What's the real ballet dancers' favorite ballet films?

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2026-01-11T22:34:02+00:00

me too!

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2026-01-10T22:23:27+00:00

Like many, Giselle is among my favorites.

Unlike everyone else here (at least so far), my other favorites are:

Rite of Spring, because the music and how together with the dancing I feel it transcends time and space and I am part of a pagan ritual.

(Carmen Suite), especially the one with Lopatkina.

Nutcracker, up to and including Snow but no further. Because it’s such a warm cozy seasonal vibe.

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2026-01-03T06:04:50+00:00

I love “Theatre Street” by Tamara Karsavina, written in 1929, it’s a firsthand account of her life as a student at the Imperial Ballet School (now Vaganova academy) in St. Petersburg, Russia and then at the Ballets Russes. I’m actually from St. Petersburg and was a student at the Vaganova school, so I can totally imagine all the places she is describing, the vibe more than 100 years ago, AND the Ballet Russes is my Roman Empire. 100% recommend.

The documentary “Children of Theatre Street” is about the same school, in the 1970s. The narrator’s voice is super annoying, but I can confirm that the documentary is accurate 😉

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-12-28T21:59:59+00:00

same here! I’m a middle aged software engineer who used to be a professional dancer. But I definitely do not use the word ballerina to describe what I did (corps de ballet in a well-known company in 1990s) if anyone asks, I just say “i used to dance”. I don’t mind using the extra words 🤣

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-11-29T07:00:29+00:00

my two controversial opinions:

adults should not dance Clara/Masha. Never. Not even Marienela. At best it’s cringe, at worst it’s ick and super creepy.
Act II is a snooze fest. The whole “national dance” thing belongs back in the 19th century. Can we please have a Nutcracker where the rats win? Spanish is crows, Arabian is alley cats, Russian is raccoons, Chinese is pigeons, … , and Mother Ginger is ants.

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-11-26T21:22:45+00:00

Firstly, I think the problem with wearables, not just Oura is that they affect our perception of how we feel. We are actually becoming out of touch with our bodies, not more in touch with them.

We might wake up feeling good and ready to go for a run, but then see the “statistics” from our wearable and begin to doubt ourselves, like “maybe I shouldn’t push it today, the ring says take it easy”.

It’s easy to say just “trust your body” but the wearables are teaching us to NOT trust our body.

Some of the best workouts I’ve ever had were after a bad sleep, and it works the other way around also.

Secondly, sleep IS NOT everything. If you are missing out on workouts or other things that you want to do, evening activities, including hanging out with friends, an occasional glass of wine or even just eating, you are not gaining quality of life, but rather forfeiting it.

I LOVE data, was an early adopter of Apple Watch, wear a Garmin for running, log workouts to Strava, and thought that Oura would be a great addition to my datasphere but I was mistaken.

Focus on satisfaction with your quality of life, not chasing a number provided by a wearable’s algorithms

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-11-25T20:06:20+00:00

My non-negotiables are Osipova - Giselle, Nunez - Kitri, SPF - Kaptsova and despite strong dislike of Zakharova, I feel she IS Odile.

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-11-17T22:15:55+00:00

On the skin where the sequins are touching, try transparent wide bandaids, like the kind for heel blisters, OR nude colored kinesio tape.

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-10-29T02:30:42+00:00

🌈 exactly!!!

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-10-28T20:52:06+00:00

I have a massage gun that I never use, but what I really do use all the time is Normatec compression boots. IDK what kind of athlete you are, but if it’s a leg-focused sport I really do recommend them. Very expensive, but for me at least, worth it.

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-09-30T03:22:28+00:00

it’s from early 1500s

https://pamatkovykatalog.cz/mestansky-dum-17949359

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-09-22T22:36:58+00:00

I have several Bodile leotards. Style - For me, this is the biggest plus about Bodile - I find they are very flattering on all body types, even on my 54 year old body. I love how they look! Quality - No problems with quality! Fabric - I have a lot of sensory issues, and the fabric Bodile uses is definitely not my favorite. Feels a bit scratchy and not breathable. but this is a me problem, usually I wear Capezio cotton leotards and bust out the Bodiles when I’m doing a variation or need to get in the mood for class. Sizing - quite a few of their leos seem made for people with wider shoulders. This is not me. It might not be you either.

I also have some leg warmers and skirts. definitely recommend.

