As a ballet dancer the media portrayal really bothers me. Most dancers have to be extremely disciplined, well rounded, and friendly to have a career. Good communication is necessary with partners, directors, choreographers, etc. The drama in these stories is often not at all plausible in actual ballet settings and can negatively affect real dancers. Edit: I would love to see a new ballet movie that’s actually good!
I agree. I think it’s probably due to how easily that extreme discipline can go wrong that’s probably why ballet’s been getting that kind of treatment in film. It’s been happening somewhat with the musical genre too (Whiplash, Love and Mercy). Thankfully there are other films that manage to do a respectful take like Hot Chocolate Nutcracker, Mao’s Last Dancer, Center Stage, Madeline, Angelina Ballerina, Princess Tutu, and some of the animated Barbie movies (to name a number of positive examples I’ve come across). I did ballet as a child but stuck with martial arts for most of my life and it’s a very similar set of expectations - respect, discipline, kindness, honor to the tradition you were trained under. Like how ballet’s (theoretical) dark side is covered a lot, I’m surprised that the dark side of martial arts is not covered very much outside of passing commentary. Then again I shouldn’t be surprised considering there’s something called the patriarchy. And it’s easy to fill in the rest! The darkness is a symptom of a bigger issue - how women’s ambitions are invalidated, used, punished and discarded (a common thread to all three films featured in the screenshot)
Ballet is perceived as a highly disciplined, graceful, and feminine art. It becomes a fascinating juxtaposition in cinema and stories therefore, when the lead ballerina is so focused on those traits when she herself is so unstable or unhinged, even if that’s likely not to ever happen in real life. Great video!
I think it's a good metaphor for the pressure to be beautiful and perfect, especially with how that pressure is placed on women. If women suffer, it has to be beautiful and still effortless, like ballet. Oh! not to mention the horrific prevalence of eating disorders among ballet dancers, which is ballet horror in its own right, except it's real.
Dude I'm obsessed with ballet horror, one of my weirdly specific favorite subgenres. It's so great to hear the perspective of someone who actually did ballet, since I know nothing about it and inevitably movies get a lot of shit wrong. You'd think ppl realize, it's horror, everything is unhinged, real ballet dancers aren't like that, but yknow.
Because it’s the quintessential expression femininity. For centuries femininity has been associated with hysteria, so movies use variations on madness to create a story arc/conflict.
I am a former ballerina who had to quit very early on due to a medical condition. Every single time I see ballet shoes , ballet costumes or anything asociated with it, it gives me a flash of memories from that time, the strict teachers, the dance routines, the other dancers , everything and even if I'm not dancing anymore I still feel that need to be perfect , to get everything right
My favorite piece of Ballet oriented media is Princess Tutu, I think it shows the discipline of the dance as well as the more sinister aspects of Dark Fantasy/Whimsy.
I haven’t watched the video yet but I can say that as a ballet dancer of 13 years, there is some truth in the portrayal of ballerinas. It’s a very competitive environment once we’re en pointe and dancers will compete for roles. Also the most successful ballerinas tend to be perfectionists and are people pleasers. The horror genre tends to exaggerate a lot of things (of course) so it makes sense to paint a perfectionist as unhinged. Obviously most ballerinas are very nice and normal people but there is an aspect of them that gets twisted for these movies.
As a ballet dancer. Most movies have kinda some truth but not really making some people i meet think i too am unhinged and would go crazy if i don't get a part or i get the part and go psycho lol. The only truth i'll say is competition is real and teacher are very strict (Though not all the time) I had like one brutally cruel teacher but she helped me with a lot of my turns and extensions. Competition is also brutal depending on the school. Everyone has that small group that they can spend time with and be friends because after that everyone else hates each other. I only had 5 friends in my big ballet company and after that no one liked me or talked to me. If you got a big role girls will hate you or if you get picked to do competitions other girls will bully you so you'd back out and have a chance to take your part. For the badass ballet assassins... I do both Ballet and Jujitsu so thats why i'm HYPED for the new John Wick Ballerina movie!
