Ballerina Breaks Down 10 Iconic Ballet Scenes | How Real Is It? | Insider

From “Red Sparrow” to “Black Swan," ballet dancers have appeared in a score of Hollywood movies. But what’s a real-life ballerina’s take on the most memorable of these dance scenes? Watch prima ballerina Isabella Boylston react to 10 famous ballet performances from film and TV.
Isabella has danced at the renowned American Ballet Theatre since 2005, and has been a principal dancer - the highest rank within the company - since 2014. She took a break from rehearsal to sit down with us and pick apart ballet scenes from iconic dance movies such as “Suspiria,” “Step Up,” and “Center Stage,” rating each scenario based on its accuracy.
Find out why dance doubles are so important for making Hollywood actors look like the real deal; what “Suspiria” gets right about the art of dance; the reason ballerinas actually do wear leg warmers, like Jennifer Beals in “Flashdance;” and why the animated ballerinas in “Leap!” have major style (even though they probably wouldn’t dance to pop music in the 19th century). Plus, why real ballet dancers aren’t really the tortured artists you often see depicted in movies.
Isabella gives us her thoughts on why hip-hop and classical ballet make for a great pairing. She reviews the fusion of breakdancing, ballet, and jazz in beloved MTV romance “Step Up,” starring Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan. She also gives a dancer’s opinion on why Kanye West’s ballet moment works so well in his short film “Runaway” (based on songs from the rapper’s fifth album, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”).
Besides starring in world-class ABT productions like “Sleeping Beauty” and “Romeo and Juliet,” Isabella danced as Jennifer Lawrence’s body double in the spy thriller “Red Sparrow.” She talks about what it’s like to be a ballet double for an A-list actor; gives us a behind-the-scenes perspective on how they filmed that graphic leg break; and discusses how realistic it is for an injury that dramatic to happen onstage. Plus, she gives her opinion on why ballerinas - like Jennifer Lawrence’s character Dominika - could actually make for great spies.
Using her expert knowledge of all things ballet, Isabella analyzes the inspiration behind Mac’s dance in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”; why Rob McElhenney’s performance is so impressive; and how his dance partner, actual ballerina Kylie Shea, helped him look like a professional. She also breaks down the classic ballets that figure into the storylines of countless films - like Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake,” at the center of Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan,” Stravinsky’s “The Firebird,” the ballet inspiration for “Red Sparrow;” and “The Nutcracker,” which forms the basis for the plot in “Leap!” starring Elle Fanning and Maddie Ziegler. Last but not least, Isabella reveals why the 1948 classic “Red Shoes” is her favorite ballet film of all time.
In addition to being an ABT principal, Isabella is the founding artistic director of Ballet Sun Valley, a festival bringing ballet to her hometown in Idaho. She’s been featured in publications like Vogue, The New York Times, and Harper's Bazaar. She’s also starred in a Nike commercial and has collaborated on ballet lines for a number of other brands, including Nike, Bobbi Brown, Clarins, Chanel, Wolford, Olay, and Norma Kamali.
For more from Isabella:
/ isabellaboylston
www.isabellaboylston.com/
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Ballerina Breaks Down 10 Iconic Ballet Scenes | How Real Is It?

[@OriiAnjj22]

“Ballet artists are world class athletes” - super true

[@georgiam.3957]

I mean you can clearly tell that by how their body is shaped

[@marinaboz5456]

its sport

[@alikhanperiodt6483]

I hate when people think that it is not a sport , and say that it's just a girly thing to do for a boy

[@andrapopa7961]

They're just muscle. It's like the gymnastics and Navy SEAL of the dance world.

[@loveitftw]

@@andrapopa7961 hahahah😂 so true though 👌

[@jac1396]

Smh they forgot the most important dance movie of all time: Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses

[@losadosa]

jac The Nutcracker one too! 🥰

[@octogonSmuggler]

Barbie Swan Lake

[@andreacameron9396]

That movie is what made my daughter become a ballerina. :)

[@abbywalden8168]

@@andreacameron9396 barbie is one of the reasons i started ballet, and now i have my pointe shoe fitting tommorow so....

[@LawnOrnament]

Big facts bro

[@biancat7761]

You know she's a ballerina when she doesn't give a perfect 10. Ever. Unspoken ballet rule... Nothing is perfect.

[@chelsea747]

😂 so true

[@CrankyB1tsch]

that's why eating disorders are the most common among ballerinas

[@amasenak]

@@CrankyB1tsch Do you have any proof of that, or is that a stereotype and an assumption that our society has made? If you have any statistics on this, please educate us. If not, on what basis are you spreading this information?

[@itslxvhere]

You might not know but eating disorder are not rare when it comes to dance. Its not too common but it does happen enough. Especially which ballet dancers who have to look and weight a certain way

[@Eagle-bw7nv]

That's a general rule in life. If you think you are perfect at something you need to reassess yourself.

[@MrPinkcomfort]

As a former ballerina who broke her leg and had to stop dancing, I can say that the pain that you feel when the doctor tells you that you can't dance anymore is heartbreaking. Red Sparrow really hit me hard in those moments. You spend your whole life denying yourself and pushing your body to the limit for your art then in a moment it's all gone. No words can describe that

[@Roma-kp4qg]

I'm sorry about your broken leg :(

[@kseniashumsky8742]

Is it really that bad that you cant dance for the rest of your life? If so i could never😥🙂

[@MrPinkcomfort]

@@kseniashumsky8742 Yes, my leg healed up fine, but I have stress points which make it no longer possible for me to put significant weight on my leg.

