We don't see the fairy tale from this side of the stage.
May 1, 2016 5:35 PM   Subscribe

Dance of the Little Swans - auditions and the first years at the Vaganova Ballet Academy.

Each year to remain at the school, dancers pass an exam:
Class 0. Class 1. Class 2. Class 3. Class 4. Class 5. Class 6 (1, 2). Class 7 (1, 2). Graduation exam.

The Goal:
Ballerina - a documentary following 5 dancers from the Vaganova Academy at different stages of their career
Mariinsky Company Class
The Kirov (now Mariinsky) Swan Lake
Diana Vishneva (a Vaganova Academy graduate) as Aurora in Sleeping Beauty
posted by ChuraChura (9 comments total) 24 users marked this as a favorite
 
Such interesting videos. I find them to be a mix of beautiful and a bit odd; it feels strange to think about the endless practice it takes to get that kind of synchronized and scripted movement. Seeing the progression through the classes is my favorite part of this.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:42 PM on May 1, 2016 [1 favorite]


Thanks so much for posting. I love ballet and especially ballet videos showing auditions and classes. I'm excited to watch!!
posted by SweetTeaAndABiscuit at 7:56 PM on May 1, 2016 [1 favorite]


Thanks for posting this. I love these sorts of documentaries.
posted by poxandplague at 10:13 PM on May 1, 2016


Is it just me, or does the school empresario dude in Dance of the Little Swans look a lot like Peter Gallagher?

It's funny how much this adheres to the same basic formula as really cheesy ballet-training depictions like Center Stage and Dance Academy: sweet young girl faces overwhelming odds due to (poor training stemming from rural upbringing/ "bad feet"/ getting a late start due to focus on rhythm gymnastics), but she will overwhelm the naysayers with her hard work and adorable personality! Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), I'm not sure that poor little Olya will get her happy ending. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets booted at the end of the year.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 5:59 AM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]


I was hanging out with some friends from ballet last night and one of them was bemoaning the fact that Amanda Schull, who was Jody Sawyer in Center State and danced with San Francisco Ballet, is now acting professionally. I was so excited to be able to say, "You didn't have the feet ... she doesn't have the heart!"
posted by ChuraChura at 6:26 AM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]


The funny thing is that I actually have no idea what "bad feet" are. I just know that Jody had them. But so did Margot Fonteyn!

I cannot explain my love for cheesy ballet-related pop culture, but there you go. I have never had a ballet lesson in my entire life.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:59 AM on May 2, 2016 [3 favorites]


Good feet - high arches, high instep, flexible ankle.
Bad feet - low arches, low instep, inflexible ankle. The before picture especially; the after picture's better, but it's hard to turn bad feet into good feet. Ask my achilles tendonitis how I know!
posted by ChuraChura at 7:36 AM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]


Awww, I'm rooting for little Olya!

(I'm someone who has never had one second of dance training--nor the physique for classical dance at all--and yet I cannot resist any dance-related movie, especially ballet!)
posted by TwoStride at 6:44 PM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]


Awww, found her Instagram. Guess she hasn't been kicked out yet!
posted by TwoStride at 6:47 PM on May 2, 2016 [2 favorites]


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