I did ballet and martial arts (the former shorter than the latter). Some former ballerinas became martial arts stars (most famous one is Michelle Yeoh) so some of the action tropes presented are not surprising to me; Ballet and martial arts have a very similar perspective when it comes to discipline and character development. The supernatural elements don’t bother me either since it’s common in the ballet plots themselves - The problem is they’re often applying those tropes to the TRAINING aspect rather than the story they’re portraying with dance. Martial arts has a dark side too but it’s not illustrated as much in fiction or real life outside of brief commentary. There’s such a treasure trove of great plots that need to be utilized. Animation has used a lot of them (Princess Tutu, Angelina Ballerina, Madeline, and of course Barbie). I wish live action got the same treatment! I also wouldn’t be surprised if traditional gender bias is at play here since ballet is considered feminine while martial arts is considered masculine. I feel like the overarching theme is the disregard, using, and punishing of women’s ambition. It happens universally in visual fiction but ballet’s the strongest palette to illustrate this dichotomy (which is ironic since a lot of the films tend to be done by male-led productions).
Omg, ballet photo shoots literally hurt me. It’s not that hard to just get a ballerina to model for you. I hate when they give pointe shoes to models who aren’t trained for them. First, they can hurt themselves and second, no one uses them well. As a girl that trains ballet and dodges pointe, it just looks stupid seeing them not getting over the box or tying the ribbons badly. And also the ribbons being SEEN. My teacher would get so mad if even the tinniest piece could be seen and not the whole thing. Loved the vid❤
I have always looked up to these movies or show: Pretty little things, Red shoes' Black Swan, Ballerina. These movies and characters might be dived by different genre, but they are all tied together for their deep passion and art in Ballet and the love for it, or obsession if we talk crime and horror. It's a sport with a lot of ugliness hidden under its beautiful service.
Actually I was about to make very clear that I have watch many shoes that depicted ballet as cute, soft and as art. until you mention "duality" and I was like "ok she knows there either cute ballet in movies or horror ballet" 😂
I just recently started watching some ballet TikTok’s and was really enjoying them so this is very timely. But I also want to say thank you for the beginning where you explain all of those basics it was very helpful
from my own personal experience, i had an argument with a ballerina, followed her and she did a quick 180 and threw one of the craziest kicks at me I've ever seen, and if it would've have hit me, there's no guarantee that i wouldn't have gone home with my eye popped out of my socket that day.
I also like to add that as cool as ballet horror/thriller is, I can see from this video that it can be frustrating and a bore that this is the only reoccurring theme when Hollywood makes a ballet film. We need a balance. Let’s hope someday we can see more light hearted, comedic ballet movies that’ll be Emmy worthy.
Amazing video!! Super thoughtful and insightful! I didnt do ballet but I did have friends who did it while I played softball and hockey- I do not give the catty ballerina trope the benefit of the doubt because I'm convinced it exists because ballet is seen as a feminine sport and 'women are catty' even though the amount of jealousy and drama that happened on my sports teams far outweighed my friends. But, that being said, I do understand the unstable ballerina trope- purely from a storytelling perspective. All sports are physically taxing and require control and discipline but I think ballet is (not exclusively) unique in how the sport is almost designed to look effortless while demanding huge amounts of control. This, obviously, lends itself very well to someone who emotionally is undergoing a lot of turmoil and trauma but is appearing unbothered and at ease. Dance was a sport I could never get into for the very same reason it's been my favourite sport- the perpetual motion. My experience in playing sports like basketball, hockey, etc is that I'd perform a series of physically challenging movements in short bursts, I'd account for the physical tax and incorporate that into my run. I could get away with it because in basketball, not many people are focusing on your posture and how graceful you look, whereas the perpetual motion of dance always eluded me. The physical aspect of it was fine- but the mental tax of knowing if i mess up one move I have to take it from the top always made me mess up. I had a lot of fun doing it, but I was too afraid of failing to ever properly get into it. The duality/juxtaposition of horror and feminity is for sure a huge drive, not even touching on the feminity as a perfomance aspect, but I think whats always drawn me in about the perfectionist ballerina/figure skater is the tension of knowing that one slip up can cost the whole performance. It applies to the sport and the mental gymnastics of having to keep a straight face while suffering- if you slip up even once, then it all comes down. But!! Again ive never been a ballerina so my analysis may be way off, but ive got the same amount of knowledge as most ballet filmmakers! (Shoutout to Black Swan's "the White and Black swan are traditionally played by two separate dancers" plot point that completely threw me for a loop lmao)
I just read the title and got so excited! This type of videos are the reason why I paid WiFi 💅💅 (PD: I didn't know you drop out film school and change your major! I did the same lol.)