[@kseniashumsky8742]

@@MrPinkcomfort oh, im sorry to hear that😔

[@heartdragon2386]

I am so sorry.

[@sohaali9798]

Her posture even in sitting is impeccable.

[@bimbo9334]

soha ali I straightened my posture right after i read this :/

[@shhhh6174]

I have "flat back syndrome" because of this 😂

[@meeloo.]

@@bimbo9334 same

[@lalametupsi8618]

And her voice is the exact opposite. How...

[@andrapopa7961]

Ballet dancers are pure muscle, I don't think she knows how to slouch. It would be uncomfortable.

[@dorys4051]

“Dancers are really bad at taking time off when they need to” Omg I felt that

[@whyistherumalwaysfinished27]

Same. I’m still healing from a hip sprain from doing a Hula and Tahitian performance 2 years ago. 😪

[@dancepiglover]

I was in my dance classes one morning, fighting through stomach pain. Later I went to the hospital because it got so bad. It turned out I needed surgery.

[@emilyrose4859]

i know right like damn @ me next time Isabella

[@shhhh6174]

Girl YESSS my L3 through L5 discs popped out of my place and pinched a nerve so badly I couldn't walk. What did I do? Got epidurals for the pain and went right back to class.

[@1613TM]

Yep, i had torn my ACL but i’ve known about it just about last week.... and it’s quite heartbreaking i felt so broken... because pf that i’ve been extra careful when use my left leg :’

[@windskm]

I like how she made sure to point out that "you can see which takes are Sarah" because people still think Black Swan is Natalie almost all the time

[@valerieperez7502]

Yesss I wish Natalie Portman gave her credit

[@willyj3321]

She probably made a point of it because I don’t think she’s a huge fan of Natalie’s. She was dating the guy who’s dancing with Natalie (the prince) until he left her for Natalie because they fell in love on set.

[@andrimarbi]

@@willyj3321 no, everyone in the dance community knows Natalie didn’t deserve the credit she got for the dancing in that movie. There were efforts made to give the dance double zero credit, Sarah Lane came out and spoke about it extensively. Natalie being a home wrecker is just an extra bullet on her resume lol.

[@rachelgarber1423]

@@valerieperez7502 The credits are to be made at the movie ending, did Jennifer Lawrence give her credit, or the actress in a Flashdance, body doubles are like stunt doubles and no one expects the actors they stand in for to personally thank them. And we don’t know that they don’t. Are they supposed to make a public announcement anymore than actors publicly announce their stunt doubles. I can’t imagine the studios would want that anyway, movies are about creating an illusion. Imho I think people are upset about Natalie’s relationship with the man, and why is he let off Scott free, there were two people in that relationship but somehow the woman gets all the blame.

[@ELEMUSIQ5]

Meee lol

[@lorenag.5280]

I did not expect to see so much tea spilled about Isabella being cheated on/left for Natalie Portman when I innocently clicked on this video

[@aishijelly]

same

[@priyachoudhary9896]

I came on this video just because of that, wanted to know what other ballerinas thought of that

[@ladygoo0001]

Ditto

[@mysterylovescompany2657]

Man, if my sweet husbaland left me for Natalie Portman, I'd be like, fair. 😏

[@emilyrose4859]

Sarah Lane, (Isabella is happily married) but yeah, crazy

[@estherkekauoha6256]

Why didn't they show her Barbie, like Nutcracker or Swan Lake? She's literally more classic than Leap.

[@isabellaw.6330]

i can´t tell how many times I watched Barbie nutcracker dancing in front of the TV

[@nittygritty7034]

Copyright? Maybe Matel is bad about flagging fair use stuff.

[@helolange1132]

Yaas

[@helolange1132]

The 12 princesses tho

[@gabriellaalvares1038]

Esther Kekauoha yeah!!! Totally There are 4 ballet Barbie movies, I think they should show her all 4 and she rates the dance numbers That would be cool

[@smudgeit]

Im so glad they mentioned Sarah Lane as her body double... they tried hard to hide it until Natalie won the Oscar even going as far as to NOT even credit her in the film credits they put her as the lady in the lane..

[@cosmicmuffin322]

That is shady as all hell. The real dancer did the actual work.

[@smudgeit]

@@cosmicmuffin322 that's not the worst when Sarah came out and told the truth they tried to say Natalie preformed somthing like 80% of the dancing and her body double was the 20% !!lol.. they wanted us to believe natalie trained for 6months and could Dance like someone who had been trained from childhood... Stupid

[@chelsey8737]

I was just watching another video about different actresses that did their own parts in hard movies and they said that she did that whole part. And I was like wow she learned so much and executed it so well, they put so much time and effort into this and yeah now I find out that she didn't do nearly as much as I thought. That's kind of upsetting. Stop praising her for doing all of the parts if she didn't

[@asiaoharasbutterflies9425]

I remember when they released a behind the scenes video and replaced it almost instantly with another one that removed the face replacement cg. 😂😂

[@girlboss3426]

That's not the true,Natalie talked about sarah multiple time,she just doesn't talked about her in her Oscar speech,but during other award season she talk about lane multiple times,also the director and benjamin never say anything about lane

[@clarylua689]

"that's what my husband says when I'm up there" omg so cute lol

[@quadbox]

Isabella is so talented. I think she was very diplomatic when handling the Swan Lake scenes without saying anything disparaging about Natalie while remaining loyal to Sarah. I don't know if I would have been so nice.

