5 on Friday -- Set 281

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

Well...

I'm trying to process the results of a Cognitive Function Evaluation which I just received today when I went to the clinic for my weekly sauna detox treatment. I don't know why I was a little more hopeful about those results, when my Physical Function Evaluation in June turned out to be equally as jarring.

To put it plainly, I'm a wreck.

I have multiple chemical sensitivities and chronic 24/7 pain issues, and although quite obviously they have been taking their toll on me, it's a weird feeling to see black-and-white results staring me in the face.

Luckily, I'm currently in treatment for both of these conditions. It helps that my physiotherapist and my nurse both experienced similar situations and have made successful returns to stronger health.

This week, I need to cheer myself up. Ballet to the rescue! 

1 - Compilation of scenes from Spartacus - Bolshoi Ballet Orchestra - composed by Aram Khachaturian

Featuring the crazy jumping of Ivan Vasiliev.

Here's a little reason why I love Ivan so much: "Ballets without a story are always a little bit difficult," he says in an interview with The Telegraph's Mark Monahan. "When I don't understand what I must say to the audience, it's a problem, because I must just dance -- but for what? I can dance 'just to dance' when I'm drunk."

2 - A section of the Raymonda Grand Pas Classique - Paris Opera Ballet Orchestra - composed by Alexander Glazunov

The section I'm featuring here in particular is the female variation that begins at the 3:40 mark, featuring Marie-Agnes Gillot. This piece of music has really captured me lately, and her version of this variation is truly the best I've seen.

3 - Romeo Learns of Juliet's 'Death' from Romeo and Juliet - Mariinsky Ballet Orchestra - composed by Sergei Prokofiev

The section I'm featuring here begins at the 35:45 mark and ends at the 40:00 mark. My very favorite male dancer, Vladimir Shklyarov. As always with Vladimir, I just wish he would put some effort into it. 

4 - Dulcinea dream sequence from Don Quixote - La Scala Ballet Orchestra - composed by Ludwig Minkus

Featuring the deceptive strength and balance of Natalia Osipova. Male dancers always showcase their strength moves, while this choreography is typical of the female dancer disguising her strength as delicacy. This is an aspect of dance of which all fans are well aware, almost like a secret language between performer and audience. We know that the more fragile and ethereal the movements appear, the harder it was to pull it off.

5 - Final pas de deux from Onegin - Bolshoi Ballet Orchestra - composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, arranged from various sources by Kurt-Heinz Stolze

Nothing makes the hair rise all over my body or my gut wrench with emotion quite like this pas de deux from Onegin. Not only for the exquisitely tragic music -- my favorite kind -- but for the typically challenging partnering choreographed by John Cranko.

The roles of Onegin and Tatiana are danced here by the hunky and talented principal Vladislav Lantratov, whose dancing I've really enjoyed during last year's ballet series through Cineplex Front Row Centre Events, and leading soloist Olga Smirnova who debuted in this role in the opening premiere rather than the reigning principal.

5 on Friday -- Set 241

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

I'm still in a ballet state of mind -- music from my favorite ballets has been going through my head all week as I readjust to being back in the office at my day job.

All pieces feature my favorite Russian dancer Vladimir Shklyarov from the Mariinsky Ballet.

So -- let's get seated, watch the lights go down, the curtain go up -- and on with the show.

1 - Adagio -- Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K488 from Le Parc --  composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

This lovely piece of music has definitely been going through my head this week. Mozart is mainly associated with lighter music, but I've always been a fan of his darker, more emotional pieces.

I absolutely love the 'high-flying kiss' section of this dance piece, which starts at the 6:15 mark and ends at the 7:00 mark.

2 - The Young Prince and The Young Princess from Scheherazade -- composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Another beautifully sensual pas de deux...sigh...

3 - First Galop of the Prince from Cinderella -- composed by Sergei Prokofiev

And now for something completely different. The piece I'm referring to begins at the 17:08 mark and ends at the 18:19 mark.

It's the perfect rushing-around music.

Of course, if you also wanted to check out the romantic closing pas de deux beginning at the 39:25 mark and ending at the 44:35 mark, I wouldn't discourage you. 

