Dying to Dance (2001)



It is a dance-related movie but not exactly a dance movie. It is the non-dancing life of a dancer. It is about the eating disorder the ballerina is suffering. Although there wasn't much about dancing, I like it quite a lot. The primary reason is that 'it sounds so real, it seems so familiar to me!'. It is really a dancer's story.
Because of the theme (eating disorder) chosen, the story went like being slim should be the major concern but not the technique. 'Pushing too hard' or 'commit it to 100%' seemed to be referring to weight-loss schedule instead of training and rehearsing. Although in the film Alyssa did rehearse a lot, the artistic director seemed not to notice the effort she paid and dancers saw weight the biggest priority. Isn't keeping healthy be the biggest concern of every athlete? Eating less than what you need to survive is not natural, but the girls just couldn't see the fact that the ones who are not fit enough would never stand the whole production, and the career will not last long.
For me, staying slim is quite important, but I see technique and other mental qualities bear the same importance. A healthy body is essential to succeed because it is the instrument to present your soul. To do this well, the dancer actually needs to have an energetic body which is filled with power, so that the spirit inside would move freely. Dancing itself is a sport, it doesn't matter that ballet is not dancesport, by taking only supplement instead of real food, there is something missed inside the body, that thing is called 'life'. How can we inspire people, move people if we ourselves are not complete?
As a dancer, I of course have my weight control. However, I do not forget that the muscle strength and muscle endurance I need, if I am to feel dizzy and faint after a rehearsal, I am absolutely sure that I will fail in every audition, because no producer would like to have accident like 'main dancer collapsing on the spot'. And the very thing I would not like to lose due to weight loss is my breasts. If I am going to look like a skeleton I can only be successful in audition for Halloween Shows.

Despite I have a lot of my own thinkings, I still believe that the movie revealed some truth in ballet. Being a friend to some professional ballerinas from H------- Ballet, I know how tough lives can be. They are not blind to the fault, they just can't help change this idiot preconception. But seriously, most of my friends from different dance background eat just a little less than normal people, they stay thin not by starving but by intensive training. 

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