Black Swan Film By Darren Aronofsky: The Concept Of Ballet

Artists are defined by their passion for art. Black Swan, directed and written by Darren Aronofsky, was a major breakthrough in the worlds of professional ballet. Modern society believes that ballet is the highest form of art, but ballet is not the only thing to be appreciated by the modern world. According to Alastair Macaulay of The New York Times, “the idea of ballet is much more narrow”: “Obsession, torment. Paranoia. Delusion.” The film follows the life and struggles of a 28-year-old New York City Ballet Company ballerina. The film follows the lead of a young woman, and the audience watches her spiral along with it.

The film is a dark movie about jealousy. It becomes a psychological thriller. Nina, the American film’s protagonist is a child-like member in the corps that longs for the principal role in the next season’s ballet. Her innocence makes her a perfect choice to portray the White Swan. However, she soon realizes that her perfectionist tendencies prevent her from fully embodying the essence of Black Swan. McLaughlin, Heyman and Heinz-screenwriters of this film, write that “Nina’s] movements are extremely precise, but there is a clear vulnerability. The White Swan’s antagonist, Lily, is described by the screenwriters as “explosive and exudes sexuality” and Nina specifically chooses her character to be the antagonist. The film’s progress shows that Lily was actually Nina’s vehicle for psychological disaster. Nina’s alter-ego is the real antagonist. Nina learns that Lily is a deceit and Nina must feel the pain to be able to see and experience the Black Swan. This will allow her to become her ideal of perfection. Pyotr Ilyich Tachikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake was written for the Bolshoi Ballet in 1875-1876. It premiered in Moscow, Russia, on March 4, 1877. The ballet has been revived on many different stages since its initial premiere. Based on a Russian folktale, the storyline provides the perfect backdrop to the characters and their quest for Black Swan. Macaulay explains the apparent parallels between Black Swan’s and Swan Lake’s characters in the New York Times article, The Many Faces of ‘Black Swan’. It’s the old tale of dark versus light, good versus bad. This is reflected in Nina’s choice of light pink or white clothing. Nina is perfect with her hair in a bun and light makeup. Her image is reminiscent of the White Swan’s innocence. Lily, her foil, wears mostly black clothes. Her hair is dreadlocked, she wears dark eyeliner and has a large tattoo on her back. Her image is a rebellious expression, especially considering her professional background at the New York City Ballet Company. The film continues to group these women into their respective types of antagonist or protagonist until Nina sees Lily dying. In reality, her inner demon has been keeping her from reaching full potential. Nina then imagines Nina transforming into a Black Swan hybrid and sprouting wings. When the antagonist is no longer identified as a separate entity, Nina (the White Swan and Black Swan) shifts viewers’ expectations. Nina is the Icarus, having flown too close towards the sun, and this has led to her death. Nina delivers the ultimate performance of her professional career when she falls onto Swan Lake’s crash pad, as the Swan Queen attempts suicide. As she collapses to the floor, Nina’s calm expression changes. Thomas is shocked when she tells him her last words. This film depicts the hard reality of perfection and pain in professional ballet dancers.

Margot Fonteyn was a well-known English ballet dancer from the 1940s. She wrote in her autobiography that she believed everyone would see the brutality of ballet. It draws energy from ballet’s cruelest and most unfair parts. This is something that audiences all over the world don’t like, but artists will be willing to sacrifice their lives for perfection, if they are truly committed. Thomas Leroy was the original mentor for the film and the director of the ballet. This line perfectly describes the essence the art form. The immortality of dance is not the same as music, poetry, and art. It doesn’t thrive in churches and museums. It is currently alive. This moment is yours. This is your chance. There’s something exciting about witnessing something that no other person can do. You will be different from the audience. Different energy levels will be displayed by the performer in different areas of the performance. Reality is hard to see in live art, but Aronofsky, Heyman and Heinz were able to tell the truth behind their dramatic stories. The art cannot be perfected if the artist doesn’t give himself completely to it. The artist must accept the full consequences of their actions in order to capture a moment in perfect time.