4 - Pas de deux from the Le Corsaire -- composed by Adolphe Adam

5 - Finale from Etudes -- composed by Carl Czerny

5 on Friday -- Set 240

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

Just wrapping up a glorious two weeks of vacation from my day job. Had a short trip down to Yarmouth at the beginning of my time off to celebrate my mom's best friend's 80th birthday.

That's my mom, Paulette, above with my brother-in-law Newt, my sister Michelle, me and my husband Brad.

And here's the birthday boy -- Bill -- in light blue at right, with Jim, also a longtime family friend.

A great time was had by all (although we managed to refrain from getting written up in the papers.)

For the most part, I've been having a staycation and getting lots of rest, although Brad and I have been going on lots of adventures (you can check out our A For Adventure Challenge HERE.)

One thing I've been indulging in -- non-stop -- is watching ballet on You Tube. Sending out gratitude to all the people who secretly videotape live performances and then post them on You Tube (not allowed by any stretch of the imagination, as all live performances are copyrighted by the show's producers.) It used to be my job to stop people from doing just that when I worked as an usher at the performing arts theatre in Toronto. That was before the arrival of cellphone cameras.

I shouldn't be grateful to all of these people taping the footage -- but I am! I can't fly around the world at the moment to see all of these performances, so spending hours watching ballet on You Tube is the next best thing.

So, since I'm most definitely in a ballet state of mind, here are five lighthearted pieces from ballet scores that, unless you're a massive ballet freak like me, you likely haven't heard. They aren't the main musical themes, so you would need to hear the full ballet score in order to discover these. They've always been favorites of mine. 

1 - Reconnaissance from Carnaval --  composed by Robert Schumann -- performed by Manon Hutton-DeWys

Well, almost all of these have been favorites of mine for years. This one is a brand new discovery after watching the Harlequin and Columbine pas de deux (dance for two) from Carnaval during this vacation. 

2 - Diamond Fairy Variation (or solo dance) from Sleeping Beauty -- composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

3 - Morning Serenade from Romeo and Juliet -- composed by Sergei Prokofiev

4 - Andante from the Peasant Pas de Deux, Act I of Giselle -- composed by Adolphe Adam

5 - Neopolitan Dance from Act III of Swan Lake -- composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

5 on Friday -- Set 233

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

I'm blogging at the Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada this Friday about a former day job -- or in my case, mainly an evenings-and-weekends job -- that reflects on romance writing in so many ways.

Of course, as a former usher of a performing arts theater, I was the observer of the ballet world and not a participant. However, there are popular misconceptions about both ballerinas and romance writers, and in my post I explore those as well as how both art forms mirror one another.

So what better set to post this week than a ballet set? Here are five of my favorite variations, or solo dance pieces.

1 - Dulcinea variation from Don Quixote -- Nina Ananiashvili

She dances this deceptively difficult piece with the grace and lightness that can only be achieved by strength and endurance.

2 - Philippe's variation from Flames of Paris -- Ivan Vasiliev

His strength and the height he achieves in his jumps are allowed to be on full display as a male dancer.

3 - Act I Pas de Deux (dance for two) from The Nutcracker -- Vladimir Shklyarov and Ksenia Zhiganshina

Okay -- not a variation, but a duet. This male dancer is one of my favorites -- ballet is essentially a moving sequence of geometric patterns created by bodies, and his body has exquisite line. He's also a consummate partner, anticipating her every move.

4 - The Death of Hilarion from Giselle -- Kazuo Kimura and the corps of the Tokyo Ballet

I'm always about dramatic power over technique, so this scene from Giselle has always been one of my favorite parts. The villager Hilarion must show exhaustion with his upper body while continuing to use strength during his jumps with his lower body. It's not an easy thing to let the audience in on how tiring it is to dance, when a dancer's entire career is focused on hiding the effort.