[@baekhyunschopsticks6763]

Me, watching the video:👧🏻 Me, seeing the comments about Black Swan: 👁👄👁 🍵

[@juanferestrada]

Omg I’m dead

[@Losshe]

I know! Learned so much today 🍵

[@tiffprendergast]

Baekhyun’s Chopsticks yup

[@sweetlikemilkAMSR]

😂😂😂😂

[@Ivy94F]

IKR?? Never knew about the drama. Lol! ALL the tea is spilling now..

[@gethsemaneherron7837]

She's so mature for fairly critiquing Natalie...since her partner at the time left Isabella for Natalie. So happy to see her move on and be cool 9 years later!

[@OdettaBOOOM]

can't say I didn't double my attention watching her judge Natalie.. she did it like a professional, bravo Isabella..

[@dianabuck7310]

Whoa! Yeah, I would have had no idea. Extremely mature. Respect!

[@YedidahMVO]

Wait...what?

[@idontcare3528]

Elaborate please

[@NinaAsmoni]

Her ex bf (the dance director) cheated on her while he was directing Natalie Portman choreography during the Black Swan movie. She had to move out when Natalie “announce” that she’s pregnant, they were still living together at the time...super awkward

[@rachelgarber1423]

She was really kind to Natalie, the dancer that doubled for her seemed put out that Natalie practiced for about six months and she felt that Natalie won the Academy for her dancing. I think the Academy gave her the award for her complete performance. Same thing as I recall for the body double for Flashdance. This dancer seems very kind about being a double and acknowledging the work that the actors do put in. Loved her comments about all the dancing and the actors involved

[@patriciamaeda852]

Flash Dance also used a male gymnast besides the unaccredited dancer who got pissed off she wasn’t acknowledged

[@LuvFearlessly]

Sarah Lane definitely had the right to be mad. It was gross.

[@republicoftexas4651]

@@LuvFearlessly So Muhammad Ali's family should be angry Will Smith wasn't an actual champion boxer for "Ali?" The Ray Charles Estate should be mad that Jamie Fox wasn't really blind and addicted to heroin for "Ray?" Sarah Lanes argument was "ballet can't be learned in a year." And? The movie didn't win an Oscar for being a ballet biopic-- it won because it is an amazing thriller/horror film with insane tension so thick that the last scene is actually cathartic.

[@grungekitty77]

I remember reading an interview with her after the Oscars. She had done one interview before, and the filmmakers asked her to stop doing interviews until after the Oscars. As far as I recall, in the interview I read, she said something like "No it doesn't bother me Natalie won an Oscar. That's an acting award, not a dancing award." and there was a sort of unspoken implication that she was paid very generously for her silence. She also said she only did the interview afterwards because she didn't want people thinking they could study for just 6 months and do all those dances.

[@XTheLolX301]

I mean, people involved in the movie said Portman did 90% of the dances, and she only kept saying in the interviews that in was the other way around, which is the true

[@alexonline2340]

i find what she said about the partnering in the always sunny in philadelphia dance really interesting. the episode was about him wanting to come out to his dad, and the dance was kind of like his "coming out." so i find it interesting that this ballerina picked up on how the woman was doing more of the partnering work than the man, probably to imply a sort of one-sided affection (because the man is gay) that the choreographer created. super cool

[@imsadlol4528]

it’s also probably because the actor isn’t a professional dancer lmao

[@dysn3961]

Some did a good analysis, where the character had been fighting against his sexuality, which in the dance he leaves aside at the end of the first part, but its what picks him back up and what he's been afraid of supports him and they embrace together, a metaphor for how he's learning to accept himself

[@ninguem8947]

insider: what do you think about red sparrow? her: bro i was there

[@parkerhahaha]

She’s an insider

[@tenniscourt5831]

Jennifer Lawrence is too big to play a ballerina.

[@gwenyverreking5565]

Barbie Dahl nope. Untrue. I was a ballerina for several years and we had several larger dancers that were some of our best

[@Alonepistachio]

Barbie Dahl she can’t even walk up the stares how am i suppose to believe she has the grace of a dancer

[@Alonepistachio]

Mary Jane Laws it wasn’t a serious comment :D I’m not very funny

[@lorettawen1126]

Im glad that Isabella specifically acknowledged her colleague Sarah Lane's role in Black Swan(of course she will

[@yahlitzahernandez8785]

I know it really amazed me when some people actually believed that an actress who only trained for a year could do 85% of the dancing for a ballet piece that requires a lifetime of training. They did Sarah Lane dirty trying to make it seem like she was lying when she said she did most of the dancing in the movie, and I am glad she pointed it out.

[@rosarioguzman8158]

The fact that they used a double was never hidden nor a secret, she got paid for her job and credited like any other double, natalie even complemented her. I don't know what people expect

[@TalkAsSoftAsChalk]

@@rosarioguzman8158 it wasn't that it was hidden however it was implied as if Natalie did almost all or most of the dancing. When people complimented Natalie on the great dancing she never went out of her way to explain that most of the dancing wasn't done by her.

[@rosarioguzman8158]

@@TalkAsSoftAsChalk No it wasn't, it's painfully obvious that natalie wasn't able to do everything, they don't need make that clear. She got praised because of her acting. There was no "campaign", they said exactly what happened, natalie trained for a year, you can't become a professional ballerina in a year, it's common knowledge. Natalie praised sarah and said that actual ballerinas are crazy talented, she didn't pretend to do everything.

