This film is part of Free

Dancers

Impressionistic portrait of life as a dancer in London’s Ballet Rambert.

1978 29 mins

Overview

What's it really like to be a ballet dancer? Find out in this impressionistic day-in-the-life portrait of the Ballet Rambert, Britain's oldest dance company. Bypassing documentary conventions (no talking heads here), the film’s freewheeling, observational style captures performances, rehearsals and mundane snatches of life in between. Some viewers may find the focus on dancers' bodies voyeuristic, but this does emphasise the physicality of ballet and the considerable discipline it demands.

Founded in 1926 by Polish emigree and former Ballets Russes dancer Marie Rambert, the company has developed through various incarnations and is today known as the Rambert Dance Company. Since 2013 it has been based in a purpose-built home behind the National Theatre on London's South Bank. This film was sponsored by the Arts Council of Great Britain.