On stage, ballet is an exemplar of human grace: beautiful women float like feathers and handsome men lift them overhead with ease. Behind the façade of effortlessness lay incredible pain, sacrifice, competition and countless hours of practice. In her film First Postion, Bess Kargman documents the worlds on either side of the stage curtain as she follows six dancers competing in a prestigious ballet competition. She joins Doug on Wednesday to discuss what it takes to transform the human body into kinetic poetry.
- First Position is currently screening at the Broadway Centre Cinemas in Salt Lake City. Showtimes for May 30 & 31: 12:10, 4:15, 7:20, 9:20. From June 1 through June 7 it shows at 12:10 and 4:15. For more information visit the Salt Lake Film Society’s web site.
- This week, the CW television network premiers a reality show about Salt Lake’s own world-renowned ballet company, Ballet West. It’s called Breaking Pointe, and it will air on Thursday, May 31, at 6 p.m. Mountain. Visit the CW web site for more information.
Today’s guests on RadioWest:
- Bess Kargman is a first-time filmmaker with a background in broadcast journalism. She holds degrees from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and Amherst College. Long before entering the world of film and radio, Kargman trained at Boston Ballet School (and has the bruised feet to prove it). First Position premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival (where it took People’s Choice runner-up for best documentary).
- Adam Sklute has been the artistic director at Ballet West since 2007. Before that he was the Associate Artistic Director of The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago where he began as a dancer in the mid 1980’s.
Music from today's show:
- Tchaikovsky - "Swan Lake "
- Ween - "So Many People In The Neighborhood"
- Music from the film First Position