I was about to mention Princess Tutu when I saw the nod in there! The art form, and also the anime, are also tied to the performative aspect, where an entire story is played out without words, just as the main character in that is unable on several levels to really communicate her identity and love. I think part of the stereotype is really linked with that interpretive style, not just any potential injuries are hidden, but the performers' voices. There's this heightened unreality, people transformed into dolls and animals (on stage and in the show)and still telling an entirely nonverbal, coherent story. While I don't dance regularly now, I took ballet regularly until I was 14, and then off and on again since my mid-20s, and there's this dissonance I don't think anyone who hasn't danced for a long time and loved it can understand, and so from the outside it looks like extreme self-punishment when it's difficult to really explain that rush and pride of "I did that" from pushing yourself that little bit further and making yourself into your art. It's an entirely different adrenaline rush from any other sport I've done. It's major league sports level training and intensity, but instead how well can you build that illusion of weightlessness and effortless grace and the sheer endorphin rush even if it feels like my toenails are being shoved backwards.
Love this video, it’s a subject I’ve wondered about for some time now. Also, Cathy Dollanganger, although from a book and tv series, I think also counts as another entry to this trope.
I just watched a screening of Swan Lake and started a ballet movie binge because of it, so happy to see this haha. How long did it take you to make this video out of curiosity? You must’ve had to collect so many clips 😂
I like unhinged feminine women .I am no ballerina and I understand if there are ballerinas who hate that potrayal but i LOVE IT. Ballet ia hard but looks easy .I just love rhe juxtaposition
You might like the Korean horror film Wishing Stairs if you haven't seen it. I saw it ages ago and totally forgot about it until this video. It's about rival ballerinas with supernatural elements and glass in ballet shoes and everything
17:06 This, this scene made me interesting in ballet, later on i started adult clases and din't even remember why in the first place so, thank you.. John Wick 3 🐤
It is the devotion and dedication we have to have to do the extreme talent level performance. As a former, non-professional too, dancer, the level of extreme devotion to a single art or performance art tends to feel "extreme" and "psycho" to outsiders, therefore is easily (mis)construed as a dangerous thing.
Ballet has a lot to do with control. Control your movements, control your wight, control your face. But it also needs movement to be light, and look delicate. It's hard and it's contradictory. It creates an ambient of preassure, and the idea of an insanely talent(double meaning, ha) being forced to walk this line, of control and lightness, still looking pretty while they hold on by a thread is captivating in a sense. This dance between beauty, art and madness, where if you lose one you lose all, and if you fall, don't bother rising again. I mean, if i had to dance on point shoes at the tip of my fingers for an 3 hour long spectacle, i'd also go on a murderous rage
This trope reminds me a lot of how classical strings are portrayed in film as well- mostly violin and cello (they always forget the violas). One example off the top of my head is from the umbrella academy where SPOILER ALERT the mentally ill violinist has a psychic break in the middle of a solo and her powers go haywire. SPOILER OVER I think the overlaps between rigid teachers, perceived femininity, wealth, and performance are what draw writers to both of these arts, and it's interesting to see the parallels. Although, instead of bleeding toes it's usually bleeding fingertips for the violinists lol
I started reading that Cracked article, and it made me realize Ballet Russes is ironically the only ballet which *is* Horny Anarchy. It's still a good parallel to the Secret History IMHO. (I'm writing a Secret History/Like Minds crossover set in 1920. Involving Ballet Russes and English queers (E. M Forster, Lawrence of Arabia, etc). Kinda horror/gothic vibes, very dark academia.
Thx for your video since I was making swan characters based off ballet. Since one of them is the stereotypical movie ballet Now I want to make the other one I have show the actual reality of ballet.
I believe it’s the jealousy of feminine females. Ballerinas are so disciplined and elegant so of course people want to tear them down to make themselves feel better for their own mediocracy. Anyway I’m not a dancer but my mom named me after Carmen De Lavallade and she is so gorgeous to this very day❣️ i wish there was an adult class just for port de bras and turn out stretches.
