Natalie Portman has been a critically acclaimed actress for many years, and one of her most popular roles was in the 2010 psychological thriller Black Swan. In this film, Portman plays a ballerina who is struggling to perfect the role of the Swan Queen in the classic ballet Swan Lake.
The role required extensive training and preparation, and it has been widely speculated whether or not Portman actually danced ballet in Black Swan. The answer is yes – she did.
Portman was a student of ballet for nearly 10 years prior to shooting Black Swan, and she began taking classes again after being cast in the film. According to her trainer, Mary Helen Bowers, Portman trained for 6 hours a day over the course of 5 months before filming started.
Portman worked with Bowers on building up her strength and stamina to be able to do the rigorous ballet moves that are featured throughout the movie. According to Bowers, Portman was so dedicated to preparing for this role that she even practiced pirouettes in her trailer during filming breaks!
Not only did she prepare physically and mentally for this role, but Portman also worked hard on perfecting her technique with private lessons from renowned choreographer Benjamin Millepied (later her husband). Throughout filming and post-production, both Millepied and Bowers were on set providing feedback on how to make Portman’s dancing look as realistic as possible.
Portman’s dedication paid off – when Black Swan premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2010, it won numerous awards including an Oscar for Best Actress (which went to Portman). Her performance was praised by critics as “breathtakingly authentic” and “magnificently convincing” – a testament to all of her hard work preparing for this role.
In conclusion, Natalie Portman did indeed dance ballet in Black Swan; her extensive training with professional choreographers combined with her already existing knowledge of ballet made her performance believable and captivating.
Did Natalie Portman Dance Ballet in Black Swan?
Yes – Natalie Portman did dance ballet in Black Swan; her extensive training with professional choreographers combined with her already existing knowledge of ballet made her performance believable and captivating.