- When did you start dancing? - When I was 4.
- Does your back hurt? - No.
- Have you had any operations? - No.
- Allergies? - No.
Get on the scale.
25 kilos.
126 cm.
63 cm.
Stand at the barre and wait until we call your name.
Come on, come on.
That's him, Bojinski.
He’s scary.
He looks like a boogeyman.
Xenia Plisiska.
Come to the center of the room.
Show us the sequence two times, please.
Tendu, fifth position.
Tendu à la seconde, ﬁrst position.
Sauté, échappé.
Three times, please.
Go.
And one and two...
One, two...
Polina Shanidze.
Take your position.
That's better.
No. I said, tendu à la seconde.
Start over.
You’re not listening.
Start over again.
Third position.
First arabesque.
Don’t look at me. Look into the distance.
Lift your leg.
Higher.
You’re not very limber.
Well?
I passed the audition.
I know that. And?
They took me.
They took you?
Good girl! That's wonderful!
I told you, Natalia, Polina will be a prima ballerina.
No, I won't.
Why not? What’s wrong?
It’s far too expensive.
Keep your backs straight.
Hold the position.
The arms.
Don’t you want to watch the students?
I see them just fine.
Once again.
Stand straight.
Look at the mirror.
Stop.
What is “dancing" for you?
It happens by itself.
You think so, do you?
We’ll start from the pirouette.
Music.
- It‘s not too heavy? - No.
- ls this the last one? - Yes.
Polina, wake up.
Give me a hand.
Put the pants over there. Jeans and T-shirts go on the shelves.
This bag too.
And that one too.
It’s all here. Count it.
- No need. - Nice work.
The car’s filled up!
Goodbye.
See you, Sergei.
Bye, sweetheart.
One, two, three, four...
Higher. Even higher!
Look at Xenia.
Her position is almost perfect.
Her body rotates almost ideally around its axis.
Thank you, class is over.
Sir.
Why don’t you ever watch me when I dance?
Work harder, young lady, instead of asking silly questions.
If you didn’t miss classes, you’d dance better.
I have to help my mother with her work.
A ballerina has only one job.
To dance.
Be quiet!
You want to warn the entire forest that we’re hunting?
Look.
“Off with their heads! ”
Polina.
- Are we seeing each other after class? - Okay.
The audience must see only the beauty of your movements.
If you don’t have lightness and elegance,
they will only see
effort and difficulty.
Only soccer fans are interested in that!
Hang on, you’ll see.
Not now, wait a while!
I love to see you dance, Dad.
I hope we’re not spoiling the party?
Nice place you got here, Anton.
Business must be good.
Right, missus? Business is good?
How much do you owe us?
I told you, I'll have the money soon.
Your dad says
you'll be a big ballet star.
ls that right?
Okay!
I’ll do the Afghanistan route.
I like working with you, Anton. You catch on fast.
Your women are beautiful...
What’s the Afghanistan route?
Nothing, it’s no big deal.
Don’t let the effort show.
Your leg higher.
The arms breathe, the legs breathe.
No!
You’re completely off.
Where’s your head when you dance?
Stand up straight when I talk to you.
I'm sorry.
You’re somewhere, but not here.
You have no grace.
Your movements are...
stiff, mechanical,
ugly...
Once again, please.
Music.
How long have we been working on this?
I can't even remember.
And each day, it gets worse. Stop!
Once more please, from the beginning.
That’s not it at all!
This isn’t the circus!
|t’s horrible! Stop!
Do you feel what you're doing?
No!
You don’t feel a thing.
You don’t know where your arms or your legs are.
Look at me when I talk to you.
Once more?
What for?
Look, everyone is waiting for you. But no.
You must keep your emotions in rein,
learn to control them.
A dancer who has no self-control
doesn’t interest me!
Get out! You won't dance this ballet.
Svetlana...
please replace Polina.
Music.
What are you doing here? It’s late.
I want to understand what I’m doing wrong.
And what do you think?
My legs are too stiff.
The problem isn’t your legs, it’s your back.
Your back is weak and so your legs compensate.
Fifth position.
Pull your shoulder blades down.
Imagine that your head is being held
by a thread.
Open your arms.
Close your eyes.
Feel the axis.
Passé.
A la seconde.
Attitude.
Feel the position, your arms,
your legs...
Yes.
Open your eyes.
Very good.
For the audition at the Bolshoi Academy,
you'll dance the adagio variation from Act 3 of Raymonda.
Thank you.
Wait for me here.
The Bolshoi?
It's a long path to get there.
