Darcey Bussell: Darcey's Ballerina Heroines and A Ballerina's Life

Balletomanes will undoubtedly enjoy this BBC double feature with Darcey Bussell, who reigned as the prima ballerina of London's Royal Ballet for nearly 20 years before her retirement in 2007, and has since engaged in a variety of pursuits, including a stint as a judge on the BBC competition program Strictly Come Dancing. In Darcey's Ballerina Heroines, she serves as host and primary narrator for a brief history of ballet, from its origin at the French royal court in the 17th century through its embrace in Russia during the 19th and the emergence of English and American schools in the 20th, although director Ross MacGibbon (himself a former ballet dancer) also includes observations from historians and other dancers and choreographers. While there is some mention of technique (such as the five basic positions), the emphasis here is on the changes of dance style from roughly 1680 to 1980, and the series of extraordinary women—among them Anna Pavlova, Galina Ulanova, Margot Fonteyn, and Suzanne Farrell—whom Bussell sees as instrumental in the development of the art. At the same time she doesn't overlook the great choreographers—Petipa, Balanchine, Ashton—or male superstars such as Nureyev. A Ballerina's Life is a brief autobiographical account in which Bussell offers reminiscences from her childhood introduction to dance up through her career with the Royal Ballet and other companies. Both films are crisply edited, with plenty of archival material and performance clips (including Pavlova's famous “Dying Swan”), and Bussell's engaging personality makes them a pleasure to watch. Recommended. (F. Swietek)