[@yahlitzahernandez8785]

Rosario Guzmán the directed of the movie even called Sarah to tell her not to say anything about her dancing until after the oscars, they even went as far as editing the behind the scenes dance videos. And, when Sarah said that she did about 90% of the FULL body dance scenes the directer implied that she was lying by saying that he counted all the dance scenes and that Natalie did 80% of them (but he failed to say that those where mostly above the waist scenes and that 90% of the FULL body dance scenes were in fact Sarah dancing). Natalie did not say anything about that other than talking about her training for a year, but the PR people did make it seem like her 1year training allowed her to execute dance moves that someone who trained 20+ years can do (and a lot of people at the time did believe that this was true out of pure ignorance on the amount of training it takes to be a ballet dancer).

[@alexstewart839]

I appreciate her emphasis of the the distinctive lines and shapes that are created and emphasized throughout an individual dance performance. That was something that I thought was shared between the choreography and cinematography in that Suspiria remake, but I didn't have the vocabulary to express it.

[@mirsey93]

Especially when she extended her arms you could see the strength in her arms. And you would think ballet dancers have the most strength in their legs and feet but arm strength is not something you could do without with all the positions you need to do with your arms. I learned so much throughout this video!

[@carolinechavez1630]

why would yall make her watch hip hop scenes?

[@resurgingflame]

Bcuz there's ballet component in it?

[@chocotoasties2671]

@Turner Marius not really. When it comes to certain leaps, maybe. Hip Hop is inspired by traditional african dance, contortionism, and some gymnastics

[@marty03none82]

Because Kanye West’s runway music video is a master piece

[@angelface101ful]

@Turner Marius who said that? Hip hop was created by black people, it has more African influence...are y'all REALLY trying to steal hip hop dance now??

[@angelface101ful]

@@resurgingflame but not really they massed up two separate dances... Which she only knows one of

[@susanalopez5052]

No red shoes?!! No billy Eliot?!! No American in Paris?!! Not even west side story?!! BUT YOU MAKE HER WATCH HIP HOP AND CONTEMPORARY ?!!

[@shariwelch8760]

I was sure The Red Shoes would be in there, but nope. Too old I think.

[@ju4300]

EXACTLY BALLET NOT HIP HOP TF

[@toastedsesamesauce137]

i think it's to show the diversity, not only to show the 'iconic' ballet shows but also how different kind of show could affect the dance. They should’ve put 11 ballet movies instead of 11 iconic ballet movies.

[@RLBM89]

She comes from ABT. Their feeder school is JKO. If she came from there then she most likely did the competition circuit which has a contemporary element. She would've studied ballet, contemporary, and character dance at minimum. Not to mention possibly jazz, tap, modern, and a few other forms.

[@federicacucchetti3792]

I would’ve loved to see her reaction to Billy Elliot, it’s one of my favourite movies ever

[@taishaortega6652]

She’s right . We do push through everything. I was a ballerina I was in dance from a toddler till I quit . Black swan shows how much can go wrong If we don’t take care of our minds . Anyone can become unhinged . Our teachers also demand discipline and a level of perfection. Your taught everything and I’ve been on stage pushing and pushing then throwing up after it was done because your pushing that hard or you cane from a costume change and your still catching your breath. She’s right . Ballet is a sport and I hate hearing that it’s not a sport . It is . You have to train you have to work your hardest .

[@zipsh7641]

shes so sweet yet firm , i can listen to her talking for full hour

[@kooltom4]

Making poor Isabella comment on the film where her then partner jilted her for Natalie Portman seems a little cruel. I know she's happily married now with children but even so........

[@Yishy22]

Wow I didn't know that

[@firelunamoon]

Yeah I was surprised to see this too, but I guess it's all water under the bridge now since she's clearly moved on with her life.

[@CynthiaSingsClassical]

Her voice is annoying.

[@cat_ladyyy]

I thought it was in poor taste to have her comment on that film

[@mariasperger2467]

She doesn’t have kids lol

[@smcd6101]

She’s so articulate in her critiquing, very easy to listen to.

[@mitzypinks1338]

Steph McD Apart from the hundreds of unnecessary “likes” . It’s “like” this and so “like” that.

[@helenbeahan2024]

Not really. I like found it like really hard to like listen to because I like found all the “likes” really like annoying.

[@tandybugz7337]

He's voice is like nails on a chalkboard!

[@perenniallachrymosity276]

@@mitzypinks1338 I like thought like that like was like normal like since like I like talk like that. (I'm sorry xD but I do use 'like' a lot in real life in front of other people and I've never met somebody who's been bothered by it)

[@perenniallachrymosity276]

@@tandybugz7337 really though?? I don't find anything bothering about it...

[@ianlorenc]

No Billy Elliot. No Red Shoes. No White Nights. Hopefully you're getting her to come back for more and have this oversight corrected.

[@bakhtiyarpakhirdinov2461]

No Jim Carrey in the SNL Black Swan skit!!!😁

[@tkralva.6668]

Also Game Plan with the Rock.

[@aceybee943]

I would totally love to watch more videos with Isabella Boylston! She seemed to enjoy herself which made it even more fun to watch and her commentary seemed very professional and was easy to understand

[@trishafalqueza6192]

I actually forgot the black swan is a horror or fantasy movie.

[@laurenrobson46]

It's so goooood

[@bomoore9872]

I still yet to see it. I have been told so many different genres. And many bad things so I'm not too interested lmao

[@777L777E777]

@@bomoore9872 Whoever told you bad things about Black Swan has horrible taste

[@edpotter1170]

@@bomoore9872 don''t expect any realistic element from the movie, and you're good to go. my take on the movie is that it's about a ballerina's obsession towards her character makes her hallucinate etc.

