Into the Light World Tour

Captured during a two-night stand at a Dutch arena, this 100-minute concert special documents Gloria Estefan's lavish 1991 world tour, which underscored the Cuban-American singer's graduation from acclaim as a dance-floor diva to the ranks of female pop superstars. At its best, Into the Light World Tour displays the relentless energy, personal warmth, and crack musicianship that Estefan and her husband, producer, and principal collaborator, Emilio Estefan Jr., had evolved through her old band, the Miami Sound Machine, and taken uptown through her solo career. When the star and her band kick into high gear, percussion simmering and horns blazing in taut, deftly arranged choruses, the propulsive lure of salsa is hard to resist.

Technically, Estefan is a singer with a supple tone but modest range, hardly suggesting the caliber expected of a bona fide diva. Neither does her small, compact frame suggest a dancer's physique, despite the production's reliance on extended dance sequences. Yet she makes the most with what she has, harnessing formidable physical energy and transmitting considerable warmth to her audience. Her material, including both Miami Sound Machine hits and subsequent solo signatures, works best when staying closest to her roots, riding the giddy syncopations of uptempo Latin rhythms, or plying the lambent emotions of traditional ballads. Her exhortations to dance--"Get on Your Feet," "Conga," and "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" being the inevitable faves--work handily with an ecstatic audience.

More grizzled viewers should be forewarned that this, like most recent concert films, isn't purely documentary--apart from backstage sequences that duly flatter the star, the live sound has been liberally sweetened during post-concert production. --Sam Sutherland
Customer Review: A great concert
I never actually saw this video. I was at the concert. The concert was awesome, so if this video does a decent job of capturing it, then it should be great too.
Customer Review: Gloria is the best and so are her concerts
Gloria is the best singer ever. On stage she's a divette. She's the best and so are her shows. The way she sings live is great, and so is her dancing. The band is great too. They know how to play and everybody goes wild in the audience!!!!!!!Always!!!!! I love her with all my heart and soul, 4 ever.....

It was sunset. The wind rode on the sharp edges of the mountains dragging the last bit of color away from the darkening hills. In a small cradle of two hills lay a beautiful girl. Her hair was long and soft, and when it touched the wind no other beauty could compare to it. She had a long face and brilliant searching brown eyes. Her feet were perfectly conformed, but were not like everybody else's who surrounded her. This girl's belly was not thin and it was not bulging, but was somewhere in between, and was the perfect shape. She stood up. Her long hair covering her body like a coat. The wind pushed against her forehead, cooling the nearly invisible sweat.

Others gathered around her, watching her intently. She began to move in a slow, but upbeat rhythm. It grew very quiet. The others continued to look at her, and started to wonder why she had begun to dance when the music hadn't started. The girl's curves moved back and forth and her hands danced their own dance around her stomach. Back and forth she moved until the earth seemed to move and the mountains rumble. The grass quivered back and forth at the eerie silence. She stopped. The ring of quiet shadowed everyone's ears. The beautiful girl opened her mouth. A long sweet tone emerged from her lips. The gazing onlookers listened intently to the wonderful sound. The girl dropped down to a very low pitch and then swerved back up like a bird that was getting too close to the ground. She sang and sang as if she were pouring her inside beauty out to the others. Her voice stopped, and once again silence covered everything.

The girl's body began to move again, but this time it was much slower and seemed more meaningful. Soon the others were bobbing their heads and moving to something unheard. It was the music of their souls. The girl sped up her dance, leaving all of the others to dance their own rhythm. Soon the girl was dancing so hard to the music inside of her that she suddenly stopped and began to run. Blood thumped in her temples and her gorgeous hair flowed back away from her face. Her long sleek body seemed to move with the wind, and her feet with the earth. The girl ran and ran, and when she got to the top of her favorite hill she stopped. Her breathing came harshly, making her nostrils flare for air. She smiled and took a minute to grasp the beauty around her. The smell of wild flowers hung in her nostrils, and the earth cuddled her feet. In the near distance she spotted a small forest and hundreds of night creatures lurking about. Quickly she turned around to look at the others. Their music was still playing within their bodies. The girl was satisfied. Once again she had taught to listen not only to your mind but also to the music, the real music that plays inside of you.

The girl began to laugh. This was no ordinary laugh though -- it was a laugh that was a slightly haunting and scary. Her eyes sparkled and she laughed on. Once again she had gotten away with her secret. Once again she had done something all of the others said she couldn't do. The girl reared up in triumph, showing off her glimmering hoofs and long mane. A long whinny rose from her throat and she galloped home.

The dancer's secret was revealed...

Randall Holman, site owner of Front Range Frenzy and horse enthusiast, is the author of the above short story. You can find easy and practical basic horse care information on his website: http://www.FrontRangeFrenzy.com.

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