Zappanicoxs52g: Kanye West's 'Runaway' Reminds Ballet Dancers Of 'Swan Lake'

martedì 26 ottobre 2010

Kanye West's 'Runaway' Reminds Ballet Dancers Of 'Swan Lake'

'The manner that they ran out really looked a little bit like 'Swan Lake,' ' one dancer tells MTV News of the ballerinas' entrance.
By Kara Warner, with reporting by Matt Harper

Kanye West's "Runaway"
Photo: Def Jam

Kanye West still has everyone talking about his epic music video/ short film "Runaway." The film's story is all about "remaking" and "expression," some experts have told MTV News.

Regarding the powerful dance sequence in the film, set to the piece's title track, MTV News recently caught up with two seasoned New York City ballet dancers, Alina Dronova and Gwyneth Muller, to get their take on 'Ye's addition of ballet into his artful mix.

"I thought the part where the girls run out and they're wearing black tutus — the manner that they ran out really looked a little bit like 'Swan Lake,' " Dronova said. "In the movie, the girl represents a bird [Selita Ebanks as a phoenix], and 'Swan Lake' is also about a bird, so there was a bit of a connection there with it. I thought that was a very neat element, very interesting."

Muller added that West seemed to know what he was doing, given the subtle hints to "Lake," both with the choreography and costumes worn by the dancers.

"He got it pretty right, as far as their entrance into the video when they ran in, in lines of two; that is very reminiscent of 'Swan Lake,' " she said. "And the black tutus, that was interesting, because in 'Swan Lake,' the title character wears both a white tutu and a black tutu, and when she's in a black tutu, she's supposed to represent an evil character, and all of her sinister elements come out. So it was interesting that he put them in black."

West told us earlier that his motivation for adding ballet to the film was tied to his love of classic dance in general.

"I was just moved by the classic dance, and I just wanted to crash it against the pop music," he said. "[I love] film and actual theater, and just mixing those things together and getting as many people that are experts in their field to help me bring this vision together. That's what I'm looking for right now."

What did you think of the ballet in "Runaway"? Let us know in the comments!

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