You want to pass the exam?
Then you ’II have to work.
And I mean work hard!
The Bolshoi Ballet
is the symbol of Russia.
Her pride.
The very name recalls the grandeur of Russia.
The Bolshoi Ballet has...
the richest dance repertoire in the world,
a company of outstanding virfuosos.
Ulanova and Lepeshinskaya danced here.
And many others too.
For two years now, I’ve trained you without respite
to join this company.
This majestic ballet.
To succeed,
you will need energy,
determination,
and the love of hard work.
The date of your audition is rapidly approaching.
So forget about partying
and work even harder.
Polina, I told you to wait for me.
Please don’t forget our rules and requirements.
I hope I can count on your common sense.
Okay.
That’s all.
You can go now.
Hey, Frenchie.
Coming to the Karma Bar tonight?
Sure.
Just to make Alexandrovna happy.
We have tomorrow off. Come with us.
I can't, I'm busy.
Come on!
You seeing Bojinski again?
You’re wasting your only free night on that old fart?
He's doing a solo for me.
Isn‘t he too old-fashioned?
He's still more interesting than Alexandrovna.
You’re coming to the Budan festival?
Of course.
Come on, meet us after your rehearsal.
I'll try.
Not bad French.
You impressed?
Yeah.
That’s not bad at all.
ls something wrong?
I feel like I'm stringing moves together without dancing.
That’s fabulous!
A true artist always longs for perfection.
Only time will tell...
if the path was right.
People say your ballets were too provocative for the Soviets.
Yes, you could say that.
They reproached me for not being patriotic enough.
I used music by American composers.
I was too stubborn.
No.
That’s why people respect you.
Shall I start from the beginning and you'll show me the rest?
I have to go.
You’re not going to leave us like this?
Polina...
Look at me.
No one will ever harm you. Ever.
And you?
When do you start with the Bolshoi?
In June, if I pass the exam.
You will.
I have to get going. Goodbye.
When will you be back?
Polina Shanidze.
You may begin.
Are you going back to France?
I’m coming with you.
What do you mean, you’re coming with me?
I want to pass the audition with you in Aix-en...
Provence.
Why would you want to come to Aix? You just made the Bolshoi.
Besides, you don't know the technique.
Who cares?
I want to perform what we just saw.
No.
It's a mistake.
Why?
Even if you're in Moscow and I’m in Aix, we’ll be together.
I don’t care, even if you don't go to the audition,
I will.
You're crazy!
Are you leaving for long?
I don’t know.
Maybe.
You’re going to France?
Yes, to the south of France.
What about the Bolshoi?
You know what it means for us.
Trust me.
It's beautiful here.
You like it?
Hello. Welcome to the audition.
We’ll start the first routine with Sergio.
Spread out.
Good luck.
Four, five and go!
Get into position.
In lines, please.
Third line. One!
Jump!
And exit.
Sonia, Aurore, Claire, Kim, Elise, Margot,
Polina, Anthony, Théa, Lisa, Adrien, Emilie, Jérémie
and Chloé.
The others can leave. Thank you.
Now we’ll work on a different style of movement.
Use your breath.
Stretch, stretch...
That's it.
From the top.
Use your weight! Heavy!
If you like, I can translate for Polina.
I haven’t spoken yet.
Well, just in case. I can do it.
That’s why I asked you to come.
You’ve surely heard, I always give my dancers a trial period.
You’ll start as trainees.
And if we get along, I hire you on.
I understood.
Polina took a few French lessons in Russia
and we’ve been together for a few months,
so she's starting to understand.
But it's good he’s here.
He could be of service anyhow.
She’s right, he could be of service.
Help yourself.
Have you seen Snow White?
Yes.
At the Budan festival.
You’re very classical,
but you have an inner strength that interests me.
You‘ll learn the role of Snow White.
And you Adrien, the prince.
Thank you.
Youll work the corps movements with Sergio,
and the duets with me.
Pay close attention.
You need to change your technical approach.
In my work, the center of gravity is much lower.
It's more grounded than classical.
You need to work really hard in class.
Change...
All together...
Turn!
Push off!
Faster.
Okay. That wasn’t bad.
But the beginning wasn’t very clear. We’ll go over it again.
When you drop to your knees, use the momentum of the upper body.
- This will help. - Thank you.
The movement starts from your center.
Let‘s take it from the beginning. Without music.
Stop it.
You training to be a commando?
What’s that?
Commandos are tough guys, like you.
I have injuries everywhere.
They’re called “bruises. ” It’s part of dance.
- Anyone for volleyball? - Sure.
