The Best Ballet Documentaries

A few weeks ago, I recorded a podcast on the history of ballet, and I’ve been thinking since then on how the ballet world largely seems to be a mystery. There is a lot of “behind the scenes” information on sports. We get reports from practises, before- and after-game interviews, training camps, the works. (Not to mention all of the games broadcast.) But when it comes to ballet and the performing arts, we really get nothing widely available. So, to demystify and draw the curtain back on the ballet world, I’ve gathered some of the best ballet documentaries for you to enjoy!

Before I get onto the documentaries, I have to say- I do understand that completely drawing the curtain back on ballet might “spoil” it for some people. If you are only used to seeing the Sugar Plum Fairy gracefully float across the stage in her platter tutu, it could be disconcerting to see her at the doctor with brutal injuries. However, for most of us, I think that the behind the scenes look into ballet only makes it more interesting! 

The 4 Best Ballet Documentaries

Dancer (2016)

If you are somewhat familiar with the ballet world in the last decade, you would have heard of Sergei Polunin. If you aren’t, let me digress. Polunin is an incredibly talented dancer, and became the Royal Ballet’s youngest Principal Dancer at 19 in 2010. However, in 2012, he announced that he was leaving the Royal Ballet as he was unhappy “and the artist in [him] was dying”. He spent time with various companies here and there, but nothing really stuck. And in the years since, he has made a range of homophobic and mysogynistic remarks, and has stayed in ballet news. 

This documentary was made in 2016, so it doesn’t include anything that has happened since. However, it is a biography, and shows his training, his time at the Royal Ballet, and after that. If you are interested in one of the most controversial figures in the ballet world, Dancer is the perfect documentary. 

Bolshoi Babylon (2015)

Not unsimilar to Polunin, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow has been embroiled in scandal for the last decade. The Bolshoi is one of the oldest companies in the world; it was founded in 1776 (under Catherine the Great). While Russian ballet companies have been known for their drama for well over a century, the last decade has been tumultuous for the Bolshoi. 

In January of 2013, a company dancer threw acid in the artistic director’s face. The dancer, Pavel Dmitrichenko, believed that his girlfriend should have had a leading role in Swan Lake, and Sergei Filin, the artistic director thought she was too young. 

Bolshoi Babylon explores the acid attack and what led to it, but also the difficult life that dancers at the Bolshoi face. It can be a bit gruelling to watch; however, it offers wonderful insights into what life is really like for dancers. 

Rudolf Nureyev: Dance to Freedom (2015) 

I did not intend for this list to be focused largely on Russian dancers, but ballet seems to go that way often. Nureyev is one of few names that is widely recognised outside of the ballet world. (Perhaps less so now than in the past…) Nuryevev defected from the USSR in June of 1961; after performing in Paris, he was asked to go back to the USSR instead of going onto to London with the company and following his suspicions that something might happen to him, he refused to return. He would spend much of his career dancing with the much older Margot Fonteyn, and also spent time directing the Paris Opera Ballet.

Dance to Freedom is a drama/doc, so it does include reenactments. However, as a BBC documentary, it is incredibly well made. It also includes footage of Nureyev dancing, and interviews from people who knew him well. The show focuses on his defectment, and I think that makes it even more widely interesting. 

Margot (2005)

This is without a doubt one of my favourite documentaries, regardless of theme. At nearly three hours long, Margot is an investment of time. However, Tony Palmer’s work is more than worth it. Margot Fonteyn is an immensely fascinating figure. Yes, she was one of the most talented dancers to ever grace the stage, but she also led a hectic and dramatic life off-stage. 

Fonteyn’s biographer, Meredith Daneman features quite heavily, as do several family members, friends, dancers, and more. The interviews are interspersed with clips of her dancing, and they work perfectly together. Fonteyn was immensely complex, and Margot handles the difficult and dark periods in her life with care and thought. 

Because it has a 2:43 minute running time, I would recommend breaking it up over a few viewings. That isn’t to say that it isn’t worth watching all at once, but with a bit of time to think, you have that much more time to think on Fonteyn. 

What ballet documentaries are on your to-watch list?

Cheers,
The Historian
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