5 - Black Swan Coda, Act III variation from Swan Lake -- Viktoria Tereshkina and the Mariinsky Ballet

This is one of the most famous female pyrotechnic roles, culminating in 32 fouettees (the pirouettes with a kick.) This is one of the few against-type female roles that showcase the more aggressive side of female dancing. Odile, the Black Swan is an evil-twin character to the elegant, giving Odette, the White Swan. Here Odile tricks Prince Siegfried into declaring true love for her, when he thinks Odile is Odette, thereby cursing Odette to remain a swan forever.

Not only do I get all the tragic drama in this section of the ballet, but who can resist the thrill of those 32 fouettees?  

A to Z Blog Challenge -- I is for Prince Ivan from The Firebird

Welcome to Day 9 of this year's A to Z Blog Challenge.

Time for more ballet!

Remember, kids -- when you're a ballet freak, there's never enough ballet.
  

I is for Prince Ivan from The Firebird ballet

Prince Ivan is played here by Andris Liepa, former Bolshoi dancer and now an artistic director for the Russian Seasons 21st Century project, which reproduces the ballets of the golden era of Les Ballet Russes headed by ballet legend Sergei Diaghilev.

The Firebird is played by Nina Ananiashvili, also with the Bolshoi at the time this film was made in 1997. Andris and Nina enjoyed a 15-year dance partnership and it really shows in this piece. Their trust in one another allows for bolder movements than usual during steps that rely on one another for balance.

I suppose we could sneak another 'I' word in here, as the fabulous score is by Igor Stravinsky. At the time, Diaghilev tapped the young unknown composer for this initial collaboration which ultimately led to The Rite of Spring and the historic May 29th, 1913 audience riot when the public was confronted with a piece that became one of the most influential works in the 20th century.

  

A to Z Blog Challenge -- A is for Adagio

Welcome Everyone to this year's A to Z Blog Challenge.

I joined this challenge for the first time in 2011. I've managed to meet several bloggers during this challenge who have become very dear online friends, and so I give much thanks to Arlee Bird for starting this challenge in 2010.

As of preparing this post on the evening of March 31st, there were 1992 participants signed up for the challenge. Amazing! Good luck to all. See you at the finish line on April 30th.

 I'm a longtime blogger who launched A Piece of My Mind in February of 2007 as an arts blog. You can sample some of my archived posts through the top menu bar or here:

Poetry 

My Weekly Look at the Arts

Arts Industry Interviews

Art Gallery

My Reviews of Great Reads

A writer myself, I had to significantly pull back my blogging schedule in order to release the two titles I currently have out, as well as serve for two years on the executive of my writers' group.

These days I post once or twice a week, focusing generally on the writing life and music.

For this year's A to Z Blog Challenge, I'll be returning to my original arts format, beginning with my great obsession -- ballet.

A is for Adagio

An adagio is a section of a ballet where the movements are slow and graceful, recalling the Italian root of the term which is at ease.

American Ballet Theatre's site describes adagios as "the opening section of the classical pas de deux [or dance for two,] in which the ballerina assisted by her male partner, performs the slow movements...in which the danseur [male dancer] lifts, supports and carries the danseuse [female dancer.] The danseuse thus supported exhibits her grace, line and perfect balance while executing developees, pirouettes, arabesques and so on, and achieves combinations of steps and poses which would be impossible without the aid of her partner."

The great paradox of the ballerina's art is the fact that all of her apparently floaty, ethereal movements are only accomplished through extreme control and strength. The Rose Adagio from the Sleeping Beauty ballet is the perfect example of her art and athleticism.

Principal dancer Heather Ogden describes the Rose Adagio in the video clip below. Keep in mind that she's in rehearsal and is not holding onto her balances in the same way as she would if she were on stage.

However, the rehearsal wobbles are a good indicator as to the degree of difficulty for this piece of choreography.   

Here is the Rose Adagio as performed by the Bolshoi's Svetlana Zakharova, who danced in the War and Peace segment of the Sochi Olympics opening ceremonies.

I've never seen such balances. This Rose Adagio is a masterpiece performance.  

Behind the Sugar Plum Fairy -- Virtual Advent Blog Tour -- 6th year

Welcome, Virtual Advent Tourists!

This is my sixth year participating, and I'm so glad that Marg and Kelly have launched such a wonderful holiday tradition into the blogosphere. It continues to be a highlight of my season.