You might be onto something. I come from a family of dancers and boy howdy have I met so many insecure people who feel the need to tear down either my family or the sport once they start seeing their accomplishments. (Especially boys who have difficulty wrapping their heads around how feminine sports like dance, cheer, or softball could require strength, training, and skill.)
The truth is that most of these things are spread out of simple human jealousy. People who failed at ballet and were kicked out of ballet schools often say such things.
Can someone please list all the movies that was mentioned in the video? I’m interested to watch all of them. Also, I didn’t know there were more ballerina movies on screen so as an aspiring dancer I find this really cool! The most I’ve seen repeatedly are Princesse Tutu, Black Swan, and Leap 😊
I might be the only one I hate the ballerina turned spy trope. Idk I think it can lead to further stereotypes and sexualization of dancers... but that's just my thought process
There are loads of ballerinas that are actually psychopaths though. I know a lot of you are saying it’s not true but I have been a dancer my whole life and I have come across some scary ballerinas🩰
As a ballet dancer the media portrayal really bothers me. Most dancers have to be extremely disciplined, well rounded, and friendly to have a career. Good communication is necessary with partners, directors, choreographers, etc. The drama in these stories is often not at all plausible in actual ballet settings and can negatively affect real dancers.
Edit: I would love to see a new ballet movie that’s actually good!
I agree. I think it’s probably due to how easily that extreme discipline can go wrong that’s probably why ballet’s been getting that kind of treatment in film. It’s been happening somewhat with the musical genre too (Whiplash, Love and Mercy). Thankfully there are other films that manage to do a respectful take like Hot Chocolate Nutcracker, Mao’s Last Dancer, Center Stage, Madeline, Angelina Ballerina, Princess Tutu, and some of the animated Barbie movies (to name a number of positive examples I’ve come across).
I did ballet as a child but stuck with martial arts for most of my life and it’s a very similar set of expectations - respect, discipline, kindness, honor to the tradition you were trained under. Like how ballet’s (theoretical) dark side is covered a lot, I’m surprised that the dark side of martial arts is not covered very much outside of passing commentary. Then again I shouldn’t be surprised considering there’s something called the patriarchy. And it’s easy to fill in the rest! The darkness is a symptom of a bigger issue - how women’s ambitions are invalidated, used, punished and discarded (a common thread to all three films featured in the screenshot)
I see that many disciplines become subject of horror movies, usually become obsession. Especially Catholicism.
Exactly, I’m a ballet dancer as well. I completely agree with you. 😊💖
Ballet is perceived as a highly disciplined, graceful, and feminine art. It becomes a fascinating juxtaposition in cinema and stories therefore, when the lead ballerina is so focused on those traits when she herself is so unstable or unhinged, even if that’s likely not to ever happen in real life. Great video!
Prime example of the juxtaposition is Giselle's "Mad" scene!
I think it's a good metaphor for the pressure to be beautiful and perfect, especially with how that pressure is placed on women. If women suffer, it has to be beautiful and still effortless, like ballet. Oh! not to mention the horrific prevalence of eating disorders among ballet dancers, which is ballet horror in its own right, except it's real.
Dude I'm obsessed with ballet horror, one of my weirdly specific favorite subgenres. It's so great to hear the perspective of someone who actually did ballet, since I know nothing about it and inevitably movies get a lot of shit wrong.
You'd think ppl realize, it's horror, everything is unhinged, real ballet dancers aren't like that, but yknow.
Because it’s the quintessential expression femininity. For centuries femininity has been associated with hysteria, so movies use variations on madness to create a story arc/conflict.
I am a former ballerina who had to quit very early on due to a medical condition. Every single time I see ballet shoes , ballet costumes or anything asociated with it, it gives me a flash of memories from that time, the strict teachers, the dance routines, the other dancers , everything and even if I'm not dancing anymore I still feel that need to be perfect , to get everything right
Vampire ballerinas!? How did I not know this existed! 😮❤
I would totally watch a gothic romance movie starring a ballerina vampire! 🩰🦇
My favorite piece of Ballet oriented media is Princess Tutu, I think it shows the discipline of the dance as well as the more sinister aspects of Dark Fantasy/Whimsy.
I haven’t watched the video yet but I can say that as a ballet dancer of 13 years, there is some truth in the portrayal of ballerinas. It’s a very competitive environment once we’re en pointe and dancers will compete for roles. Also the most successful ballerinas tend to be perfectionists and are people pleasers. The horror genre tends to exaggerate a lot of things (of course) so it makes sense to paint a perfectionist as unhinged. Obviously most ballerinas are very nice and normal people but there is an aspect of them that gets twisted for these movies.
As a ballet dancer. Most movies have kinda some truth but not really making some people i meet think i too am unhinged and would go crazy if i don't get a part or i get the part and go psycho lol. The only truth i'll say is competition is real and teacher are very strict (Though not all the time) I had like one brutally cruel teacher but she helped me with a lot of my turns and extensions. Competition is also brutal depending on the school. Everyone has that small group that they can spend time with and be friends because after that everyone else hates each other. I only had 5 friends in my big ballet company and after that no one liked me or talked to me. If you got a big role girls will hate you or if you get picked to do competitions other girls will bully you so you'd back out and have a chance to take your part.
For the badass ballet assassins... I do both Ballet and Jujitsu so thats why i'm HYPED for the new John Wick Ballerina movie!
I did ballet and martial arts (the former shorter than the latter). Some former ballerinas became martial arts stars (most famous one is Michelle Yeoh) so some of the action tropes presented are not surprising to me; Ballet and martial arts have a very similar perspective when it comes to discipline and character development. The supernatural elements don’t bother me either since it’s common in the ballet plots themselves - The problem is they’re often applying those tropes to the TRAINING aspect rather than the story they’re portraying with dance. Martial arts has a dark side too but it’s not illustrated as much in fiction or real life outside of brief commentary. There’s such a treasure trove of great plots that need to be utilized. Animation has used a lot of them (Princess Tutu, Angelina Ballerina, Madeline, and of course Barbie). I wish live action got the same treatment!
I also wouldn’t be surprised if traditional gender bias is at play here since ballet is considered feminine while martial arts is considered masculine. I feel like the overarching theme is the disregard, using, and punishing of women’s ambition. It happens universally in visual fiction but ballet’s the strongest palette to illustrate this dichotomy (which is ironic since a lot of the films tend to be done by male-led productions).
@@sw3783 yep! And one of my friends did ballet prior to fencing so that tracks!
Omg, ballet photo shoots literally hurt me. It’s not that hard to just get a ballerina to model for you. I hate when they give pointe shoes to models who aren’t trained for them. First, they can hurt themselves and second, no one uses them well. As a girl that trains ballet and dodges pointe, it just looks stupid seeing them not getting over the box or tying the ribbons badly. And also the ribbons being SEEN. My teacher would get so mad if even the tinniest piece could be seen and not the whole thing.
Loved the vid❤
In real life, they’re like this click of cool kids that are super close because they literally work together almost everyday
I have always looked up to these movies or show: Pretty little things, Red shoes' Black Swan, Ballerina.
These movies and characters might be dived by different genre, but they are all tied together for their deep passion and art in Ballet and the love for it, or obsession if we talk crime and horror. It's a sport with a lot of ugliness hidden under its beautiful service.
Actually I was about to make very clear that I have watch many shoes that depicted ballet as cute, soft and as art.
until you mention "duality" and I was like "ok she knows there either cute ballet in movies or horror ballet" 😂
It's either super cute or super dark, with no in-between 😆
I just recently started watching some ballet TikTok’s and was really enjoying them so this is very timely. But I also want to say thank you for the beginning where you explain all of those basics it was very helpful
You're very welcome!
from my own personal experience, i had an argument with a ballerina, followed her and she did a quick 180 and threw one of the craziest kicks at me I've ever seen, and if it would've have hit me, there's no guarantee that i wouldn't have gone home with my eye popped out of my socket that day.
love how the dress/costume on the form in the bg switched from light to dark, lovely subtle touch to a great vid, thank you!
Thank you for noticing 😭💖
I also like to add that as cool as ballet horror/thriller is, I can see from this video that it can be frustrating and a bore that this is the only reoccurring theme when Hollywood makes a ballet film. We need a balance. Let’s hope someday we can see more light hearted, comedic ballet movies that’ll be Emmy worthy.
I didn't expect Audition to be discussed here, nobody ever seems to be talking about Audition.
