DANCING ACROSS BORDERS: Now Available on DVD and Blu-Ray
December 13, 2010
First Run Features is pleased to announce the DVD and Blu-ray release of DANCING ACROSS BORDERS, the intimate and triumphant story of Sokvannara “Sy” Sar. In addition to the film, check out the website’s online shop for posters and t-shirts – all perfect gifts for the holidays*. I saw and reviewed this film last March and was incredibly moved by the powerful story of growth, adaptation, and belonging that it told – all within the competitive world of ballet. Watch the trailer below, and scroll down for more info about bonus features.
The DVD and Blu-ray of DANCING ACROSS BORDERS include the following bonus material:
-Recent performance footage of Sokvannara Sar in Mopey, Pacific Northwest Ballet, 2009
-Selected performances from the film, including Tchaikovsky Pas De Deux, Square Dance, La Sylphide, Coppelia, La Sonnambula, and On the Other Side
-Interview with Anne Bass, Director
-Photo gallery
*All proceeds from the sale of posters and T-shirts will go directly towards Nginn Karet Foundation for Cambodia‘s “Give a Future to a Child of Angkor” urgent appeal. Your kindness will help children fulfill their dream to follow in the footsteps of dancers and musicians seen on Angkor Wat and other ancient Khmer temples.
Black Swan Opens Today
December 3, 2010
Natalie Portman in "Black Swan", photo: Niko Tavernise/Fox Searchlight Pictures
Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky’s so-called psycho-sexual dance thriller that everyone is talking about, opens today. Below is an excerpt from my review of the film. Go see it.
Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan explores one dancer’s quest for perfection in the cutthroat world of professional ballet, and her terrifying descent into madness, obsession, and self destruction. Natalie Portman’s performance as Nina, who is a rising star preparing for the lead role in Swan Lake, is superb, embodying all of the fragility, uptightness, and vulnerability of a young dancer willing to sacrifice everything – even her own life – for perfection. Read the full review here.
You can also watch the anatomy of a scene, with commentary by Aronofsky, at The New York Times’s site.
Review: Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan
November 24, 2010
Natalie Portman in "Black Swan", 2010
Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan explores one dancer’s quest for perfection in the cutthroat world of professional ballet, and her terrifying descent into madness, obsession, and self destruction. Natalie Portman’s performance as Nina, who is a rising star preparing for the lead role in Swan Lake, is superb, embodying all of the fragility, uptightness, and vulnerability of a young dancer willing to sacrifice everything – even her own life – for perfection. As Thomas – the brutal French artistic director of the company played by Vincent Cassel – points out, the only one holding back Nina from success is herself. With an overbearing mother who is still bitter about her own ruined career as a dancer, an aging star being forced to retire (Winona Ryder), and a confident newcomer in the company named Lilly (Mila Kunis), Nina is pushed further to the brink of a breakdown. Lilly is an alluring, sexually charged dancer who looks and acts like a black swan, while Nina embodies everything in a white swan – sweetness, innocence, and weakness. Desperate to achieve success as the seductive black swan, Nina sees Lilly as a rival, yet she is also a source of erotic pleasure for Nina – even if it’s only a hallucination.
Aronofsky’s camerawork and special effects bring this psychological thriller to life. Moment to moment, it is undeniably compelling and Nina’s downward spiral is devastating. But at some points he pushes too far to the extent that some of the more melodramatic moments are laughable – probably not the effect that he had intended. Tchaikovsky’s score for Swan Lake is prominent throughout the film and tweaked to dramatic effect, becoming increasingly unsettling with Nina’s delusions.
The world of ballet can be vicious, but Black Swan is a bit of a stretch from the truth. Artists often struggle to separate their artistic self from their personal self, but watching bird feathers sprout out of Nina’s skin as she stares at herself, horrified, in the mirror, was one of those laughable moments. Yet, the film hammers home one point that certainly rings true – not just in ballet, but in all art forms: Some individuals will sacrifice anything for the sake of artistic perfection.
Black Swan opens December 3rd. Watch the trailer below.
Opus Jazz on the High Line
September 12, 2010
Still shot of Rachel Rutherford and Craig Hall on the High Line in "NY Export: Opus Jazz"
One year ago, I visited the set of NY Export: Opus Jazz, the film adaptation of Jerome Robbins’s 1958 “ballet in sneakers”. Last March, the film made its NYC premiere and then debuted on PBS’s Great Performances for audiences everywhere to enjoy. This past Friday, I attended an outdoor screening of the film on the High Line, bringing the Opus Jazz journey full circle since the first part of filming occurred there in 2007 (before the High Line became the beautiful elevated park that it is today). Watching New York City Ballet soloists Rachel Rutherford and Craig Hall’s stunning pas de deux in a field of the High Line – with a gorgeous sunset behind them – while sitting on the High Line on a cooler, windier night was pretty magical. So much time, energy, and dedication went into the making of this film, that it must have been a rewarding experience for film producers Ellen Bar and Sean Suozzi to witness Opus Jazz presented to a packed audience at the place where filming began. For me, watching the film again and seeing all of the locations in and around NYC captured on camera was a reminder of the city’s vibrancy, wonderfully brought to life in the film along with the cast’s youthful energy and talent.
The DVD of NY Export: Opus Jazz will be released by Factory25 on November 23rd, just in time for the holidays. You can pre-order it online now, and check the film’s website for upcoming screenings in your city.
Black Swan Trailer
August 18, 2010
It’s intriguing and scary to think about whether a Hollywood psychological thriller set in the cutthroat world of ballet will alter widespread perceptions about ballet as a profession.