- Girls? - Why not.
Polina?
No. Tomorrow we’re working with Liria.
It’s up to you. Let's go.
No. Sergio, stop the music.
That’s too pretty.
It's pretty. I’m looking for something real.
It's the first time you’re giving yourself to him.
There’s danger, there's urgency...
there’s fear.
And I feel nothing.
What’s your background?
Where are you from?
My father comes from a poor family in Georgia.
My mother’s Siberian.
There you go. You know it all.
You know about not having enough.
But it’s a love duet.
It's a duet of desire, of passion.
It's about having nothing
and wanting something more than anything in the world.
I don’t want a pretty dancer. I want to see Polina dance.
You understand? Once more?
Already dressed?
Yes.
I want to rehearse.
We rehearsed all week.
Liria gave us a day off to rest.
That’s part of the work too.
Get undressed and come back to bed.
No.
Yes.
No.
- No. - Yes.
Do what you want.
Okay.
Didn’t I give you a day off?
I want to get the movements right.
You’re rehearsing without Adrien.
Yes.
For me.
I see.
Have you ever missed someone?
Felt the absence of a loved one?
A little.
All my work is about this.
Longing for someone who's not there.
It’s important to feel that when you dance.
Longing.
See you tomorrow?
And stay grounded.
Thank you.
I don't see enough hip.
Look. Come here, Sergio.
Give yourselves to each other.
Your legs join all the way down.
You see?
There has to be full contact in all of the lifts.
Lift her with your head.
You need to be in tune.
Feel her weight.
Feel her weight before pushing off.
One goes up and the other goes forward.
- Why aren't you in front of me? - I am.
You give the direction otherwise I slip.
That's not exactly it. You both give the direction.
You need to feel her weight to push her forward,
otherwise it won’t work.
- See? You’re doing it wrong. - Let’s do it again.
That’s enough. We’ll continue tomorrow.
No use getting upset.
It was hard today.
- Why are you stopping me? - I’m not.
l’m doing my best. Like you.
My work is shit because of you.
She's not happy.
Your work isn't shit. She just wants us to make progress.
It's no big deal.
I'm too classical.
You have a torn toenail?
Maybe. I don't know. Why are you changing subjects?
I’m not changing subjects. I don’t know!
I’m not in her head.
I’m just as lost as you.
I’m trying to make her happy too, okay?
From above...
Release.
Hold your center. Watch your feet.
No, the feet have to be...
You don’t really need to put your weight on them.
You're like a rag doll.
That's better.
Let your head go.
Sonia, you go ﬁrst.
That’s better. Did you feel it?
Get into place.
Are you okay?
- Where did you hurt yourself? - My ankle.
- Oh shit. - Lie down.
Breathe.
I suggest Massimo for Berratham.
- You okay with that? - Yeah.
Back to the barre.
Four ronds de jambe en dehors.
Battement plié devant...
Take your foot.
Devant, à la seconde...
Port de bras.
And come back.
Knees in your hands.
Knee in your hand!
Watch the hip, Massimo.
Hi there.
- Can I talk to you for a minute? - Sure.
I want the role of Snow White back.
- You’re not ready. - Yes, I'm sure I am.
You’re hardworking and you have talent,
but you can’t demand things.
You’re too obsessed with yourself, your work.
Look around. Observe.
An artist is someone...
someone who observes.
Watch Sonia when she dances with Adrien. Something happens.
She listens to him, feels him, sees him.
Everything shows onstage.
You understand?
Hello.
I'd like to know, are you looking for dancers?
Okay, thanks.
No. Don’t flap around.
I see arms and legs all day long.
Make me feel something.
Make me feel what it is to know God.
You don’t want me to dance?
I’d rather you didn't.
But l’m a dancer.
Since you can dance, why bother?
You wanted me to audition you?
No. That's not it.
Find something else.
- But what do you want? - I don’t know.
What are you doing?
I’m leaving.
Are you sure?
The same energy. Everyone on the same rhythm.
Rotation and...
Good. Don't worry.
Follow me.
In a circle and back to your places.
Stay in a group. Move together.
Release.
Hello.
I’m a dancer.
I studied at the Bolshoi. I’m looking for work.
We don’t need anyone right now.
Thank you.
Mom? Hi.
Yeah, everything’s ﬁne.
Things went really well in Berlin.
We got a standing ovation.
No, right now I’m in Paris. We're still on tour.
I’m not alone, I'm with the troupe.
Wait, I have to say hi to someone.
Sergio! How’s it going?
I can’t, I’m talking to my mom!
