A captivating film that truly elevates the spirit, "Ballets Russes" is the most emotionally satisfying documentary since "Mad Hot Ballroom." Is it a coincidence that both deal with dance? Maybe, but maybe not.
For though dance exists in the moment and then is gone, the grace and artistry that go into that instant make for a transcendent experience capable of conveying the best of what creativity can achieve.
Los Angeles Times review
If you have wondered where the term "baby ballerinas" came from, and love dance - actually if you love movement, IMHO this movie is the ticket.
The Ballet Russes company is this film is not the famed troup of the visionary impressario Diaghilev founded in the 1900s but the company founded to continue the next generation of Russina-inspired classical ballet - the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo. This film was made in documentary form, but it is certainly far from dry in tone; there are many wonderful dancers interviewed and much incredible archive footage of some of the greats of the past. Balanchine, Leonid Massine, Agnes de Mille, Nijinsky's sister Bronislava Nijinska and the baby ballerinas Alicia Markarova, Riabouchinska and Baronova.
All this sounds like a list of long-forgotten names, but in the end these wonderful artists come alive in all of their complexity and humanity. I hope you all get to see it!
Tenorguy