[@aenean.]

Psychological horror. I always remembered this, since I've never liked horror movies. I thought Black Swan was quite safe, and since it looks like from Swan Lake, why not? But it turns out the dancer's struggle to reach Odile's character scared me out until now. It's all on her mind, but still. 😅

[@MuseCatherine]

That 1st one with Julia Styles is SO cringey.

[@melissatorrisi1]

Catherine Louise it’s an embarrassment. Julia can’t dance at ALL

[@poppygirl...]

I completely agree💯💯💯👍👍

[@bergercookie]

I know I never understood how that film was so popular she’s horrible no rhythm or musicality at all

[@Cookiefight69]

Right. She was so stiff with her dancing

[@tink6225]

idk who that is but I know exactly what you're talking about

[@klillym1461]

I danced ballet for 13 years, started when I was about 5 or so, I thought it could turn me into a fairy, unfortunately I couldn't afford to take classes anymore and had to quit. Its been two years and I miss dancing more than anything in the world.

[@grasssnakegildedserpent4184]

Omg so true, I had to quit when I went to college and it literally pains me that I can never go back to the point where I was training 4+ hours a week D:

[@laysthechip3356]

I used to do it when i was a younger kid, the classes were in a bad environment and i had to take the bus to every class on a weekday..and i had school. It was exhausting all around but i still have an appreciation for it.

[@tiaharukatrotta4881]

do the moves you can do without getting hurt at home and never stop looking for a chance to come back. I danced for 12 years (I was pretty mediocre and didn't realized it but it's not the point here) and I left for basically silly reasons and never dared to try to comeback. Now I'm 42 and most nights I still dream I'm dancing. When I watch people dancing, my toes move by themselves inside my shoes as if I had no control over them. The only regret I carry in my life, and I made quite a ton of shitty choices to say the least.

[@pxrple380]

That scene in Red Sparrow, however less gory, was absolutely revolting to watch. Having said that, I would watch this movie many times over because it was so beautiful. I think it was the grotesque accuracy of bones breaking under the force of another person and added weight of velocity. This movie should be a must-watch on everyone's list, but no more than once every 5 years. Isabella Boylston did amazingly in the film, and J. Law is wonderful.

[@mashat5027]

Jennifer was awful as a ballet dancer...just terrible. Beautiful costume

[@nadine9142]

So glad she mentioned the face replacement in Black Swan. Nathalie Portman never acknowledged it, and let everyone think that she was doing all the dancing when she didn't

[@ozsfi]

Of course she acknowledged it. She said: I did my work and I'm in the majority of the film. I did have a dance double for the most difficult sequences. It was just unfortunate, the entire situation. She's a wonderful dancer and hopefully people will get to see her in her company. I'm sorry that she felt unacknowledged.

[@pyroshayniac1090]

She absolutely mentioned her dance double.

[@nadine9142]

@@pyroshayniac1090 Sarah Lane was never credited as a body double in the movie. And she was specifically asked by the producers to stop talking about it, as it was bad for Portman's image during the Oscar campaign. As they wanted to perpetuate this false idea that Portman did her own dancing and that she was capable to be a prima ballerina in 1 year of training. And when asked about it Portman said it was "gossip", and didn't want to talk about it, nor talk about the fact that she never thanked Sarah Lane, all the times she won awards for this role.

[@catspaw3092]

@@nadine9142 They did the same thing to Marine Jahan in Flashdance they didn't want to give her a credit for doing the final dance scene with the judges. They wanted Jennifer Beals to go along with the program but she refused she said everyone worked hard on the movie so why deny Marine her due? As it turns out there was another dancer called "Crazy Legs" & he did the back spin in the final act so there were three dancers including Jennifer. I hate it when Hollywood doesn't want to give credit to dancers who did most of the stunt work to make that actress look authentic.

[@maybelline648]

@@nadine9142 nobody cares, bye

[@darkjedi7]

I can't believe they didn't include Billy Elliott, which is one of the greatest ballet film 👎👎

[@whocares15]

There isn't really ballet scenes (I watch the movie a while ago so I might be wrong) in Billy Elliott, it's more dance classes and at the end we see Billy jumping on stage as a male swan which is a reference to the modern dance version of Swan Lake made by Matthew Bourne. But yeah.. no real ballet scenes as far as I remember.

[@darkjedi7]

@@whocares15 yeah but at least they can review the ballet learning move that Billy choreographed in the movie. Sure there wasn't that much Ballet real scene, cuz this movie was about a boy whose LEARN to be a pro ballet dancer. And I think its much more interesting to review the learning movement of Ballet rather than just the usual ballet typical move. Besides, Billy Elliot probably on par with Black Swan considering the Ballet theme

[@julia-db8ru]

its my favorite ballet movie efter black swan❤️

[@AthkielKenobi]

Probably because Billy Elliott was played by an actual ballet dancer

[@darkjedi7]

@@AthkielKenobi it was played by Jamie Bell, while the adult one only showed up briefly at the end

[@caliv0608]

I think they mixed up "movies featuring characters who were ballet dancers" and "iconic ballet scenes".

[@aurorabesong335]

8:08 Sarah lane is such an amazing person! I’ve danced on stage with her and actually have taken classes taught by her, and she is such an amazing person! I have a memory where I was young and about to go on stage during the nutcracker, and Sarah lane who was also backstage looked at me and said “good luck!” I was 14, and was absolutely starstruck.