Bojinski?
No, I didn’t see him.
I’m sorry, I have to go now. We’re going for dinner.
I’ll call you back later.
Okay. Love you too.
Good evening.
I'm in Room 19.
You didn’t pay this morning.
Oh, I’m sorry!
That’ll be 35, please.
That’s not 35.
I know. I’ll pay the rest real fast.
Then I can't give you the room.
I'm sorry. I’m not the one who decides.
Okay.
Hello.
Excuse me, I'm looking for work.
I’m sorry, we don’t need anyone.
Thank you.
Come party with us! It's fun here!
Hey!
- Three vodkas... - Excuse me...
And one scotch.
Get me some ice!
I’m looking for work.
Want to start right now?
Yes, but I have no experience.
Doesn‘t matter, you’ll learn fast. Come behind the bar.
Don’t worry.
Hello.
You speak French?
I saw you working outside the building.
I’ve never seen that before.
I use improvisation to teach kids.
Excuse me.
At the Bolshoi school we never did improvisation.
You studied at the Bolshoi?
I'm impressed.
I love it. But I just came to post my ad.
- Sorry. - No problem.
Could it be a girl?
- For what? - Do you take girls as roommates?
Of course.
Then I'm interested.
I’m making tea. Want some?
Sure. I'm coming.
Today we'll do an improvisation I like. You’ll pretend you’re an animal.
Any one you like.
Imagine its movements if it got onstage and danced.
I don’t want an imitation. That's not the idea.
Find something with your own movements and energy.
It's a good excuse to get up and dance.
Who’ll go first?
Very good, Jan, full of imagination.
Polina, you want to try?
Sorry, I don't know how to do that.
Go for it, Polina. Can’t be worse than us.
Besides, we've never seen a real ballerina.
Sure we have. Karl’s a ballerina.
Put some music on for Polina.
Antwerp, Belgium.
But Dad...
Don't make a detour.
Honestly, it's not worth it.
Polina.
What happened?
Nothing.
It's impossible.
Something must’ve happened. It’s obvious.
Come back to Moscow.
No.
I worked hard all those years
so you could end up in a bar!
And I didn’t work hard?
That's the whole point.
I’m sick of mindlessly executing other people’s choreography.
I need to learn to look at the world.
“Look at the world”.
I have to go.
We’re not going for dinner?
No, I have to work.
I’ll drive you.
Don't bother. It’s nearby, I’ll walk.
Do you have enough money?
Yes, don’t worry.
Give my love to Mom.
The Montpellier Festival is looking for young choreographers.
I have contacts. You should present something.
I’m sure they’d come to Antwerp.
Your artistic universe touches people.
The kids are still talking about it.
What about the festival?
The Polina from the Bolshoi is over.
The wind’s stopped. Want to go out?
Let's go out a walk. It’ll do you good.
- No. - Yes.
- Leave me alone. - Come on!
Let go! You have no right!
I'm fed up of seeing you like this!
Go sit over there, wash up,
take your clothes,
and get dressed!
Hurry up.
You really think the guy from the festival would come?
Yes.
He’ll be in Brussels next week.
- We’ll present a duet. - "We"?
- You and me. - No, no.
I was only talking about you.
Okay.
We’ll improvise like at the port.
You come up behind me and follow my movements.
Something wrong?
No. Everything‘s fine.
Let’s continue.
I push you...
Can you do a turn?
Again.
That was good.
- But you wait for me. - Okay.
I wait, turn, and pull you.
Something like this.
- Oh yes! - Sorry.
No, it's a good idea.
Can I sit on your leg?
And you lift me.
Like this? By the hips?
Yes.
Like this?
- Over my hip? Yeah? - That's good.
Like this? Okay, I see.
It’s no good.
- It doesn’t work at all. - Yes. It's not bad.
You said it. "Not bad."
You know that’s not enough.
Come on, let's take a break.
This could work. It’ll get us moving.
Maybe it'll give it more energy. We can try.
Or this. This is really old.
That was good.
It's getting interesting.
Can you pull an all-nighter tomorrow?
Okay.
Back to work.
No, sorry, not tonight.
Hey, girls! You think you're on vacation?
- The bar's packed. - We‘re coming.
We have customers.
Your phone rang three times.
Go on, Mom.
When?
Your father...
wanted so badly for you to be a great dancer.
That’s enough.
Wait, she’s coming!
I’m sorry. Everything was complicated.
- I have other meetings. - It won't take long. Honestly.
You have to see us.
- You have 15 minutes. No more. - Okay.