I don’t know how else to put this – I struggle with my identity as a dancer. I trained very seriously in classical ballet until rather traumatically abandoning it at 17 – giving up for fear of failure (amongst other things) before I could achieve much beyond the pre-professional realm.
Though that is a decision I must live with, it is frequently haunting, and I still like to claim some sort of ownership of my experience. I feel that I “know dance” in a way that others do not, whether or not I am actually entitled to that opinion, being a “failed” dancer, as it were.
As I have found styles of dance outside of ballet that I enjoy, it is unfailingly emotional to return to the memory of ballet in any way. I can’t bear to attend performances, watch videos, or (most of all) attempt any ballet classes. Nevertheless, a new film has piqued my curiosity. While I’m not sure how I would fare watching it, it appears to be a more faithful look at ballet than any previous attempts in film (Center Stage comes to mind), except for maybe Etoiles.
The documentary is called La Danse, by Frederick Wiseman. Perhaps because I was trained by a former member of the Paris Opera Ballet, I feel a sort of awe and sadness. Bear in mind that this is the world of French classical ballet – not American and certainly not Balanchine. The Paris Opera Ballet is arguably the most esteemed in the world at this style. So, let me say from my possibly unearned sense of righteousness: if you are interested in the “real” gold standard for classical ballet, let this documentary be your guide.
Update: It should be noted that while the Paris Opera Ballet is famous for classical ballet, they obviously perform other styles by a wide variety of choreographers, as you will see in the trailer.
Tags: dance
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