I blogged previously during the 2009 Virtual Advent Tour about my love of ballet and The Nutcracker in particular. I can never get enough of it!

Is The Nutcracker a Christmas tradition for you, as it is for me?

Are you lucky enough to live in a large city with a professional dance company? Is a live performance of this ballet classic one of the things your soul can't live without every year, as it is for me?

I have a large collection of Nutcracker-themed Christmas ornaments, including a Clara, the Mouse King, a Sugarplum Fairy, some Snowflakes, some Waltz of the Flowers figures and a Harlequin doll. I'm always looking to add more.

Aside from writing and film, ballet is my truest passion. I studied ballet when I was a younger, uninjured version of me. When dancing myself was no longer an option, I was lucky enough to get a job as an usher at the theatre that was at that time the home of the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto.

For eight years, my Christmas season revolved around the performances of The Nutcracker, and I got to see so many wonderful behind-the-scenes aspects of what it means to be the Sugarplum Fairy in a production such as this.

For those of you who may already have your tickets for this year's performance, who may hum many of the pieces from the score by Tchaikovsky -- here is a backstage peek at one of the women who dons the famous tutu and tiara of the Sugarplum Fairy. 

"When I'm onstage, I'm not really thinking about the steps anymore," says principal dancer Heather Ogden. "I want to be hearing the music and letting my body remember the steps by itself and move with the music, and enjoy the story and bring a character to life."

"The Nutcracker in many companies is the staple at Christmastime, and it's rare to come back to a role every year. So it's really nice to do the Sugarplum Fairy, because you get to revisit it so often. I've found a level of comfort where I feel like I can really enjoy telling the story."

Ruth Bartel, resident cutter in the National Ballet of Canada's wardrobe department, gives an in-depth look at how a tutu is built: "We build our costumes to last for twenty-five to thirty years...A tutu something like this, the Sugarplum, could be as much as thirty-five hundred dollars."

