Tiger. With his unrivalled skill and artistry Flatley ignites the world of dance once again with a bold dramatic and daring production which fuses the spirit of Ireland with its history with dance and music. The result is an epic masterpiece in which Irish dance is delivered as a dynamic and powerful art form. Perfromance list: Act I:

• The Nutcracker | DVD | (31/10/2000) from £33.73   |  Saving you £-8.74 (-35.00%)   |  RRP £24.99

  It's easy to see why The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky's perennially popular ballet first performed in 1892, has such enduring appeal. As Patrice Bart's 1999 production shows, it is always beautiful to look at, lending itself to the Christmas season where it has a permanent place in the schedules of the major dance companies. And Hoffmann's tale of the troubled child who must go on a wonderful (and occasionally terrifying) journey of discovery has a universal and timeless appeal. Bart's production for the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin builds on Petipa's original choreography and develops the context of the child Marie's (Nadja Saidakova) anxiety into a strong narrative. The godfather Drosselmayer (Oliver Matz) is initially a sinister figure, forcing her to confront past events before leading her into the glittering land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Here, all expectations are exceeded. The familiarity of Tchaikovsky's intricately woven themes works in total harmony with sumptuous production values. The dancing is sublime. As the Prince, Vladimir Malakhov evokes the spirit of a young Nureyev. His pas de deux with the Sugar Plum Fairy should challenge even the most cynical tear ducts. Sit back, share the frisson of anticipation as Daniel Barenboim enters the conductor's box and let the whole experience engulf you. On the DVD: There are no extras. In addition to the 16:9 picture format, which enhances the authentic theatrical atmosphere, the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound helps make this Nutcracker an aural feast. Under Barenboim's masterful control, the orchestra draws you into the heart of the music. Booklet notes provide historical background as well as performer biographies, but a more complete cast list would have been useful. --Piers Ford

• Dancer's Dream - The Great Ballets Of Rudolf Nureyev - Raymonda | DVD | (01/09/2003) from £29.50   |  Saving you £-9.51 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The story of Raymonda takes place in the Middle-Ages and is set in the south of France. Raymonda is a young noblewoman waiting for the return of her fianc Jean de Brienne a knight who is on a crusade in the Holy Land. Meanwhile however the Saracen knight Abderachman appears on the scene and first of all pays her court but then uses force to try and make her bend to his will. Thanks to the warning and help of a ghost who is thought to be an ancestor and patron saint of her family

• Masterpieces Of British Ballet | DVD | (04/12/2006) from £31.06   |  Saving you £-6.81 (N/A%)   |  RRP £22.99

• Moliere/Lully - Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (Dumestre) | DVD | (09/05/2011) from £33.65   |  Saving you £-2.66 (N/A%)   |  RRP £30.99

  Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme: Comedie-ballet de Moliere & Lully

• Lock - Amelia (La La La Human Steps) | Blu Ray | (05/01/2009) from £33.09   |  Saving you £-3.10 (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  The multi-award-winning dance film Amelia (2002) explores the use of point technique using extended intertwining solos, complex partnering sequences and extreme speed to generate powerful performances with unexpected moments of tender emotion and serenity. Edouard Lock uses intricate choreography for both camera and dancers, creating amazing and constantly shifting points of view. Trademark performances, brilliant and relentless, combined with the delicate sensual lighting of Andr? Turpin and the minimalist environment of a giant wooden box with rounded forms that seems to have no exit, create a disturbingly exquisite and moving experience. The original score, written by David Lang for violin, cello, piano and voice, combines evocative minimalism with lyrics from five of Lou Reed's most famous works, created in the 60s for The Velvet Underground.

• Mendelssohn - A Midsummer Night's Dream | Blu Ray | (28/01/2008) from £41.24   |  Saving you £-9.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  This performance of George Balanchine's ballet A Midsummer Night's Dream was filmed live at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London, in February 1999 and won the award for "Best Television Realisation of a Stage Production" at IMZ Dance Screen. The music is from Mendelssohn's youthful overture plus later theatre music, and five other pieces by the composer all selected by the great Russian choreographer Balanchine in 1962. In a fine ensemble cast, Paul Gibson as Oberon and Patricia Barker as Titania are suitably aloof, at least until the latter dances with the ass Bottom (Timothy Lynch) in a highlight of touching comedy. After all the quarrelsome entanglements of the first act, the finale ensures celebration and richly deserved happy endings all round. The simple sets have a picturesque charm, the costumes a fairytale glamour and the large cast, including many children, dance with flair and enthusiasm; this is clearly one production where everyone was having a fine time. In fact it is rather more enjoyable than Hollywood's A Midsummer Night's Dream of the same year. Ballet aficionados may also want to explore the BBC's wonderful Coppélia (2000). On the DVD: There are no special features on the disc, but the 12-page booklet is entirely in English and is well presented, offering track and cast lists, a synopsis and notes on Balanchine, Mendelssohn and the creative talents and directors of the Pacific Northwest Ballet. The sound is atmospheric--Dolby Digital 5.0--and the anamorphically enhanced 16:9 image is good, though slightly soft, and does occasionally reveal some compression artefacting. In defiance of regional encoding regulations, not only is this DVD region free, but includes the normal PAL UK television system programme material on one side and on the reverse includes the same content in NTSC format, suitable for American playback. Anyone curious to see if one format is better will find that the UK PAL transfer contains just a little more picture detail. --Gary S Dalkin

• Sleeping Beauty - Tchaikovsky | DVD | (01/08/2005) from £31.50   |  Saving you £-16.51 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Ballet in Three Acts and a Prologue.

