In a weekend that included the Arcadia spider spectacular you’d think going to see a movie, a documentary what’s more, wouldn’t have much chance capturing my attention, but then I saw Dancer. What an astonishing story of a truly once in a generation dancer Sergei Polunin.
The movie tracks the life of Sergei Polunin who started life in the Ukraine with a mother who wanted the best for him. Showing immense talent for gymnastics and ballet his mother considered ballet the better option, and so began his path into the world of dance. Lacking funds to help Sergei get the training needed to be a top dancer a decision was made. His father and grandmother moved to other parts of the world to work and send the funds back for Sergei.
The plan was working well and at just 13 he was invited to dance in the London Royal Ballet. He trained twice as hard as the others in the class. By just 21 he became the youngest principle dancer in the London Royal Ballet. His motivation was strong. He was dancing for his family. Dancing to get his family back together again. Everything was for his family, so he could pay back the debt he felt he owed them, and so he danced, and danced, and danced. What an enormous burden for a teenager.
But then the news came.
His parents were getting divorced. His motivation gone. Soon it was replaced with anger, wild partying, drugs, tattoos and the label ‘bad boy of dance’. The talk of London’s ballet after just two years he was crushed by the spotlight and left.
Later a move to Russia saw him find a father figure in the Russian Ballet where he started over again and soon conquered that world of dance too. Sadly it wasn’t long before he resented the repetition saying he ‘felt like a prisoner’ and ‘hoped to get injured so he didn’t have to dance’. Another break with dance loomed.
Later, having been invited to dance at a concert he finally allowed his parents to see him dance, for the first time. The love for his father was clear as they hugged after the performance. In the later interview his father explained that ‘I was earning money to support my family but if I could do it again I would spend more time with the family.’ The reconnection with his mother was less warm. He blamed her for the breakdown of the family and as he had earlier explained ‘I didn’t ask to dance it was my mothers choice not mine.’
The film ends as it begins, with Sergei’s last dance, the video Take Me To The Church that has been viewed on youtube over 16 millions times.
Dancer is an extremely powerful movie that by telling one man’s story, explores the importance of love, family and the dangers of the single-minded pursuit of excellence. The first image is of a tattooed, athletic dancer sitting totally spent on the floor … you had me at hello. What an utterly brilliant dancer he is, every move is perfection and his elevation incredible. At several points I wondered if he was Nureyev’s love child.
I’ve never felt so compelled by a movie to head straight to the web to find out what happened to him. I’ve never thought about what a burden it must be to be constantly asked to do something just because you are good at it. Clearly there’s something to be said for not being particularly spectacular at anything, a jack of all trades and a master of none.
An utterly fascinating insight into what it’s like to be the best in the world at something.
For more information go to Luna Cinemas.
To watch the youtube video click here – Take Me To The Church.