Heather Ogden is the featured Sugarplum Fairy in this piece.

~~~

Did you always wonder what it would feel like to be the Sugarplum Fairy?

A to Z Blog Challenge - S

Welcome to Day 19 of the  A to Z Blog Challenge. Today:

S

is for

Swan Lake

Anyone who knows me is aware of my ballet obsession.

Like many little girls, I took dance class which included tap and ballet, but the ballet part was always my favorite--we got to take on roles and tell a little story.

As I grew older, my reverence for all things ballet only increased. I continued to take ballet class but not in the serious dancer stream. My desire to tell stories, and to dip my feet in many different forms of creative expression, meant that I wasn't fated to become a professional dancer. That decision is made at such a young age by the people who pursue this art form.

As I attended film school in Toronto, I got the dreamiest job of my life so far--working as an usher at the O'Keefe Centre, which then became the Hummingbird Centre (and is now the Sony Centre.) I was able to indulge my ballet obsession for eight seasons of National Ballet of Canada performances. Yay, me!

When I moved back to the Maritimes, my professional dance company withdrawal was pretty hard to take. For awhile there, Empire Theatres--the cinema chain--offered special in-theatre broadcasts of ballets from companies around the world, which I never missed. But those stopped after a few years.

Aside from touring companies appearing in Halifax, my only ballet fix comes from You Tube. Thank God for all the ballet posted there. It stops my dance-lover soul from shriveling up into a dried-out husk and blowing away.

Which brings us to today's joyous post--last Thursday's performance of Swan Lake by Ballet Jorgen, and the community outreach program I attended at my local library branch on the Saturday before that.

Ballet Jorgen is one of those touring rays of sunlight that beams into my life like a heavenly smile. A Toronto-based company, they tour Canada intensively, bringing professional dance to communities that would not normally have access to this art form. 

Here company dancer Taylor Gill explains what sorts of things would be in a dancer's bag.

Sarah Koekkoek demonstrates the movements used in the swan's role during Swan Lake.

Gabriel Ritzmann and the other dancers giving the outreach program take the audience through the basics of ballet positions for arms and feet.

Sarah Koekkoek, Gabriel Ritzmann and Mallory Belzile take the participants through a section of choreography, to show how individual steps act like words to be joined together in choreography like sentences. 

The actual performance couldn't come quickly enough for me. It was like Christmas Eve--Swan Lake Eve! Yet finally there we were, heading through the doors at the Dalhousie Arts Centre in Halifax to settle into our seats to await the curtain.

My thanks to the company for all of their tireless outreach work, since I know that if I was still living in the smaller town of Yarmouth as I did for two years, I would be over the moon to have Ballet Jorgen at the library there, where they are scheduled to appear.

Here's a tiny taste of the wonderful performance we saw last Thursday.

5 on Friday - Set 108

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

I'm in a ballet frame of mind this week, so here are five rather dreamy pieces I've always loved.


1 - Dulcinea variation - Don Quixote, composed by Ludwig Minkus


Danced by Svetlana Zakharova



2 - Peasant pas de deux - Giselle, composed by Adolphe Adam


Danced by Natalia Osipova and Vyacheslav Lopatin

The main piece of music I'm showcasing here ends at the 2:50 mark.




3 - Kingdom of the Shades - La Bayadere, composed by Ludwig Minkus


Danced by Paris Opera Ballet

I just get the shivers when this piece starts. This piece, once begun, is somewhat of an ordeal for the first line of dancers. Once it begins, we're watching something incredibly special.



4 - Entrees des fees (Fairies entrance) - Sleeping Beauty, composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky


Danced by Paris Opera Ballet

I especially love the way this scene announces with fanfare that we're about to be treated to a cherished piece of dance history. Not only are the fairies arriving at court accompanied by courtiers in the story, but they carry the history of this piece from the 19th century to us now, in a chain of performances that has been passed down and down across time.

The music I'm showcasing begins at the 5:07 mark.



5 -Morning Dance - Romeo and Juliet, composed by Sergei Prokofiev


The piece I'm showcasing here ends at the 1:41 mark.  Of course, longtime readers of this blog will know that the tragic music soon following is what I listened to while writing my vampire novel.

Thursday Thirteen - 245 - 13 Ballet Moves

My adored art form of ballet is made up of many individual steps that are mastered by dancers over time. Choreographers put these steps together in an unlimited array of variations, and the manner in which the steps work together then becomes the language of dance.

Here are thirteen of my favorite ballet steps.

1 - Tour jete

2 - Fouettes

3 - Develope

4 - Adagio (slowly and with fluid movement)



5 - Partnering



6 - Tour en seconde



7 - Triple tours en l'air



8 - Saut de Basque (the turn in mid air which he does at the very beginning of this clip)



9 - Grand battement



10 - Poisson or Fish dive (takes place at the 2:20 mark)



11 - Bouree



12 - Pirouette



13 - Brise vole

Thursday Thirteen - 216 - 13 Things I Love About Going to See the Ballet

One of the things on my Bucket List is attending performances of the great ballet companies of the world in all of their home venues.

As a spectacular early birthday surprise - since my birthday is five months away - my cousin and my sister, who will be my roomies at the writers' conference in New York next week, presented me with tickets to the ballet while we're in the City That Never Sleeps.

And not only tickets to any ballet company, but tickets to American Ballet Theatre, which is second on my descending list of companies to see after the Mariinsky Ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

