The new short film is available to stream on BBC iPlayer as part of their Culture in Quarantine series.
The Swan Lake Bath Ballet, a new short film created by Corey Baker Dance, brings together 27 elite dancers from ballet companies across the world. The quirky choreography is performed in baths from New Zealand to South Africa, America to Hong Kong, and Australia to the UK. The wonderfully talented Corey Baker – partner of the also wonderfully talented Jonathan Groff, who you can currently catch on Disney+ starring in the amazing Broadway production of Hamilton – has directed the dancers from his bathroom in the UK.
Baker says: ‘I am hugely indebted to the amazing 27 dancers and all the companies who really pulled the stops (plugs?) out to make this film happen. Dancers became camera operators, stage managers, as well as costume and prop department not to mention performing tricky choreography at the same time, all from their bath tubs’.
It’s a surprisingly slick and professional-looking piece of content given the DIY nature of the production. Entirely filmed on smartphones, the dancers relied on increasingly-elaborate improvised tripods to capture their contributions. We’re advised the innovative solutions ranged from creating piles of books, to utilising a child’s scooter or a toilet plunger – all used to enable and stabilise camera angles. It’s an impressive feat.
The resulting short film, set to Tchaikovsky’s famous swan theme, is a delight to watch – yet another beautiful addition to the BBC’s Culture in Quarantine series. We’d highly recommend taking a few minutes out of your day to appreciate the Swan Lake Bath Ballet – you won’t regret it.
More information can be found here.
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