Natalie Portman is an Academy Award-winning actress, best known for her roles in Black Swan and V for Vendetta. Her performance in Black Swan was especially lauded by critics and fans, who praised her for bringing the character of Nina Sayers to life.
But what really made Portman’s performance so amazing? One of the factors was her intense training in ballet.
Portman started taking ballet lessons at the age of four and continued to do so until she was 16. She also took jazz dance and hip hop classes as a child, but ballet was her favorite form of dance.
According to her teacher Susan Marshall, she was very dedicated to the artform and could be seen practicing at least two hours a day.
For Black Swan, Portman worked with renowned choreographer Benjamin Millepied to perfect her technique. She trained six days a week for up to eight hours per day with professional dancers from the New York City Ballet. This intense regimen included vigorous cross-training exercises such as running, weight lifting, Pilates, yoga and swimming.
Portman’s dedication paid off: her performance earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. She has since been praised by critics and fans alike for her ability to capture both the physicality and emotion of a professional ballerina.
Conclusion:
Yes, Natalie Portman did train in ballet for Black Swan. She began taking lessons at the age of four and continued until she was 16 years old.
For the movie, she worked with a professional choreographer and trained up to eight hours per day with professional dancers from the New York City Ballet. Her hard work paid off as she earned an Academy Award for Best Actress due to her incredible performance as Nina Sayers in Black Swan.