"Art should be a heritage of the whole world, not defined by one’s nationality."
Other protagonists will share their views on this statement as well, including Russian ballerinas who have performed for many years in leading European theaters, and world-renowned choreographers Alexei Miroshnichenko and Boris Eifman.
Alexei Miroshnichenko
One of Russia’s leading choreographers, head of the ballet company at the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre, Honored Artist of Russia, and a guest choreographer for the New York City Ballet in New York.
Boris Eifman
World-renowned choreographer, Artistic Director and President of the Boris Eifman Ballet Theatre, People's Artist of Russia, Full Cavalier of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland," and Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters (France).
For the filmmakers—Natasha Fefelova and Galya Goldfeld—this is not their first documentary made together.
This creative duo has long developed their own style. Their films have no voice-over, giving the audience the freedom to decide how to feel about the characters or story and to draw their own conclusions without guidance. At the same time, their films don’t fit the classic observational documentary genre. The filmmakers are part of the process, and at times, the audience may hear their voices behind the camera.
Galya Goldfeld
Author
Natasha Fefelova
Director
In-depth interviews (conducted in two languages in this film) are combined with live performances, and the handheld camera sometimes works so closely with the dancers that we can literally smell the sweat during ballet rehearsals. The dancers' breathing also becomes an important leitmotif.
In this film, fatigue, helplessness, and pain are shown without words, conveyed solely through visuals. Moreover, the visual metaphors are created from documentary, unstaged footage.
There are no perfect conditions in documentary filmmaking!
You either adapt and make the most of what you have, or you create your own luck. Fate favors the bold and, in a good way, the audacious.
In major ballet theaters, the filming process is always limited: the crew is allowed to stand in only one spot backstage, not move around, and sometimes must coordinate each camera take on the spot with internal services.
We understand that everyone has their own job. That’s why we admire our cinematographers so much. They are insanely talented people with a touch of fanaticism—they know how to capture emotions and notice details, even in conditions that aren’t very conducive to creativity.
There are no staged artistic scenes in the film
However, there were moments when the perfect shot was created by chance: a beam of light falls in the right place, the character’s movement is perfectly aligned with the camera, or the hall lights turn on precisely at the final pose.
The most amazing moment was recording the interview with the protagonist from Norway
It was the only conversation conducted via video call. When Elizabeth connected, it turned out that our studio had exactly the same painting behind her as in her home—right behind her back!
The film crew followed some of the protagonists for two years
For example, during this time, Hollin Henderson managed to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy and move to Perm.
Delicate cinematography is required
Unlike classic documentary filmmaking, ballet demands a different directorial approach. Smooth camera movements convey the delicacy of ballet elements, while a handheld camera creates a sense of presence, tension, and nerve in backstage scenes. It’s delicate cinematography: capturing the performance without disrupting the dance’s structure, while highlighting movement nuances, muscle tension, facial expressions, sweat, and even breathing.
ABOUT
"I Just Keep Dancing" tells the stories of young people from different countries who have chosen to dedicate their lives to Russian ballet, no matter what.
The world around them is falling apart for various reasons—the pandemic, political conflicts, and even their age, which plays a crucial role in ballet—yet they continue to live in Russia, study
in Russia, and just keep dancing.
PROTAGONISTS
Our protagonists come from the USA, Canada, France, Brazil, and Japan. Leaving behind their
friends and family, they chose to pursue careers as ballet dancers in different cities across Russia.