[@kimmycassie]

When I saw red sparrow I thought yeah the double was *indeed amazing* When she said that she was the double: *hOLY SHT YOU WERE THE DOUBLE?!?*

[@lenamonroe2961]

I thought it was the most visually appealing one on there and was so thrilled when she said it was her lol

[@kimmycassie]

@@lenamonroe2961 YESSS I coudn't agree more

[@MelissaLynn]

I'm literally cringing knowing she's watching her ex boyfriend dance with the woman he cheated on her with. YIKES

[@kmelissa6371]

Melissa Lynn 0_o what!!

[@SoulKisses76]

I know, the way he looks at her in this clip has a whole new meaning to it.

[@MelissaLynn]

K melissa yes!

[@deerrave6827]

Melissa Lynn who was her ex?

[@MelissaLynn]

@@deerrave6827 the guy playing the prince in the ballet. around 7:18 - 7:30. he cheated on her with natalie portman :/

[@rabidfollower]

At the time Black Swan came out, another ballet-themed movie called "Mao's Last Dancer" came out and became a hit in Australia. It features several superbly danced ballet sequences, including a memorable one with a Communist theme. No double was needed because the lead actor was Birmingham Royal Ballet principal Dancer Chi Cao, who did all his dancing in the movie. The fact-based story is about a Chinese ballet dancer who defected to the US in the 80s and then moved to Australia.

[@daniellal4525]

can we just acknowledge how amazing center stage was tho, the dancing was so incredible I love how they got real dancers for the movie

[@TaurusWitch29]

I loved this movie so much. I used to watch it every morning before school sophomore year and junior year while I was getting ready. I danced from age 3 until 17 when I tore my knee up, tried dancing until 20 and tore the same knee, so I had to quit. Tore me up too lol. It's hard watching dance stuff now, it's rare but when I do, I usually cry lol. But I saw this video and all the nostalgia hit me again. I've not been doing anything truly physical except a little joking around zumba with my 4 year old and I walk everywhere, I still have the dancers body because I still "dance" but nothing too strenuous on my knee, and not ballet like I did. And now I'm 36 and my daughter dances but I can't afford classes so we dance at home and she loves it. I think I might show her some of these movies, she loves dancing movies and doesn't like cartoons. And I'm rambling. I'm hit with all this nostalgia 😢😂

[@TheUnicorni]

Who watched Dance Academy? Would’ve loved to see that here

[@JinxieMinx]

i was looking for this comment. jordan rodriguez especially always stood out to me.

[@sorakai28]

dance academy is AMAZING and underrated i was hoping to see it come out here too :///

[@westleighbush3411]

I still watch the first season on Netflix. Wish they would put the other seasons on though.

[@TheUnicorni]

westleigh bush it used to be all up on KZbin. That’s how i watched all seasons ☺️

[@sorakai28]

@@westleighbush3411 it's all on hulu!

[@karenfromfinasse8430]

That Always Sunny routine was honestly one of the most surprising things I ever watched. I never expected a show so funny and light hearted to blow me away with such a moving dance performance.

[@lumeniiz1554]

and we were all waiting for a punchline

[@karenfromfinasse8430]

@@lumeniiz1554 Same! I waited and.... nothing. It's nice when there are genuine moments on shows like these that are just brutal and cruel most of the time (but still funny).

[@jasonwilliams1713]

I watched it so many times. Expected it to be funny but was genuinely almost moved to tears.

[@tiwantiwaabibiman2603]

Yeah, never saw that series let alone that there was a ballet/dance scene like that. Now I want to see that episode.

[@userbunny14]

I actually didn't know what Firebird was about... now it makes sense that Anna Scherbakova skated to it... she broke her leg a few years ago very badly, and has come back to win Russian Nationals 2x now. The leg break was the connection.

[@ayanoaishi8489]

I really love watching her react and talk about this! She speaks so professionally yet she is still funny and gives fair critiques!

[@Amber-ml6et]

Something in me tells me they didn’t research Isabella enough when they asked her to watch Black Swan and put her and a clip from it in the thumbnail. Isabella is a class act, but it looks like the crew maybe should have looked harder.

[@vnessaw]

Amber Or they did it on purpose for the dramatic effect

[@Carosaurio]

I highly doubt they didn't know about Isabella and Natalie and all happened with Benjamin... But she acted really professional, or maybe she just got over it which is amazing.

[@miriamhernandez2205]

Oh you think that was a coincidence??

[@vitorhugosantana7053]

She follows both Natalie and her husband on instagram and likes all their pictures.

[@firelunamoon]

Isabella is indeed a class act and a fantastic dancer.

[@isasilva1764]

The fact that always sunny got a better score than black swan is hilarious, yet awesome

[@shoozyq5316]

Such a pleasant surprise to see always sunny in there, I can’t watch that dance fully without tearing up

[@NoudlePipW]

"Slapping your partner with a wing" It's date night in the trailer park!

[@hellosunshine305]

We obviously don't know the definition of "Iconic BALLET Scene."

[@happinesss2]

I know.. some of these are just dances that have some ballet moves in them.....

[@IshanAli]

Ballerinas are so elegant

[@amparovaldivia3059]

Ishan Ali we are supposed to look like we are from the 1800’s, and also they invited her because she’s nice

[@tiffprendergast]

Ishan Ali epyess

[@bread5414]

You're *that* guy aren't you?

[@rrrich7]

this was wonderfully done. the ballerina really conveyed the reality of the ballet and other dance done. Thoroughly enjoyed!

[@Julia-lk8jn]

wonderful commentary, loved to hear her POV, and THANK YOU SO MUCH for pixilating that leg break. Even pixeled out, that was still unsettling.

