The ballet world has always fascinated me. Growing up, I took tap dance lessons and every time I would pass the ballet practice room I would get caught up in the movement– how effortless and graceful they all looked, even at a young age. The same fluidity is captured here in director Jody Lee Lipes’ documentary, Ballet 422, a backstage look at the pressures and pleasures of dance, specifically focusing on Justin Peck as he works his way through choreographing the New York City Ballet’s 442nd original piece.
The New York City Ballet is one of the most prestigious dance companies in the world, and 25-year-old Peck has been given the opportunity to create an original piece in two month’s time. He remains calm, cool, and collected throughout the audition process, the rehearsals, wardrobe fittings, tech run-throughs, and finally, opening night. His demeanor grounds the film; he is quiet, but do not mistake his quietness for being aloof. He is intensely focused on the task at hand, and his creative process is fascinating to watch play out on screen.
Anyone who has been a part of a staged production in one way or another will truly appreciate the dedication the film makes to each step along the way, not brushing over the more technical aspects of pre-production just to get to the dancing.
The stakes are high and the pressure is felt on the stage and on the screen, but the tension is not overbearing for the audience. We’re not clenching in our seats, wondering if the dance will get completed on time; rather, we’re drawn in to this crazy and unpredictable life of a performer. This subtlety of how director Jody Lee Lipes approaches the creative process captures the strength of both the dancers and the film. It’s visually poetic and arresting without force. This is not a “talking heads” type of documentary either, Lipes takes the fly-on-the-wall approach as the quiet observer, which is exactly the right decision for the betterment of the film.
The look of the film has a high fashion/crispness to it- it’s worth noting that Lipes is also the cinematographer, whose Director of Photography reel includes Martha Marcy May Marlene and Tiny Furniture. The boldness of the red curtain on stage juxtaposed with the buzzing overhead fluorescent lights in the practice room makes a visually stunning contrast that is equally met with the score of the film, which also happens to be the score of the ballet. The orchestral grandness gives the film an elitist feel, as we watch some of the worlds’ most talented ballet dancers take to the stage and finally perform Peck’s masterpiece.
Anyone who has been a part of a staged production in one way or another will truly appreciate the dedication the film makes to each step along the way, not brushing over the more technical aspects of pre-production just to get to the dancing. In fact, I actually would have enjoyed even more time spent on the dancers. Like I said, I become entranced very quickly. The audience I was surrounded by during the screening was not full of journalists; rather, they were ballet enthusiasts who were eagerly awaiting the prodigy Justin Peck’s big screen debut. After the film was over, everyone left smiling, myself included. At its core, Ballet 422 is a unique and successfully executed documentary that is sure to leave you smiling too.
