It’s a simple equation – good entertainment plus good food equals a good night out, and the dinner show Battle of the Dance does not follow that. Battle of the Dance is a fairly new dinner-show attraction in the 2200 block of Anaheim. Battle of the Dance attempts to fit in with the rising trend of meal and show combinations, but with limited success – though Battle of the Dance lacks the eye-popping, jaw dropping sensation, it is still good for a decent family outing or a mediocre date.
Battle of the Dance mimics a dance-off, displaying both Spanish Flamenco and Irish dance. The dancers themselves were very talented and their footwork was mesmerizing. The dances were highly energetic and were obvious crowd-pleasers; the fluidity of the movements was captivating.
However, there are very few other redeeming qualities about the show, and there is a large margin upon which improvement can be used.
One of the most glaring shortfalls of Battle of the Dance is the food – despite it being touted as a dinner-show, the attraction lacks much in the edibles department. The leadoff was the choice between the shrimp salad and vegetable soup, followed by vegetables and roasted chicken, mahi mahi, or pasta, to be topped off with chocolate cake.
The shrimp salad was half-way decent, having just two shrimp, some lettuce, a ranch dressing, and very little else. The roast chicken came out to be a tad bit on the dry side – not enough to make the bird inedible, but enough to cause discomfort. The carrots and broccoli were soggy, although the potatoes were nicely done. The best thing about the chocolate cake was the presentation; beyond that, it seemed as though it were made of plastic – cold, rigid, and bland. If that weren’t enough, the soda offered as a drink did not do well to compliment the already failing meal.
In addition, it was quite difficult to eat in the almost pitch-black auditorium, with the only light coming from the stage. On the other hand, the servers were extremely patient and accommodating.
The show itself started off very slowly, and the meaning of the name was lost upon me until near the end of the show. Besides the Irish and Flamenco dance, there were also pop and Bollywood elements, in addition to the hand shadow artist and ventriloquist. At some points, the music was simply too loud with too much unnecessary bass. In addition, despite claims that the show is completely family friendly, some of the jokes by the ventriloquist and his puppets were blatantly inappropriate from the younger members of the audience.
Battle of the Dance was not all bad, though. At the end of the show, the dancers were available for meet and greets as well as photo opportunities in the lobby. The cast was extremely friendly, and were even willing to teach some eager learners a few basic steps.
Regretfully, Battle of the Dance did not live up to the hype, although that is not to say that it was an entirely bad way to spend the evening. One would need to exhibit extreme caution, however, before deciding to spend the evening with Battle of the Dance.
