Breaking Pointe

Being a fan of reality shows and dance, this show was a natural for me. It profiles the Ballet West dance company out of Salt Lake City, and follows certain individuals in the company.

We have all seen the traditional stories about dancers and their struggles (Center Stage, The Turning Point, etc.) in movies. Here is the chance to go behind the scenes with real dancers and discover the truth. As it turns out (no pun intended), their daily lives are filled with the same issues we all face, but everything in their lives is dance-centric, as it must be.

Dance is a profession that melds athleticism and art. It is more demanding than most jobs because it requires discipline, self-examination, and an all-encompassing dedication.

Breaking Pointe, in its second season, has focused on about seven dancers. And always in the background is the drama of creating a performance for a paying public. The company must stage the demanding Cinderella ballet on schedule. At the same time, the dancers deal with issues like working with your spouse, having to decide between career or relationship, injuries that are debilitating, and injuries that must be borne.

And let's not forget the fact that annual reviews are hanging over everyone's heads. Dancers work under annual contracts, so every year they deal with the stress of not knowing what the next season will bring--renewal or termination. And because dance companies are very hierarchical, the dancers seek affirmation every year. "Will I get promoted to soloist? How long must I remain an intern? Can age and injuries threaten my position as a principal dancer?"

As with other professional athletes, there are only so many employers. This further complicates the lifestyle of a dancer, who may have to pack up and move to another state if he cannot continue at his present jobs.

Knowing all this, it is with great respect that I watch these dancers negotiate their problems. Some comments on this site are very critical of some of these dancers, sometimes even criticizing their physical characteristics. In my opinion, they are all beautiful. They have nearly perfected their beautiful instruments in pursuit of a beautiful illusion--that their performances are effortless.

For any reality show, reality is abridged whenever an edit is made. But I feel that the producers of this show are attempting to show us the drama of these lives in a balanced way.

How can one not feel for Chris and Christiana, principals dancers, whose marriage may be damaged by the dynamics that define it? Or Allison, whose fiancé may demand she leave the company to prove her love? Or Ronnie, the soloist whose foot injury has sidelined his career until he can rehab enough to perform the most demanding jumps?

All of this drama is offset by the moments of beauty: The exquisite precision of a spin, the ornate costumes, the classic lines of the dancer's body at work or in repose.

Breaking Pointe also shows the dancers at play, diffusing the daily stresses.

In all, we get a comprehensive look at the world of a dancer. Any young dancer who contemplates the lifestyle of ballet should watch this show.

Watching rehearsals and performance moments was interesting-though you never see enough of a number to feel like you get much more than a peek.

The contrived roles the "documentarians" crafted "the sweet ingenue", "the bitchy girlfriend", "the poor waif", the "bad boy" and "the doormat" was ANNOYING! Rarely did smy of that footage feel spontaneous or real. Just everyone playing for camera. Amateurish. A few moments, a few.

I enjoy watching the dancers in this movie, and short performances on stage. I try to go to as many live performances as available,. We seldom see the intense work behind the performance. This movie is a way to get close and personal with the dancers, imagine yourself dancing, and have a lot of fun. I want more shows like this. I am upset only season 1 is viewable. I hope to see it added to the viewing public. Please create more movies about dancing. I never get tired of seeing dancing. Few people know there are different hierarchy with the dancer's.position in the troupe. How there is so much competitions between dancers.

I had hoped to see some of the behind the scenes training, dancing, and issues that come up in a dance company, particularly a ballet company. Sadly this show falls far short. Of the eight or so people spotlighted, we hear them talk endlessly about their "significant other" as well as their progress in the ballet company. Snippits of dance are scattered here and there in the program, rarely more than ten or fifteen seconds at a time. There is a trend in reality shows to inject some drama into the reality, but this show is all drama to begin with and boring, repetitive drama at that. This show could just as easily be about circus performers, or an acting troupe with only a small amount of editing required.

This show is OK, you get to see a ballet company from the inside, which is interesting enough.

But on the other hand, I don't see any of them surviving one week in the Ballet de l'opéra de Paris or the Royal Ballet. They are not bad dancers, but surely not great ones and sometimes it is a bit awkward to hear big compliments for such dancing.

But to be honest, it is a regional ballet and also a reality show, you can't expect to have an étoile from the ballet de l'opréa de Paris.

If you like ballet and want an inside look in a company why not, if you are in for great ballet dancing I don't think you'll enjoy it as much, watch one of the many documentaries about ballet.