• Sleeping Beauty - Tchaikovsky | DVD | (24/09/2004) from £34.55   |  Saving you £-4.56 (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Featuring The Sleeping Beauty Ballet performed by the Het National Ballet recorded at the Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam.

• Don Giovanni - Mozart | DVD | (10/08/2018) from £33.73   |  Saving you £-14.57 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.16

• Swan Lake - Tchaikovsky | DVD | (29/08/2005) from £33.73   |  Saving you £-8.74 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Recorded live at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi Milan 14 April 2004La Scala's 2004 Swan Lake brings together two world stars of classical ballet in the lead roles Svetlana Zakharova and Roberto Bolle in this traditional production of Tchaikovsky's fairy story. The production comes from the Teatro degli Arcimboldi La Scala's temporary home at the time.There is certainly scope for various interpretations of the swan myth which goes back to antiquity when Jupiter took the shape of a swan and seduced Leda the wife of the king of the Spartans. The Milan production does not deny the psychological subtexts - the transformation of the girl Odette into a swan by being taken under Rothbart's huge wings in the prologue sets of black and white in the white acts and the most varied and colourful costumes in the merry ball scenes. The world of Prince Siegfried before the intrusion of Rothbart is characterised by Arcadian like pastel-colours and when Siegfried successfully fights him to free Odette from the spell the staging creates a most impressive lake scenery with roaring waters which acts as a transforming experience for Siegfried as well as Odette.Directed by Florence Clerc from Paris and Frederic Olivieri Artistic Director with the La Scala Ballet the Milan staging combines the best of both worlds in ballet: Russian classical school with the history of choreographic adaptation in the West. The filming underlines both aspects - in the expressive and soulful moments of the ballet the camera draws close to the dancers while it zooms out for the outstandingly symmetrical dancing of the swan scenes which the ballet has become so famous for.

• Dance Theatre Of Harlem | DVD | (28/02/2001) from £34.97   |  Saving you £-9.98 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The Dance Theatre of Harlem has long since entered the history books as the world's foremost black classical ballet company, founded in 1969 by School of American Ballet graduate Arthur Mitchell. In 1989, RM Arts and Danmarks Radio produced a studio repertoire of four of the company's most popular works, encapsulating the extraordinary mixture of grace and physicality that have captivated audiences globally. Quite possibly, too, they have attracted and inspired a different audience for whom the traditional trappings of classical ballet--tutus and tights--hold little appeal. Take "Troy Game", a short piece for six male dancers who tumble, fight, swagger, jostle and play in a joyful, gladiatorial celebration of male muscularity. It's ironic, sometimes challenging, and very funny. Or take "John Henry", an interpretation of the life of the legendary factory worker who resisted the increased automation of the steel industry but wore himself out in the process. These are ballets that draw heavily on folklore to create tension which is almost tangible. "Fall River Legend" is a reworking of the Lizzie Borden story (choreography by Agnes de Mille) and "The Beloved" is based on the story of an over-zealous minister who throttles his wife over a bible. It seems invidious to pick out individual artists but Virginia Johnson as Lizzie and Eddie J Shellman as John Henry embody the dramatic, character-driven dancing which is the foundation of the Dance Theatre of Harlem's reputation: exhilarating and compelling. On the DVD: PCM stereo-sound quality is adequate for the music, much of it derived from American folk tunes. The 4:3 picture format favours some fine camera work which moves in among the dancers. This is especially effective for the fast-moving "Troy Game" and the stylised settings of "Fall River Legend", where the choreography generates an electric air of personal meltdown around axe murderess Lizzie Borden. An important feature is an introduction to the Dance Theatre of Harlem by its founder, the genial Arthur Mitchell. The accompanying booklet provides a potted history. --Piers Ford

• Tchaikovsky Gala (Swan Lake/Sleeping Beauty/The Nutcracker) Roberto Bolle / La Scala | Blu Ray | (24/11/2008) from £37.32   |  Saving you £-7.33 (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

• Cinderella | DVD | (28/09/2001) from £33.73   |  Saving you £-8.74 (-35.00%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Maguy Marin's reworking of the Cinderella story which was staged in the studio. Prokofiev's music has still been used but edited to allow additional sound effects to be added.

• Vladimir Vasiliev - Giselle - Ballet Nacional De Cuba | DVD | (26/07/2007) from £30.42   |  Saving you £-6.17 (N/A%)   |  RRP £22.99

• The Nutcracker | DVD | (19/05/2003) from £33.73   |  Saving you £-1.74 (N/A%)   |  RRP £31.99

  A performance of 'The Nutcracker' by the famed Bolshoi ballet entourage. Soloists include V. Vassiliev and E. Maximova.