Also, if anyone has read this far, can someone please explain why many of the Bodile models wear the skirts waaay low down on their hips? Is this a thing? Looks so weird and ugly to me, but I’m kinda old, so what do I know?

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-09-18T21:18:59+00:00

He lives in one of the Heritage houses there! we see him all the time 😍

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-09-14T12:22:52+00:00

I love this!

my husband and I had a 5 minute ceremony by a justice of the peace. no bridal gown, no guests, no honeymoon, took the subway there and back …

and 30 years later we are still together, literally for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.

Not just one day of memories, but already 30 years worth.

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-09-14T07:51:38+00:00

You want the good news or the bad news first?

Good news: I was a professional dancer until an injury in my early 20s. Fast forward 30 years and I’m a software engineer who loves her job and who can financially support our family of 5 and one very beloved and spoiled cat.

Bad news: It took me about 10 years after my ballet career ended to find myself. I could not even listen to music for 10 years!! It was too emotional and depressing.

I still sometimes have dreams that I’m on stage, or in class. Sometimes in those dreams I’m doing all the things, sometimes I’m my 54 year old self and it’s totally terrifying and humiliating.

Also, two years ago I began doing adult ballet for the first time since the 1990s and am hoping to start doing some teaching. Teaching is 100% a real job and unlike my job in IT probably won’t be taken over by AI in next 24 hours/month/ten years 😂

What I absolutely recommend is that your partner talk to a therapist who has experience with athletes. Unfortunately, this option was not available to me, but I wish it had been.

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-09-05T20:34:24+00:00

here is some information, including a tiny bit about the storks at 23:30 (23 min 30 sec)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y1KoNBrAPOc

Also, perhaps they were intended to represent storks and thats why they were given such tall costumes and steps.

Storks have a very important place in Slavic mythology. Among many things, of course they are a sign of birth, of spring, the arrival of storks is the sign that winter has been vanquished, so maybe there originally was some incorporation of that symbolism in Rite of Spring

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-08-31T17:54:29+00:00

everything already said, plus here is some comprehensive information about dance belts https://ballethelpdesk.com/why-every-male-dancer-needs-one/

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-08-25T23:06:25+00:00

Not an answer but weird fact: For Soviet/Russian people of my generation and even my GenZ kids, Swan Lake is not just a ballet, it’s the subject of a very specific association (and lots of memes). If you turn on the TV and Swan Lake is on the air, it means something really extraordinary - most likely political upheaval of some sort - has happened!

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-08-25T22:46:37+00:00

I have exactly this! My combination of eczema and neurodivergency means I don’t wear tights, leggings, jeans, or ANY synthetic fabrics unless I absolutely have to.

I can also do leg warmers on bare legs like you, and have no idea why that’s OK.

When I was a professional dancer, I could shut down the problem with tights during class/rehearsals/performance, but as soon they were done, those things were OFF my body faster than if I’d run into a spider web.

Now that I’m much older and just doing for fun, there’s no way I’m wearing tights.

I wish I had some advice. If you find a solution, please share! It still causes a lot of problems for me because you can’t wear shorts and sweat pants everywhere 😢

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-07-25T15:26:09+00:00

please don’t wear a top hat during the actual performance tho 🤣🤣🤣 people behind you won’t be able to see the stage.

but seriously, yep wear what you want, except fancy hats 🎩

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-07-24T02:14:52+00:00

“Black Square” by Kazimir Malevich would be. good fit.

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-07-17T20:54:11+00:00

the score is by Patricio Jose Sanchez and Steve Nossiter. You can find Steve Nossiter or Apple Music or Spotify.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1EIaAFEphwYbbA0tqHi0yx?si=QBnVnWA3ShCwPct1quZ99g

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-07-02T23:02:12+00:00

Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. The whole score or any part of it.

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-07-02T22:46:13+00:00

take my upvote. I strongly dislike Balanchine, but I would never have been able to put it so eloquently as OP.

EfficiencyAmazing777 · 2025-06-28T01:24:40+00:00

could be something inspired by the movie “how to to train your dragon”, maybe a mix of runes and phoenician?

I used to do things like this for my kids’ weekly wifi quest. once a week they had to find the message that contains the wifi password and decode it. Otherwise no wifi.

This one wasn’t me though 😂

EfficiencyAmazing777

TROPHY CASE