Dance is amazing. There seems to be so much freedom in the movements and, if done right, dancing looks fun, and light and easy.
Only, it’s not.
Chelsea McMullan’s Swan Song takes us behind the curtain of Swan Lake, directed by Karen Kain for the National Ballet of Canada. The film follows the dancers, as well as directors, choreographers, costume designers as they prepare for the show. In the process, it shows the mental, emotional, and physical demands that go into bringing the show to life, letting us know that it is everything but easy.
Karen Kain spends time in the film brainstorming ways to breathe new life into this decades long classic, which she herself was a principal dancer in, and one of the things which seems most important to her is depicting the dancers as human. By taking us into the lives of the dancers, McMullan brings that humanity into the documentary. For some of them, ballet has given them a chance at a better life and given them room for self-expression, and for others, this new version of Swan Lake is giving them space in ballet to be comfortable in their own skin… quite literally.
I know what it’s like to have people view your work or study in the arts as ‘unserious’ and know that ballet can sometimes be viewed as just a bunch of people in tights and tutus dancing. Swan Song is a beautiful (and beautifully shot!) portrayal of the grit and heart that goes into ballet. The lightness, precision, and perceived effortlessness we enjoy as audiences are only possible because of years of hard work, practice and just giving it your all.
Swan Song is playing at TIFF ’23. For more information, click here.
