Customer Reviews

The Dancer

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you like ballet documentaries then this one should be in your collection. We do not often get to learn much of what goes on in the Northern European Ballet Community, which has made very important contributions to the ballet tradition, so this is all the more welcome. It is an intimate behind the scenes look into the Royal Swedish Ballet and its school. We are shown the daily routines of the dancers in training, both female and male. Mostly, we follow the daily routine of Katja Bjoerner, a young lady who is one of Sweden's hopes for a prima ballerina. There are many classroom scenes with group and private instruction at the professional level, both barre and center, as well as stage rehearsals. Some of the dialogue is in Swedish with English subtitles, but a lot of English is spoken also. Katja speaks perfect English. For more on the Royal Swedish Ballet see my review of their Swan Lake.

This artistically produced DVD was a joy to watch. Closeups of the dancer's feet and her perspiring face drove home the dedication of this young dancer. For anyone who thinks ballet is easy or something to be taken lightly, this will change your mind and make you see the beauty that is possible with dedication and hard work. I especially enjoyed how the dancers were corrected, as when the teacher told the dancer to go more to second position with her working leg before turning her foot back to arabesque. This type of attention to detail makes all the difference in dance training and this is packaged beautiful into an entertaining picture to view.

Though I am not a dancer, I love anything having to do with ballet. I discovered this little film many years ago and rented it probably about 30 times from the video store. I recently purchased it on DVD and found that I still adore every moment of it. There is something compelling (as the narrator of the film also sees) about the dedication it takes young people to become professional dancers. This film brings to life the incredible hard work of dance students. Though there are snippets of certain performaces, what really draws you in are the rehearsals, warm-ups and stretching, for that is where the real meat of ballet lies. If you love dance, you'll love this film.

Katja Bjorner's dedication to ballet is revealed in a personal profile directed by Donya Feurer. Her tenacity is ever present during the vigorous training sessions where nothing less than perfection is acceptable.

Still, in this world of strict regimens, there is an undercurrent of elation as the dancers start to realize their dreams. The teachers express a warmth and patience that reveals they must truly believe in their student's ability to excel beyond expectation.

One of the highly intriguing aspects of this sensitive portrait is how the ballet shoes are created. While dance itself is portrayed with exquisite beauty, the life behind the scenes is captured with equal clarity. The Dancer reveals the life of a ballet student from every angle, except having a personal life or friends outside of class seems completely absent.

The dedication it takes to reach the desired level of perfection sweeps everything aside in favor of an art form that brings breathless beauty to the stage.

~The Rebecca Review

I would recommend "The Dancer" ("Dansaren" in Swedish) to anyone interested in dance of any kind, not just ballet. There is so much to be appreciated in terms of the work, dedication and emotion that accompanies one's effort to succeed as a professional ballerina, and this DVD goes a long way toward conveying all these things to the viewer.

Katja Bjorner is the focal point of this documentary, as she can be seen practicing (so hard!) to get into form prior to a performance of Swan Lake by the Royal Swedish Ballet. Many of us know of the countless hours of physical duress involved in preparing to become a dancer with a national dance company. In this film we see in her face, her feet, and practically every one of her muscles, how Ms. Bjorner strains to hardwire the beauty and grace of the dance into her body.

What I really liked about this film is that, rather than straight narration, some behind the scenes dialogue is brought out nicely through friendly chats with famous Swedish actor Erland Josephson, who may be playing the part of interviewer, but who seems truly intrigued and curious about many aspects of Ms. Bjorner's aspirations and stage persona. He poses questions, and she takes care to describe all the elements and dance roles she needs to master in auditioning for the big show. The documentary generally rotates through instruction, conversation, classes (boys and girls) and performance. Check out the SLOPED dance floor in the ballet school, which is noted during conversation by Mr. Josephson. The numerous scenes filmed in dance classes feature noteworthy ballet masters Valentina Savina, Michael Messerer and Aleksander Khmelnitski. [Listen to Ms. Savina switching between Russian, Spanish and English during her classes! FYI, no subtitles during the classroom scenes; they aren't needed].

There is also a VERY interesting segment which is filmed in the factory of Freed of London, perhaps the world's foremost designer/maker of ballet shoes. Here we gain insight into the intense labor and skill involved in making ballet shoes; see how meticulous are the ballerinas in working with the designers to fashion a shoe that is perfect for the girls' foot shape, weight distribution, and balance. It's great work . . . on both sides of the camera.

The final chapter is captivating, with footage alternating between Ms. Bjorner's on-stage performance, and her after-the-show animated account of what she was sensing when the spotlight was on her dancing. Then Ms. Savina comes backstage and gushes some well deserved praise.

Get this, you'll like it.

I can't count the number of times I've watched this movie. I am not a dancer but a lover of the arts, and this documentary of a committed ballerina is the perfect portrayal of what it means to be blissfully addicted to an artform. Endless tendus at the barre, sewing of satin bands to toe shoes, and aching muscles tell her story in a beautiful way. It starts and ends at the barre, exactly where every ballerina should be found. Admire her diligence and committment, and see what the human body is capable of expressing.

I truly enjoyed this documentary. The work and dedication that dancers need is shown in a wonderful light. I was very interested in the short clips of the pointe shoe making process.

A great DVD to add to your collection!

In watching "The Dancer," I'm struck by how much time and work dancers, teachers, and even shoe makers put into perfecting their craft. "The Dancer" shows glorious dancing in some wonderful performance sequences, but even more important it shows the work behind creating those moments that have so often taken my breath away. I love watching good dancing on stage, but what this film reveals is the endless amount of work it takes to get there... the rehersals, the constant feedback from the trained eyes of teachers, the impossible stretches, and even the making and fitting of the pointe shoes. I'm no ballet dancer, but watching this makes me appreciate the process of beautiful dancing (perhaps even more than the performance.)

This is an interesting documentary on the professional development of a young and aspiring ballerina, but there are too many long head shots of her at the barre with her brows wrinkled in concentration, while the viewer is left wondering what the rest of her body is doing to make her breathe so hard. It could easily have been edited down to about 70 minutes, with no loss of content or impact.

What could have been a marvelous video for ballet lovers is fatally flawed. The ballerina is fine but 40% of the video is spent looking at her face and some of that in her ear. We see flashes of costume, elbow, hand but few full body, which in dance is after all the whole purpose. Whirling boy bodies give us no idea whether they can dance at all. The movie behaves like a dear aunt's home video. Toobad