Ballet gets its groove back

Does ballet have more to offer than pretty pink tutus and a plot that even Neighbours would consider flimsy? Kim O’Connor thinks it does

Like most little girls, and some little boys, I dreamed of being a ballerina when I grew up. Sadly, it was not meant to be, but I have found that all is not lost.

Each time I see a ballet unfold before my eyes, it reminds me of the grace, beauty and magic that the performance can create on a stage. Idealistic it may be, but, when it’s so easy to get caught up in day-to-day life, the realisation that fairy stories can still be told and happy endings can still be had is a welcome relief.

It’s not just the possibility of a happy ending that makes ballet such a joy to watch. The technical skill of the dancers, performers in complete control of their bodies and without the lumps and bumps that most of us mere mortals worry over, seems to give life to the human body in a way that creates the illusion of being completely natural. At the same time, they exude incredible grace and strength. The choreographed dances and sequences that involve synchronised movement produce the kind of harmony and unity that is so instinctively pleasing. The performance as a whole embraces elegance and luxury in everything from the set and costumes to the accompanying live orchestra.

Unfortunately, ballet is definitely not cool. It’s often seen as entertainment for the wealthy and privileged only, but times may be achanging. In recent years, attempts to shake up ballet’s unfashionable image have seen Jamie Bell don a tutu for Billy Elliot and an all-male company of dancers exploiting the homoerotic undertones in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake. And who can forget Julia Stiles going ghetto as an aspiring ballerina in Save the Last Dance.

Ballet has even chartered the murky waters of reality TV in Ballet Changed My Life: Ballet Hoo!, a Channel 4 programme that offered underprivileged young people the chance to develop unique skills and confidence.

Ballet’s relevance to modern life extends further than the confines of the theatre. Fashion seems to have a long-running love affair with ballet: the current trend of wearing ballet pumps follows on from a penchant for ballet cardigans and even the mighty wrap dress is ballet-like in style. The high point of ballet’s reinvention is perhaps its inclusion in the fitness regimes of a growing number of celebrities; everyone from Madonna to Will Young and Colin Farrell is busy perfecting their pirouette. Who knows, we may even be seeing fascists in tights and tutus soon if the BNP feel the need to repay Simone Clarke for all the extra publicity she’s gained them.

Ballet is often seen as out of place when compared to other art forms and the post-everything generation might easily reject it as outdated and indulgent. It is also, though, a reminder of the beauty and agility the human body is capable of and adds a little bit of magic to the cynicism of modern life.