A passionate and moving journey into the mise en scene of a new production of Swan Lake by The National Ballet of Canada and at the same time, a revelatory portrait of a prima ballerina.
Canadian classical dancer Karen Kain is the heart and soul behind this documentary. She has been a principal dancer, a legend that teamed with non-other than Rudolf Nureyev at the Metropolitan Opera House, and is also known for being the artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada for more than 50 years. She was staging the new production of Swan Lake in 2020 and, suddenly, COVID pandemic hit three months before the opening night.
A look into a recent past where delays, fear and the use of facemasks were at the order of the day, documentary shows the struggles the Ballet Company and particularly the principal and other girls from the group of swans faced, due the intense preparation that classical dancers carry out to appear graceful, etheral and effortless on stage.
This documentary film takes us to 2022 to the studio of the Dance Company, and we follow rehearsals and preparations for Karen´s presentation that will be a world premiere and her first time in directing. There is emphasis on the Corps de Ballet, and we are introduced to several dancers and their longings. Jurgita Dronina is outstanding as Odette, and she is testing herself one more time against the role.
The film goes into an exciting crescendo as weeks pass by and the opening night arrives. Zealous, vehement effort and hours of hard work mix together to deliver an astonishing spectacle where stereotypes on casting dancers fall, and the skin color of the girl´s bare legs is a statement on its own.
A must-see film for any performing arts lover, the production takes us back stage and, as witnesses, we watch how the dancers get along to deal with injuries, pain, eating disorders, limitations, racism, tired bodies and brains not working properly, and how, against all odds, they get together and reach their goal to perform the big night, showing the incredible dancers and human beings they are.
Two and a half years have passed since the pandemic, and people are anxious to see dance at a theatre again, and they are not disappointed. Karen Kain´s staging and directing go beyond expectations. Bravo!
The camera moves and sequences during the development of the performance are breathtaking and seems there is magic in the air.
Directed by Chelsea McMullan, with Karen Kain, Jurgita Dronina, Shaelynn Estrada, Selene Guerrero Trujillo, Arielle Miralles, Genevieve Penn Nabity, Gabriela Tylenova and Tene Ward.
The director won the DGC Canadian Documentary Feature at Calgary International Film Festival 2023, and Roger Award as Best Canadian Documentary at Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2023.
In select Theaters & on Amazon Prime and Apple TV onJuly 26, 2024
Review by José Mayorga , Guatemala, Central America lawyer and notary public, visual artist, and editor of El Azar Cultural, lives and works in Guatemala City. Cinema lover, curious about the possibilities life brings and eager to live the experience.
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