[@madhatterloveswhiskey2445]

Next: alcoholics breaking down scenes where people drink

[@SunflowerSpotlight]

Ugh. Anything on that and oral meds would have the same critique: stop making it look like you feel the effects as soon as you take them! It’s up there with someone being "dead" as soon as they pass out. 😅

[@PolliitoAle]

I am still waiting for them to call me for that one

[@QueenOfKatar]

Hahah made me gigle

[@cherylrose6022]

@@PolliitoAle SAME LOL

[@nataliezayas-bazan9322]

Amara Jordan hey I Have a friend that gets knocked out by Tylenol. You never know.

[@joeno-say5504]

"I'm not a spy" That's exactly what a spy would say

[@joselocalau123]

She's really nice, professional and experimented, i love her

[@OnLifeandLove]

Even her speech is so poised and graceful!

[@dianabuck7310]

I saw "Swan Lake" as a child. During a fish dive, Odette's ribs snapped, staining her white costume. She finished the pas de deux, and then the understudy took over.

[@toticustv1556]

Diana Buck that’s really scary!! How old where you?

[@dianabuck7310]

@@toticustv1556 I think I was 4 or 5. It was my first ballet.

[@toticustv1556]

Diana Buck you must have been tariffed of ballet after that!!

[@dianabuck7310]

I don't think the seriousness of the situation registered with me. I did ballet for most of my childhood.

[@toticustv1556]

Diana Buck so true!! Childhood is good to all!!

[@coreno96]

Yall remember when natalie portman said she learned to dance on pointe in a couple of months for black swan🙄 giving no credit to the actual dancer

[@dpcisunbreakable]

She was working on that nomination for the Academy award. I don't blame her.

[@krisc.1344]

Damien Carter: Gunning for an Oscar does not mean you should mislead people....even though I’m sure actors do it all of the time. It’s extremely shady and shows lack of character.

[@dpcisunbreakable]

@@krisc.1344 Bullshit, any person with common sense about dance knew she couldn't do it by herself. But y'all don't want to give Natalie ANY credit. Relax.

[@jonnemesis11]

No I don't remember. Do you have the clip of her actually saying this or are you a LIAR?

[@coreno96]

unknown unknown not gonna do the research for you. look it up yourself in the search bar

[@ACCastell-737]

Ballerina (or leap in the US) did a good job showing the difference in abilities between dancers. The Grand Jeté's done by the Félicie and the dancer she watched are different heights and it's a small thing, but it helps magnify the realism

[@thepowercow]

I just love this girl! She's so professional and cool!😃

[@leeveexx]

So much respect for ballerinas😍

[@maureentuohy8672]

I love the statement. “Ballet dancers are world class athletes.”

[@undomiel466]

I wanted to be a ballerina when I was a child, but the school in my town didn't accept me because I was too tall. I always wonder how I would look like as a ballerina, they are all so beautiful and graceful

[@tineke4134]

I’ve been dancing at a pre-professional level for years even though I’ll never be signed to a company. I’m 5’10” and a size 6 so it automatically rules out ballet as a career even though I love it :(

[@paolahernandez3855]

Same happened to me, and I believed that for years. Until I saw the ending of Billy Elliot... I remember seeing this tall and beautiful ballet dancer on screen, and I was shocked. Or seeing Mads Mikkelsen dancing ballet when he was young. I was like...being tall didn't matter.

[@meejjj.]

She's very lovely to listen to, you can tell she is not only knowledgable but that she truly enjoys ballet

[@Ava-fo3gc]

I love how humble and kind she is despite being one of the best ballerinas (in my opinion) in the world. Ahhh thank you so much Insider for this video

[@micro-babe]

That It's Always Sunny dance is just so hauntingly beautiful. I'm glad it was included here. Rob McElhenny did an amazing job.

[@palomaaviles5998]

The movie Suspiria (the remake and the original) are two of my favorite movies of all time. They both feel so different. And the dance elements in the remake are powerful ❤️ everyone should watch

[@yubet00b89]

OK, normally most social media films are self-aggrandising "look at me saying something unimportant" posts. But this is film is truly educational and a proper artistic critique from a professional dancer, commenting on her speciality and giving fascinating insights, in an accessible, interesting way. I have learned so much. Thank you!

[@shetumodi5528]

Cringed when she had to critique the woman her boyfriend left her for.

[@marinaluciayo7575]

Who?

[@simplystreeptacular]

@@marinaluciayo7575 Natalie Portman.

[@PeacherLiz]

Woahh

[@cadtexequiel732]

Looks like she already moved on

[@jabrown1978]

“Ballet dancers are world-class ATHLETES” 🗣🗣🗣🗣say it for the people who couldn’t hear it in the back.

[@AngelaBonanza]

So cool to see the behind the scenes of the animated ballet movie!! I really enjoyed this video!

[@simonederobert1612]

I love ballet and watched many of the movies Isabella critiqued. Thanks for confirming for us (and especially me) that indeed, professional ballerinas were doing the main dancing in those movies. I had a difficult time thinking Natalie Portman or Jennifer Lawrence, etc., though very good in what they do, actually had time to become that expert in such an exacting field.

[@sloppystudios8822]

They'll do Leap but not any of the Barbie ballet movies? So sad.

[@Angelaius]

Comeone guys why you showed her many modern scenes? The Dance Academy series was nowhere! And thats all about ballet

[@shazzaisdabest1]

I know i was thinking that myself!! Even the movie would have been something come on! They did real well with that

[@hannahlouise1763]

I wonder how much it got shown or big outside of austraila too

[@derangedpinke]

Hannah Louise it was on Netflix in the states...I watched the crap out of it!

