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BALLERINA MOVIE REVIEW



Directed by: Bertrand Norman
Running time: 77 minutes - English Narration, Russian dialogue with English Subtitles
Release date: January 16, 2009 (limited to select theaters)
Genre: Documentary
Distributor: First Run Features
MPAA Rating: Not rated

Ballet is a french noun from the Italian word balletto, diminutive of ballo dance, from ballare. In contemporary terms it is a theatrical art form using dancing, music, and scenery to convey a story, theme, or atmosphere using conventional poses and steps (as leaps and turns) in combination with light flowing figures. The ballerina is a woman who is a ballet dancer.

Bertrand Normand's intimate film examines five exceptional Russian Ballerinas from the renowned Mariinsky Theatre (formerly the Kirov). The voice over (narration) by Alain Ghazal introduces a new generation of stars: Alina Somova, Svetlana, Diana Vishneva, Ulyana Lopatkina and Evgenia Obraztsova, who are exceptionally talented women. Profiling these women is a unique chore for the filmmaker Norman, because each are driven with her own individual dreams and challenges. The film coverage is from schools, rehearsals, backstage and their home showing how different they are from each other.

Ballerina, fades in with a great short biography of the dance with old footage from the 19th and 20th century ballet, indicating that in the 19th century the female dancers dominated the stage. However, during the 20th century male dancers such as, Rudolf Nureyev and Mikael Baryshnikov took the lime-light. Now in the 21st century, the tables are turned and the female dancers are in the spotlight. The women are beautiful; however, they are equally tough and show a tolerance to pain. Ballet dancers always have slender bodies that are both strong and lean with lovely proportion and gorgeous body lines. One of the greatest secrets displayed in this film is the conditioning which focuses on all muscle groups. Starting at a young age, the movie documents girls being examined by teachers where limited enrollment is taken. The beginning dance students looked so anxious in this film as they learn technique and vocabulary of classical ballet with the emphasis on posture, placement, and movement potential. It is explained that only half the enrollment finishes the course. This is their beginning for competitions and to become noticed. Hopefully, they progress to a Ballet Company, to work in corps and earn a ranking.

Some ballerinas make it to the rank of Prima Ballerina, such as Diana Vishneva. Alina Somova is the youngest to tackle Swan Lake in her dance company. All this is from hard work and coaching from world class teachers and choreographers. I watched this movie and thought of "no pain - no gain", but muscular injuries are relevant issues that hang over their heads.

I enjoyed the bold honesty of this movie, while being enlightened from the extensive amount of information displayed on screen from interviews by the ladies. This not a tutorial on the Ballerina and the dance, but a soulful look at what it takes for these five women to be successful in a world they love.

(FILM RATING A)