In Balanchine's Classroom takes you into the studio of one of ballet's most influential masters, at VIFF Centre starting November 14
Dancers recall the rigour and precision of the iconic choreographer in a new documentary
VIFF presents In Balanchine’s Classroom at the Studio Theatre on November 14, 16 to 19, and 28
IN CONNIE HOCHMAN’s documentary ode to George Balanchine’s revolutionary approach to ballet, dancers continually compare him to a “mad scientist” experimenting in a lab. “It was like being a student of Einstein,” one recalls of his time at the New York City Ballet.
Rich with archival footage, In Balanchine’s Classroom takes you back to 1960s and ’70s New York City—the epicentre of ballet at that time, with Balanchine the person every dancer dreamed of working for. And it gives you an up-close look at how this dance “scientist” worked to make bodies move in new ways.
Dancers and dance fans alike will revel in the performance footage here, with its swirling patterning and innovative lines. Elsewhere, we join the company classes at the barre, where Balanchine demands precision to the extreme—and “a toe can’t be a quarter of an inch out of.a position”.
The exacting standards—think 34 or more tendus in a row, faster, faster, and faster— demand huge commitment. In one shot, a male dancer jumps and turns in front of his task master, each twirl more spectacular than the next, to no avail. Not that Balanchine, ever dressed in his dapper tailored pants and dress shirts, comes off particularly harsh here: “No, dear, try again,” is apparently his favourite refrain. In some of the documentary’s highlights, he even dances for his students, still impossibly lithe and expressive in his later years.
Some dancers could do no wrong for him—and you’ll get to meet them onscreen, including the stunning five-foot-ten Gloria Govrin, who paved the way for nonpetite dancers for decades to come.
Don’t expect an exposé or much biographical intrigue in In Balanchine’s Classroom, though; no deep background on Balanchine's dance career or defection from Russia here. True to its title, this is a film exploring the pure physicality and technique in his work. While that may not be enough to grip non-dance-fans, those who love the art form will marvel at how Balanchine’s work still feels modern and innovative—plotless and experimental, with a mind-blowing musicality. And oh, those tendus.
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