Length: 78 min.
Released: 2009
This documentary from Brazil focuses on the lives of two young dancers from a dance academy in Rio de Janeiro. Their mentor believes students from poorer families should also be able to participate in the traditionally upper-class-only world of classical ballet. She does everything she can to acquire scholarships and funding for her students. Dance could be their ticket out of poverty, and they all know it. Their motivation to work hard keeps them practicing long hours every day. The documentary follows two students, Irlan and Isabela, both highly-skilled dancers hoping to make ballet a successful career. Their mentor helps coordinate the high cost of traveling abroad and makes sure their families are prepared and can provide what is needed.
The camera follows Irlan and Isabela, along with other students from their dance school to the All-Brazil ballet competition, in which 200 dancers from the entire country will be chosen to attend an international competition held in New York, where they will compete for spots in elite dance companies from around the world. When Irlan is selected for a prestigious competition in Switzerland, he is escorted by the film crew.
The documentary features candid interviews and conversations with Irlan and Isabela's families, and Irlan and Isabela share hopes and fears about the future. Dance may take them away from home, which both thrills and worries them. Life in other countries and cultures can be cold (as Irlan finds out in Switzerland, where he discovers snow) or unfriendly (as Isabela is told she does not conform to the ballet standard; white and thin). Their families and their school provide strong support for them.
The film conveys the dedication and sacrifice ballet dancers make for their art and their dreams. The stress of a competitive selection process is difficult in any discipline, but dancers form a close-knit family, and hugs abound when things don't go as hoped.
Several full-length dance scenes show the talent of both Irlan and Isabela. Their emotion, grace and strength captivate even those with no knowledge of ballet. They make their dancing look so effortless: Irlan leaps high and bares his soul, Isabela flows gracefully from one difficult pose to another.
It's rewarding to see where Irlan and Isabela are now, to continue to track their success through dance.
There is a website for the film: www.onlywhenidance.com
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