I'm sure many of you have seen or heard of the new TV series currently spotlighting ballet. One is Breaking Pointe, a behind the scenes look at Ballet West in Salt Lake City, airing on the CW Network. Another is Bunheads, an ABC Family fictional series that follows the lives of a few young aspiring dancers in a small town and their new teacher, played by Sutton Foster.
I've been meaning to blog about these series, but honestly I've been a bit hesitant because #1 I don't have a firm opinion on either of the shows in regards to either their accurateness portraying the dance world or if they're actually entertaining, #2 I'm always a little wary to contribute to the media's portrayal of anything 'ballet'; I tend to find it commercialized and disappointing, and finally #3 I just haven't had the time to watch either of the shows! (on my summer to do list)!
So, all that being said and all that rolling around in my brain the past few weeks I was glad to stumble across a great blog discussing these very issues by my friend Vinnie Prisby, a dancer based out of Salt Lake. Check out Vinnie's article here; her blog reviews an article in Huffington Post that interviews dancer Allison DeBona of Ballet West, who is one of the dancers filmed and followed in Breaking Pointe. I think both Vinnie and the Huffington Post article have some interesting points to make and wanted to share it and hear any thoughts you might have. I do plan on watching the show and contributing a more detailed blog with thoughts and opinions, but I'm always curious to hear what other people have to say, so please feel free to e-mail me!
Below are a few pictures and quotes from the Huffington Post article, for the full article click here. For more information on Ballet West check out their website.
As ballerinas we are taught to make our art form look effortless, which, in my opinion makes ballet seem unattainable. When watching Breaking Pointe the general public gets to see how hard it really is for ballet dancers and humanizes what we do day to day. That alone makes ballet more appealing because people can relate to the "blood, sweat and tears" shed. It makes them want to see us live, which is our ultimate goal.
- Allison DeBona
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