And not only tickets to see American Ballet Theatre, but tickets to see Swan Lake, which needs no explanation as to why that is so incredibly dreamy for me.

So here are thirteen things I'll be enjoying during our trip to the Metropolitan Opera House:

1 - Entering the lobby with the other theatre-goers. How I love that first buzz of excitement.

2 - Entering the house (the inner auditorium) to find our seats. The thrill grows.

3 - Receiving the program from the usher and looking through it at my seat.

4 - The crowd conversation humming as the theatre fills and the warning bells ring.

5 - Houselights dimming and the crowd hushing. Anticipation trembles in the air.

6 - Houselights go dark. The spotlight hits the conductor. Opening applause to start the performance - how I love all the clapping. Audience participation!

7 - First notes from the orchestra. I'll probably burst out crying with joy. Don't worry, people-sitting-next-to-me - I'll be quiet.



8 - Curtain opening or rising. The 'ooo/ah' of seeing the set design.

9 - Clapping for the principal dancers as they make their entrances. Yes, I love the clapping!

10 - The rhythmic rustling sounds of the costumes as the company moves through its choreography, the tapping of the pointe shoes on the stage, and all of the sounds emanating up from the orchestra pit.

11 - Watching the conductor's floppy hair as he feels the music.

12 - Feeling connected to Tchaikovsky himself as certain unexpected and perfect moments appear in front of me, shining a light on his work in a new way for me. Trust me - it always happens.

13 - Cheering jaw-dropping or tear-inducing performances by the dancers. Shouting Bravo! or Brava!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT -

My very own dot com web site will be going live on Saturday, June 25th - drop by A Piece of My Mind for the link and the world premiere of my book trailer!

Through the Opera Glasses - 71 - Black Swan

Black Swan opened in theatres over a month ago, yet I only saw it this past weekend due to scheduling challenges - because I simply had to see it with my co-ballet-freak sister.









I adored this film on multiple levels - but really, there's no other way to experience Black Swan.

The story in a nutshell: Soloist Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) takes on the notorious ballet roles of Odette, the White Swan and Odile, the Black Swan - a cavernous dramatic stretch for the same dancer to pull off both roles convincingly. Nina attempts to find the darker, seductive side to herself in a make-or-break grasp at the principal role brass ring. In a career that is brutally short, Nina has to fend off the expectations of her mother, the competition of her company members, and the unrelenting efforts of the artistic director who senses her untapped greatness. Can fragile Nina handle the considerable pressure?














In an inspired casting move, Barbara Hershey plays Natalie Portman's mom, a former dancer who now appears to devote herself to her daughter's career. They have a strong storyline centered on a delayed detachment between mother and daughter.














Vincent Cassel is a perfect choice for the artistic director of the New York ballet company staging a fresh version of Swan Lake. He's all slash-and-burn business when it comes to retiring the prima ballerina and courting funds for his company. He resorts to mind games without blinking if it will give him the performances he not only wants but needs, in order to woo new audiences to a rarified art form.











Another soloist in the company with just as much to win or lose as Nina, Lily (Mila Kunis) has the passion and easy seduction of the Black Swan but none of the purity of technique required of the White Swan. She's also one of the only company members willing to remain friends with Nina after her promotion, yet her casting as the alternate for Nina's role puts a strain on their relationship.











For obsessive perfectionists like dancers, the prospect of deconstructing their painstakingly-crafted signature dance styles in order to transform into something uncontrolled like the Black Swan character is a recipe for psychological disaster.

There are many, many real dancers in companies all over the world who possess all of the aspects of Odette and none of the untidy brilliance of Odile. To take on the challenge really does require these women to confront and wrestle with their Ballerina Princess identities. I'm certain there is a long history of mental anguish associated with dancing the Black Swan.

That is also why the role is not handed over lightly.







For me personally, as a lifelong devotee of dance, the sequences of transformation from dancer into Black Swan gave me incredible chills. It's a private moment that happens for every dancer as she stands in the wings, whether she is Odette or whether she's in the corps.

And the sequences where the steadicam brings us directly into the rehearsal movements and onstage during the performance bring me as close to the dancer's POV as I will ever get.







However, this film - often billed as a psychological thriller or even an art house horror film - also takes us along the disturbing descent into mental illness. Aronofsky's use of fractured mirror imagery, through-the-rabbit-hole mirror-upon-mirror imagery, and the donning and removal of identities via ballet roles makes the realization that we may be in the point of view of an unwell narrator sneak up on us.

Read clinical psychologist Dr. Villarreal's review of Black Swan as a journey through a mental health crisis HERE.

I have to say that Natalie Portman's courage in taking on a role where it was clearly herself dancing a difficult role for a professional dancer - let alone an actor portraying one - is nothing short of mindblowing.

*insert my standing ovation here*

She executes really impressive lifts, displays very respectable arms, and does honest-to-God fouettés. She's been a huge favorite of mine for years, but now...

Wow.

Check her out: