I am not a real ballet dancer, but I pretend to be four times a week in ballet class. It’s a fool’s hobby, because even competence is hardly attainable, and yet, despite the long odds, I’m hooked. At Westside Ballet [1] in Santa Monica, I have the privilege of studying with a master teacher, now 81, who gives me hope that maybe next time, I’ll land a perfect pirouette, or soar with graceful arms and pointed toes, during a grand jeté.
Frederick Wiseman [2], one of the great documentary filmmakers, focused his camera on one of the premier ballet companies, and the result, according to most reviewers, is one of the best dance films of all time. LA DANSE: PARIS OPERA BALLET is trickling out at movie theaters around the country (check release schedule [3]) and I will be there opening weekend to look up and dream.