In 2010, the movieBlack Swantook the world by storm. Audiences and critics alike were in awe of the film and its elegance and beauty counteracted by the darkness brewing just below the surface.Black Swanfollows Nina (Natalie Portman), a talented but fragile young ballerina whose dedication to ballet encompasses her life. When the New York City Ballet announces its production ofTchaikovsky’sSwan Lake, which requires a ballerina who can portray both the innocent White Swan andthe sensual Black Swan. Nina fits better into the category of the White Swan but finds herself crumbling under the pressure as she competes for the lead role and attempts to prove that she can have a dark side just like anyone else, whichultimately descends her into madness.
Swan Lakeis one of the most well-known ballets, even to those who don’t know much about the art. It’s a beautiful and delicate production,so for it to be the backdrop of a horror/thriller movie made for an eerie yet familiar ambiance for audiences. Ballet is also known for being incredibly difficult, taking years and years to master, which leads us to one ofBlack Swan’s biggest criticisms and confusions: Did Natalie Portman do her own dancing for the film? The answer, it seems, depends on who you ask.
‘Black Swan’s Filmmakers Claim Natalie Portman Did Most of the Dancing
To get an answer on whether or not it is Natalie Portman dancing, you have to consider two things.The first is how difficult ballet truly is. The second is whether you’re going to take the word of the filmmakers or a trained ballerina. The filmmakers were very vocal about Natalie Portman doing her own dancing forBlack Swan, with choreographerBenjamin Millepiedclaiming 85% of the movie is Natalie dancing. However, it should also be noted that Millepied and Portman were romantically involved and expecting a child at the time he made this comment. But it wasn’t just Millepied who expressed Natalie’s finesse for ballet. Fox Searchlight sent out a statement on behalf of the filmmakers ofBlack Swan: “We stand by Natalie’s performance, hard work, and dedication to the role.”
The Most Realistic Movies About Mental Illness, From ‘Black Swan’ to ‘Eighth Grade’
When Hollywood gets real about mental illness, the results can be powerful.
There’s no denying that Natalie worked tirelessly to prepare for her role inBlack Swan, but as many ballerinas have pointed out, there is simply no way she could have done the majority of her own dancing for the movie.Wendy Perron, Editor in Chief of Dance Magazine,was especially vocal about this.
“Do people really believe that it takes only one year to make a ballerina? We know that Natalie Portman studied ballet as a kid and had a year of intensive training for the film, but that doesn’t add up to being a ballerina. However, it seems that many people believe that Portman did her own dancing inBlack Swan. I think there has been a propaganda of omissions in the media that has reinforced that belief.”
But if Portman didn’t do her own dancing, then who did?
Who Was Natalie Portman’s Dance Double in ‘Black Swan’?
The true credit for the dancing inBlack Swanneeds to go toSarah Lane, a ballerina with the American Ballet Theatre. But don’t feel bad for not knowing this because the filmmakers took extra care to ensure you wouldn’t find out.According to Lane, one of the film’s producers called her and told her not to discuss her involvement in the movie.
“He asked if I would please not do any more interviews until after the Oscars because it was bad for Natalie’s image. They were trying to create this image, this facade, really, that Natalie had done something extraordinary. Something that is pretty much impossible … to become a professional ballerina in a year and half. Even with as hard as she worked, it takes so much more. It takes twenty-two years, it takes thirty years to become a ballerina.”
A lot of the dancing shots are of Sarah Lane.She had to perform some of the most difficult dance sequences in the movie, such as the black swan coda, which is 16 piqué turns pulling into 16 fouettés. She’s been very vocal in interviews, saying that the full-body shots, the shots of feet, and the turns are all her, not Natalie. But where things get sneaky is thatthe filmmakers superimposed Natalie Portman’s face onto Sarah Lane’s bodyto make it appear as though she is executing the dance. Of course, this makes sense for the movie, as Portman’s character, Nina, is meant to be a very talented ballerina, but the issue is that Lane didn’t get any credit. She’s not listed as a dance double to Natalie anywhere in the credits. Instead of the filmmakers embracing her help in creating such a beautiful film, they buried her talent to boast Portman’s performance. That’s not to say that Portman didn’t do a phenomenal job; she did and rightfully earned her praise. But as Sarah Lane and many others have pointed out, you’re able to’t become a perfect ballerina in a year, and the filmmakers should’ve embraced the help they sought in making their movie a success. Without Sarah Lane,their Black Swan wouldn’t have been nearly as perfect.
Black Swan
Nina is a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her artistic director and a seductive rival, Nina’s grip on reality slips, plunging her into a waking nightmare.
Black Swanis available to stream on Max in the U.S.
WATCH ON MAX
