In the Darkness of the Theater I Take Off my Shoes

No escuro do cinema descalço os sapatos

Cláudia Varejão
Portugal | 2016 | 104 min
Language : Portuguese
Subtitles : English, French

The National Ballet of Portugal is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Day-to-day life here is demanding for the dancers, musicians, technicians and other staff. Over the course of a year, director Cláudia Varejão takes off her shoes to gain access to the stage. She films the discipline and virtuosity of the dancers, trying to understand with them what moves us, and why.

The National Ballet of Portugal is celebrating forty years of existence, devoted both to the interpretation of classical masterpieces and the staging of contemporary works. Daily life here is marked by discipline — for the dancers, musicians, seamstresses, and technicians who together bring each creation to life. Over the course of nearly a year, Cláudia Varejão was invited to document their work. Early in the film, a choreographer wonders aloud: “What moves us, and why do we move?” In the black and white hush of the stage, the filmmaker joins them in exploring these questions, navigating the space between beauty and reality, discipline and virtuosity, instinct and technique. While her camera captures the performers’ acts of total dedication, she also paints a portrait of a cosmopolitan institution that, even as it honours the classical canon, remains intent on deconstructing its codes — making space for an art of dance that thinks, questions, and evolves in step with the world.

Aurélien Marsais

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