Audition is so freaking good
Amazing video!! Super thoughtful and insightful! I didnt do ballet but I did have friends who did it while I played softball and hockey- I do not give the catty ballerina trope the benefit of the doubt because I'm convinced it exists because ballet is seen as a feminine sport and 'women are catty' even though the amount of jealousy and drama that happened on my sports teams far outweighed my friends.
But, that being said, I do understand the unstable ballerina trope- purely from a storytelling perspective. All sports are physically taxing and require control and discipline but I think ballet is (not exclusively) unique in how the sport is almost designed to look effortless while demanding huge amounts of control. This, obviously, lends itself very well to someone who emotionally is undergoing a lot of turmoil and trauma but is appearing unbothered and at ease.
Dance was a sport I could never get into for the very same reason it's been my favourite sport- the perpetual motion. My experience in playing sports like basketball, hockey, etc is that I'd perform a series of physically challenging movements in short bursts, I'd account for the physical tax and incorporate that into my run. I could get away with it because in basketball, not many people are focusing on your posture and how graceful you look, whereas the perpetual motion of dance always eluded me. The physical aspect of it was fine- but the mental tax of knowing if i mess up one move I have to take it from the top always made me mess up. I had a lot of fun doing it, but I was too afraid of failing to ever properly get into it.
The duality/juxtaposition of horror and feminity is for sure a huge drive, not even touching on the feminity as a perfomance aspect, but I think whats always drawn me in about the perfectionist ballerina/figure skater is the tension of knowing that one slip up can cost the whole performance. It applies to the sport and the mental gymnastics of having to keep a straight face while suffering- if you slip up even once, then it all comes down.
But!! Again ive never been a ballerina so my analysis may be way off, but ive got the same amount of knowledge as most ballet filmmakers! (Shoutout to Black Swan's "the White and Black swan are traditionally played by two separate dancers" plot point that completely threw me for a loop lmao)
I just read the title and got so excited! This type of videos are the reason why I paid WiFi 💅💅 (PD: I didn't know you drop out film school and change your major! I did the same lol.)
Ahhh I'm so glad you found this video! 🥰 and you're not the first person to tell me that; it's a very common occurrence apparently lol
I was about to mention Princess Tutu when I saw the nod in there! The art form, and also the anime, are also tied to the performative aspect, where an entire story is played out without words, just as the main character in that is unable on several levels to really communicate her identity and love. I think part of the stereotype is really linked with that interpretive style, not just any potential injuries are hidden, but the performers' voices. There's this heightened unreality, people transformed into dolls and animals (on stage and in the show)and still telling an entirely nonverbal, coherent story. While I don't dance regularly now, I took ballet regularly until I was 14, and then off and on again since my mid-20s, and there's this dissonance I don't think anyone who hasn't danced for a long time and loved it can understand, and so from the outside it looks like extreme self-punishment when it's difficult to really explain that rush and pride of "I did that" from pushing yourself that little bit further and making yourself into your art. It's an entirely different adrenaline rush from any other sport I've done. It's major league sports level training and intensity, but instead how well can you build that illusion of weightlessness and effortless grace and the sheer endorphin rush even if it feels like my toenails are being shoved backwards.
And games too. Ngl I’m kinda in love with Widowmaker’s portrayal
Always? How about Centre Stage? That's a wholesome ballet movie.
Love this video, it’s a subject I’ve wondered about for some time now. Also, Cathy Dollanganger, although from a book and tv series, I think also counts as another entry to this trope.
I just watched a screening of Swan Lake and started a ballet movie binge because of it, so happy to see this haha. How long did it take you to make this video out of curiosity? You must’ve had to collect so many clips 😂
I did the same ballet movie binge before lol and it took forever to edit this video (several months)!
striving for perfection, love the niche
I like unhinged feminine women .I am no ballerina and I understand if there are ballerinas who hate that potrayal but i LOVE IT.
Ballet ia hard but looks easy .I just love rhe juxtaposition
I love the way Don’t Worry Darling used ballet with the wives.
It was a subtle way to keep them submissive and controlled.
i really enjoyed watching this! keep it up
You might like the Korean horror film Wishing Stairs if you haven't seen it. I saw it ages ago and totally forgot about it until this video. It's about rival ballerinas with supernatural elements and glass in ballet shoes and everything
17:06 This, this scene made me interesting in ballet, later on i started adult clases and din't even remember why in the first place so, thank you.. John Wick 3 🐤
Because they’re starved and abused. Forced to be unhealthily thin.
It is the devotion and dedication we have to have to do the extreme talent level performance.
As a former, non-professional too, dancer, the level of extreme devotion to a single art or performance art tends to feel "extreme" and "psycho" to outsiders, therefore is easily (mis)construed as a dangerous thing.
Ballet has a lot to do with control. Control your movements, control your wight, control your face. But it also needs movement to be light, and look delicate. It's hard and it's contradictory. It creates an ambient of preassure, and the idea of an insanely talent(double meaning, ha) being forced to walk this line, of control and lightness, still looking pretty while they hold on by a thread is captivating in a sense. This dance between beauty, art and madness, where if you lose one you lose all, and if you fall, don't bother rising again. I mean, if i had to dance on point shoes at the tip of my fingers for an 3 hour long spectacle, i'd also go on a murderous rage
"Audition" is the most disturbing movie I have ever seen.
I am from post-Soviet country, and Swan Lake is a symbol of the end of Soviet Union. Red Sparrow,buytheway, is stereotype and the offensive one. 😂
that video must have been a ton of work. very well done
This trope reminds me a lot of how classical strings are portrayed in film as well- mostly violin and cello (they always forget the violas). One example off the top of my head is from the umbrella academy where SPOILER ALERT the mentally ill violinist has a psychic break in the middle of a solo and her powers go haywire. SPOILER OVER I think the overlaps between rigid teachers, perceived femininity, wealth, and performance are what draw writers to both of these arts, and it's interesting to see the parallels. Although, instead of bleeding toes it's usually bleeding fingertips for the violinists lol
I started reading that Cracked article, and it made me realize Ballet Russes is ironically the only ballet which *is* Horny Anarchy. It's still a good parallel to the Secret History IMHO. (I'm writing a Secret History/Like Minds crossover set in 1920. Involving Ballet Russes and English queers (E. M Forster, Lawrence of Arabia, etc). Kinda horror/gothic vibes, very dark academia.
Thx for your video since I was making swan characters based off ballet. Since one of them is the stereotypical movie ballet Now I want to make the other one I have show the actual reality of ballet.
Center Stage! One of my favorite movies. TIme to update my Letterbox
Gosh I whis those girls at my dance Training thingy didnt bully me out of this
😔
The title 😂❤
I heard yall have squirrels can I be a squirrel?
I believe it’s the jealousy of feminine females. Ballerinas are so disciplined and elegant so of course people want to tear them down to make themselves feel better for their own mediocracy. Anyway I’m not a dancer but my mom named me after Carmen De Lavallade and she is so gorgeous to this very day❣️ i wish there was an adult class just for port de bras and turn out stretches.
Omg I love that! 💖
You might be onto something. I come from a family of dancers and boy howdy have I met so many insecure people who feel the need to tear down either my family or the sport once they start seeing their accomplishments.
(Especially boys who have difficulty wrapping their heads around how feminine sports like dance, cheer, or softball could require strength, training, and skill.)
The truth is that most of these things are spread out of simple human jealousy. People who failed at ballet and were kicked out of ballet schools often say such things.
Can someone please list all the movies that was mentioned in the video? I’m interested to watch all of them. Also, I didn’t know there were more ballerina movies on screen so as an aspiring dancer I find this really cool! The most I’ve seen repeatedly are Princesse Tutu, Black Swan, and Leap 😊
If you click on the Letterboxd companion link in the description, it will have all the movies listed!
@@gimmepuffsleevesAh, ok I see them. Thank you 😄
I might be the only one I hate the ballerina turned spy trope. Idk I think it can lead to further stereotypes and sexualization of dancers... but that's just my thought process
Glass in pointe shoes - sure, but aren’t you wearing toe pads..?
What movie is 5:23?
It's called Ballerina or Leap depending on what country you're in!
@@gimmepuffsleeves thank you 😃
they’re literally on their tippy toes all the time, id go crazy too lmao
I wish movies see the beauty of ballet,
6:45
💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐
Because Ballet is an Unhinged Sport.
Very entertaining, thank you, but please speak more slowly.
There are loads of ballerinas that are actually psychopaths though. I know a lot of you are saying it’s not true but I have been a dancer my whole life and I have come across some scary ballerinas🩰