russian-ballerina-1

I personally think that Russian and FSU Dancers are probably the best in the world. 

There are many state and professional dance studios in every city and Russian Culture treats this art form with the deepest respect. 

For example..

Take a look at the photo above to catch a glipse of the absolute perfect pose of this incredible ballerina. 

She looks like she is being suspended by invisible wires like they do in Cirque du Soleil.  And it’s pretty hard for me to imagine that she’s not so the only thing I can say like most others upon seeing this is..

“How do they do that!?!?”

Well luckily this timeless artform is about to get some international exposure with the latest release of a documentary film called “Ballerina”.

 

Ballerina spotlights the drive of Russian dancers

By R.M. CAMPBELL

Russian dancers have long been the subject of fascination, sometimes the men and sometimes the women. It would appear from “Ballerina,” a documentary about the Kirov Ballet, that women hold the upper edge today.

This film by Bertrand Normand takes a look at five women at the Kirov: two established stars, one hoping for a comeback after an injury, and two are young aspirants, bursting with talent and ambition.

Dance in Russia has always been a state art form, beginning in 1738 with a school founded by Empress Anna. Ballet was staged in both St. Petersburg and Moscow, but it was in St. Petersburg where it enjoyed all sorts of royal privilege and, in the 19th century, became the breeding ground for classical ballet as we know it today. Even though the Communists disdained most things associated with the aristocracy, they did not disapprove of ballet, though it was nearly choked to death in the 20th century for lack of choreographic innovation. In spite of that, the Bolshoi in Moscow, and Kirov, also known as the Maryinsky, produced great dancers.

“Ballerina” explains, in part, how those dancers are produced from the beginning: It starts with children being examined by experts, as if they are livestock, for their physical potential as dancers. Then, those who are selected go forth into the rigors of the classroom and, they hope, the stage.

Although many things are left out of the documentary, Normand has a good concept: Take a couple of girls — Alina Somova and Evgenia Obraztsova — who are on their way up the ladder and follow them. Ballet is serious business in Russia, as it is in the rest of Europe and North America, but it is more centralized and authoritarian and central to Russia’s self-image and cultural legacy.

Somova and Obraztsova’s progress from students to professionals is contrasted with three dancers who have arrived. Only one — Diana Vishneva — will be known to a non-Russian audience because she dances on a regular basis as a guest artist with leading European and American companies, such as American Ballet Theatre, where she receives rapturous attention.

All these dancers are different, but they share commitment and focus. Anyone who knows about ballet will find much to recognize in the lives of these young women, but for those who do not, the film will be a revelation.

 

(click here for the original article)