Embed

Ballet, Sweat and Tears

The painful journey from young hopeful to prima ballerina

“Don Quixote”, “Carmen Suite” and “Nutcracker” are among the greatest ballets, popular with fans all over the world. Viewers enjoy the beauty and glory of the ballet universe,perhaps unaware that a ballerinas’ precise pirouettes and elegant steps are the result of many hours of exhaustive training and rehearsal. It takes a lifetime of hard work and dedication to prove themselves worthy of a major role. However, only very few are destined to perform solo parts, the rest will continue to dance in the corps de ballet.

Real life for a ballerina is a long way from the fairytale roles they depict on stage. Young girls spend many hours in tough training and endless castings to show off their perfect form and talent. From childhood they devote their lives to a professional path through ballet academies, shut away from family and friends. 

They have no personal time, their days are given over to endless practice from early morning to late at night. In addition to a harsh training schedule and permanent diet, many talented young dancers must contend with cruel whispers and taunting giggles from jealous rivals. However stamina and a strong will help them to pursue their dream of dancing solo on the world-famous Bolshoi and Mariinsky stages.

Being a professional ballet dancer demands real strength and fitness in both mind and body. Russia’s most famous and celebrated prima ballerina, Diana Vishneva, knows firsthand, the real cost of achieving success and adoration from an audience.

RT Doc lifts the veil on the ballet world and meets the young girls who sacrifice the best of their lives to the art of classical dance.

Subscribe to get stories the mainstream media ignores: Subscribe RTD's Youtube

Please rate this film

8.94(18 users)

Published: 06 May 2013 00:00

Duration

24:58

Tags
Watch this film in Russian

don't miss

26:33
Arts and Culture 07 March 2016 00:00

Dance of the Little Swans. The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet auditions young dancers

26:33
Arts and Culture 18 July 2011 00:00

Alla Sigalova: ordinary life

26:33
Arts and Culture 25 September 2019 11:52

Bolshoi: Pas-de-Brazil. Brazil’s Bolshoi Theatre School turns favela kids into ballet stars

26:33
Arts and Culture 08 July 2015 00:00

Art of Gold. Painting, sculpture and romance inside Russia’s famous classical art academy

26:33
Arts and Culture 04 July 2011 00:00

The Bolshoi of Siberia

26:33
Discovering Russia 19 February 2024 12:00

We Are Russia! World-famous Russian athletes and performers return to their hometowns to showcase the country they love.

26:33
Society 21 August 2017 00:00

Rwanda Pirouette. 23 years after Rwanda’s genocide; peace, stability and ballet

26:33
Arts and Culture 20 May 2013 00:00

Secret Hermitage helpers. How Russian Hermitage cats protect artworks from mice

26:33
Arts and Culture 28 February 2024 12:00

Youth United . How the World Youth Festival shapes our future

26:33
Arts and Culture 03 June 2020 01:34

From Russia with Art . Passionate ambassadors on a mission to promote Russia’s cultural heritage

26:33
Lifestyle 17 June 2020 19:00

Joyability. Adults with learning difficulties make Simple Things at workshops in Saint Petersburg

26:33
Arts and Culture 24 December 2012 00:00

Peterhof: The Russian Versailles

26:33
Personalities 27 December 2019 01:59

Danceducation. Ghana’s dancing teacher gets schoolkids to love maths through dance

26:33
Arts and Culture 17 April 2014 00:00

The Big Ballet. Dancing Dreams of Plus-Size Amateurs

26:33
Arts and Culture 20 February 2017 00:00

Dangerous Music. Reviving traditional Afghan music in spite of terror threats

26:33
Arts and Culture 23 December 2013 00:00

Flying kids. Upsala Circus transforms hooligans into entertainers

26:33
Discovering Russia 26 March 2012 00:00

Perm region

26:33
Arts and Culture 15 July 2013 00:00

Deaf Theatre. Hearing-impaired actors touch audiences with the language of the heart

26:33
Arts and Culture 04 November 2016 00:00

Babel Village. How a visionary artist Nikolay Polissky transformed a whole village and its people

26:33
Discovering Russia 11 October 2021 17:00

St. Basil’s: an Icon of Russia. Inside Russia’s most distinctive landmark

VIEWER’S CHOICE: 1,000,000 VIEWS AND MORE

VIEW ALL