Product Details

• Actors: Alina Somova, Svetlana Zakharova, Diana Vishneva, Ulyana Lopatkina, Evgenia Obraztsova
• Directors: Bertrand Norman
• Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: English, French, Russian
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: FIRST RUN FEATURES
• DVD Release Date: July 21, 2009
• Run Time: 77 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0025Z4Q4E
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,298 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Ballerina" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

BALLERINA - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best ballet documentary ever!, June 10, 2009

By 

Nancita bonita "dancing doc" (southern california) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ballerina (DVD)

This is the best ballet documentary I have ever seen on the Kirov. It is almost a sequel to "The Children of Theater Street." The Kirov has taken its history and technique and brought it into the modern arena - even the leotards and tights are like amazing costumes from Karinska. These women have incredible technique and artistry - each one very different from the last. They are current and yet old fashioned, in a good way, at the same time. If you're a dancer - you'll love this because its is filled with behind the scenes, rehearsals, class, and life in the reality of being a Russian dancer. Interesting perspective on performance scenes as well.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent behind the scenes documentary, July 9, 2009

By 

Paul E. Richardson "Russian Life" (Montpelier, VT) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ballerina (DVD)

You don't have to be enamored of Russian ballet to be struck by its beauty, by the intense years of dedication and hard work (to say nothing of innate talent) it takes to succeed in the rarified air of the Mariinsky or the Bolshoi.

This excellent new documentary takes you behind the scenes at the world-renowned Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg, the guardian of Russian classical ballet (see Russian Life, Nov/Dec 2008). It traces the lives and fortunes of a handful of ballerinas in training, following recent graduates through their first years of service in the Mariinsky, while comparing their careers with those of world-renowned primas. In all, it is an astoundingly intimate, up-close portrait of these dancers' lives.

One of the most unexpectedly fascinating parts of the film, however, is when the cameras turn to interview a leading dancer from Paris. His declaration of the unparalleled toughness and grit of Russian dancers is insightful as only the judgement of one's peers can be. (As reviewed in Russian Life)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent documentary, October 23, 2009

By 

Essential Logic (Kirksville, MO United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ballerina (DVD)

This documentary is a suitable companion piece to the old Soviet era "The Children of Theater Street" and a welcome antidote to Hollywood's depictions of the life and training of professional dancers. Any university or college that has a dance program or dance team should buy this for the fine arts media collection.