[@PhuzBee]

@@hannahlouise1763 I'm also state-side and Dance Academy is one of my top 3 shows I always come back to. I was devastated (honestly, it sounds dramatic, but I was heartbroken) when Netflix took it off for about a year. And that was right around the same time the movie came out, which I couldn't see because...they didn't release it here (at the time, at least), so I wanted to watch the show to make up for it and it was gone. It's back now, but...rough times, man.

[@carolyna4484]

Lucia Ambrogio being Australian and having a daughter at the right age, we LOVED Dance Academy!!!

[@bucketree]

This was so great thanks for posting it , love her professional opinion mixed with honest but positive feedback

[@kramermariav]

Center Stage! Everyone was obsessed with that movie when I was in high school.

[@themeddle2449]

the titel said iconic *ballet* scenes yet most of the shown dances were modern

[@sarahdaves7639]

I was hoping that they’d have some dance academy scenes

[@rockandunicorn]

Sarah Daves Sameeee!

[@albarjas8360]

It's a very good show, but since is not from USA is ignored all the time 🙄

[@radish1395]

SAAAAME because they used actual dancers!!!! At least the movie, you know? Since it was mostly in America!

[@albarjas8360]

Exactly!

[@nataliatron5421]

I've recently taken online barre with Isabella and she's amazing!! Love her and her class

[@Ezra4224]

I wasn’t expecting Mac’s coming out dance in this video omg thank you

[@dwija1325]

7:48 my beloved beautiful prima ballerina Marianela Nunez 😍😍😍

[@avengerwidow9]

one of my favorite ballerinas!!

[@isacelauro]

yesss!!!

[@sheeniebeanie2597]

i loooooove herrrrr

[@mzz725]

I love that you add accurate images at the precise moments spoken of to give better understanding. Perfect! Thank you. Don't know why this was recommended to me but I enjoyed it for the content and the editing.

[@SL-de8go]

Wow this break down is amazing, thanks for the professional break down and analysis! Hope to see more!

[@gab12390]

Oh my god I can not stress this enough ! Thank you so much for the trigger warning at 14:12, seriously this type of scenes triggers me so much (and many people are the same) and too many you tubers show them bluntly. THANK YOU !

[@gabriellaalvares1038]

“That’s what my husband says when I’m up there” omg 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂♥️ she’s awesome

[@hay_bail1]

Not just Ballerina, Isabella Boylston!

[@kathrynolsen1256]

Haley A I saw her dance odette and odile at ABT. INCREDIBLE.

[@ravennam4833]

This woman is a class act, articulate, talented, beautiful! And on top of that she does not take the bait and does not smear the woman who stole her boyfriend. I had no idea about that story and I was very impressed by how she handled herself. This woman should have her own TV show.

[@ninicookie6300]

omg this just makes me wanna get back into dance so much ;w; amazing video, thank you for doing this!

[@gabriellekelly3141]

WHERE’S THE BALLET SCENE FROM “AN AMERICAN IN PARIS?!?!”

[@thewildfae8603]

WHERE'S THE ORIGINAL BARBIE BALLET FILM SCENES?!

[@godlesslippillow]

The video is already 16 minutes long though

[@dpcisunbreakable]

That ballet scene is fierce!

[@tarareads23]

I love dance movies especially ballet ones. This is so much fun to watch. I love the videos when professionals critique and comment on how their profession is portrayed in movies and TV shows.

[@surfgal77]

Oh I’ve been waiting for this video so so long!!! Thanks!!!!!! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👌🏼

[@cybercitten326]

I’m so glad she spoke up!

[@heyHelene]

dakota fanning’s ballet scene in uptown girls was left out because it’s an obvious 10/10

[@hailey7368]

I immediately started singing "molly smilesssss...." lol

[@olivecreek]

I'm crying at the awful ballet shoe emoji they used

[@KalikaInLeather]

Yeahright, but it gave me Biscuit Ballerina flashbacks, which lets be honest, is always a good thing haha

[@gigas81]

Those ballet dancers in the Runaway clip are killing it! Keep all them on speed dial for future gigs!

[@skitzochik]

in that "FlashDance" scene when she does the jump through the air & flips, that is actually a dance double...a man in fact. he was a popular New York street dancer they hired. theres a couple other shots of him in that scene, watch closely you can totally tell.

[@lentehollemans852]

The wat she said: “pas de deux” makes me wanna cry

[@susibraun5346]

oh my god yes :'D but anyway, she's a dancer, she doesnt have to be great at languages for that i guess

[@hengessalicht4832]

Yea I heard "Padded-AH". Just funny :)

[@tiffprendergast]

Lente Hollemans Deh du du

[@FlowerTower]

It may not be pronounced the same in English. I’m from Detroit which was founded by the French. The city’s name is French and half the streets are French as well. We don’t pronounce half of them like French people do, though.

[@kimberlyquintanilla5493]

Go back into the time machine and check out "The Turning Point" with Mikhail Barishnikov, West Side Story, Fame and more recently Billy Elliot. The Turning Point was amazing.

[@vangu2918]

Yes that movie us so good!

[@DarKKnightt07]

I love her little chuckles when she watches the scenes.

[@layneparker3087]

OMG watching the Save the Last Dance finale dance now so many years later makes me laugh histerically. We thought that dance was SOOO cool back in middle school, but the pointing and the hopping just KILLS me now as an adult! Watch it without the sound and try not to laugh.