Apologies to our British viewers, but for this magazine I have chosen a video which is only available in the USA and parts of Europe. But if you are serious about collecting ballet videos then you have to look abroad and buy from the United States. You will also need a video player with NTSC playback capability. Most machines have that ability now. Almost all American videos are available on the internet. The best site is www.kultur.com. They accept credit cards and they will ship overseas to the U.K.

It does seem bizarre that the Royal Ballet's production of La Bayadere under Makarova is available everywhere but the United Kingdom. It's said this is because the dancing was thought not up to scratch.

If true this seems rather perverse. Personally I think the dancing is very good. With outstanding performances from all the main principals and the 3 shades, it should be a treasure in any video collection.

It also seems rather peculiar that Makarova's production has not earned the respect it deserves. It is far better then the Bolshoi and even the Kirov version. Its strength lies in its cogent dramatic style.

The significant difference from most other productions is the inclusion of a reconstructed final act in the temple and the reduction in the number of dances in the betrothal scene.

Many ballet critics see the inclusion of the reconstructed final act as outright sacrilege. However I suggest they see things from the point of view of a casual ballet-goer. Without the final act the entire ballet seems to end unresolved - in mid air. So what is the casual goer going to think?. I gave tickets to La Bayadere in Paris to some friends who had never seen it before - they were quite at a loss at the ending. They guessed that the Kingdom of the Shade Scene was a dream but I did note their sense of disappointment at the absence of a properly resolved ending! The lack of a proper ending is not acceptable to Anglo-Saxon audiences who have a very strong theatre tradition. By not having a proper ending we are saying "up yours!" to the casual ballet goer.

Another advantage the final act is that it no longer requires the betrothal scene to be padded out with too many dances. I particularly liked the transfer of the Bronze Idol scene to the final act. In the betrothal scene it is less effective because it is sandwiched between several other dances. But in the Makarova version the curtain to the final act opens with the Bronze Idol coming to life and dancing alone in the darkened temple. Immediately an atmosphere of the supernatural and oriental mysticism is created.

The final Act (Act 3 in the RB case) is choreographically a bit weak. But it is a well conceived act. There is a great sense of menace in the air despite the fact that a wedding is taking place. And there is a great solo dance for Darcey which is suitably grim and frightening. It also gives Nikiya a chance to shed her helpless victim status and become a vengeful angel of death. After all she did go after her rival with a knife in Act I ( surely that would be enough to have her put to death in the most terrible manner possible!)

This is one of the few videos with Asylmuratova in a leading role! She will not blow you away with technical ability but she is unrivalled in expressive technique. I see so much of Makorava in Asylmuratova. There is a great intensity to all her dancing - it is so deeply impassioned. She uses her entire body to convey feeling. Every arching of her back, extension or arm movement conveys meaning. She is also astonishingly musical. It is an incredible performance and must be seen!

She is ably "supported" by Darcey Bussell as the evil Princess Gamzatti. Her dancing is more spectacular and stronger technically. She has some absolutely dazzling solos in the betrothal scene and another one in the final act. She plays the villain really quite well (although I did prefer Debbie Bull in the more recent RB performances). I loved her feigned sense of indignation at being accused of duplicity in the death of Nikiya - and the way she walks away slyly from Nikiya full of crocodile tears. It is appropriate that she has the flashy dances in contrast to the more restrained moves of Nikiya. It underscores their wholly different status in society - one is a glorious princess, the other is a humble temple dancer!

This was the first televised performance of Irek Mukhamadev with the Royal Ballet. Perhaps his acting ability had not fully matured yet to what it has now become but he was still superb. He has tremendously strong power which spits out testosterone!

The 3 shades (Nicola Roberts, Fiona Brockway, and Viviana Durante) did not dance very well together. This is largely because Durante shamelessly raises her leg higher or further backwards then the other 2 shades. But separately they all sparkled in their respective solos. It is always worth comparing these dancers with the Paris Opera Ballet ones. You can see very clearly the different styles. I particularly like Nicola Roberts as the first shade (the polka!) . She has a great turn of speed and a very soft line! A rather severe looking Durante got the biggest applause for her very high leg extensions!

Not all the dancing was outstanding. Definitely some of the pas d'action dances in the betrothal scene looked rather out of sync although each dancer danced beautifully. Neither was the corps especially good in the Kingdom of the Shades Scene. The D'jampe dance is so difficult to pull off and seems to require an unrealistic number of rehearsals. Consequently it looked rather bad. One dancer was completely out of sync with the others on the turning arabesques.

There are some very effective mime scenes by all the main dancers, David Drew and Anthony Dowell (as the King and high priest). This all makes for a powerfully dramatic rendition of La Bayadere. Of course it is all complete hokum in the best Hollywood sense. But if it keeps audience excited then why not have hokum? To me, the first acts are just warm ups for the main event (the Kingdom of the Shades Scene). But to the casual ballet goer this must be like an exotic soap opera with a ravishingly beautiful scene in the middle. So overall I gave the highest possible marks for Markorava production.

The sets and costumes by Yolanda Sonnaband were very good as well. It is about as authentic as a Mogul themed restaurant but it was very pleasing to the eye.

The sound and camera angles are first rate - Covent Garden comes off very well on TV because the stage is smaller. The videocassette also has a very helpful plot summary before each scene.

So overall this is an excellent video which is a must buy for any one who loves ballet. It is available in most good classical record shops in the USA and on the Internet at www.kultur.com