Dancing AwayThe Red Shoes (1948) and Black Swan (2010) present the struggles of two young dancers, Victoria Page and Nina Sayers, as they dedicate their lives completely to dancing . After the older principal dancers retire in both films, Vicky and Nina get the lead parts in major productions. Vicky's performance in the ballet The Red Shoes is a great success, but her romantic life threatens her career because its director, Lermontov, believes that a ballerina cannot rely on human love. Nina, on the other hand, must embrace her sexuality to fully play the role of the Swan Queen. Nina is torn between her true self and her Black Swan side, just as Vicky is torn between her love life and her dancing career. In their desire to become perfect dancers, these women lose control over their roles. Vicky and Nina's lives are overtaken and tragically cut short by their roles in The Red Shoes and Swan Lake due to their struggle to find balance in their careers and personal lives. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Vicky and Nina are both dancers who are very committed to their profession. Vicky is invited to join the Lermontov Ballet by Lermontov himself, after answering her question: "Why do you dance?", with a similar one: "Why do you live?" Lermontov is impressed with Vicky's response and believes she has potential. However, when Vicky arrives at the theater, Lermontov completely ignores her. But this treatment can't stop Vicky from pursuing her dream. She works really hard to constantly improve her dancing skills. Likewise, Nina wants to achieve perfection in dance. Dance is her main focus in life and she is fully committed to it. He doesn't seem to have many friends, and instead of going out and having fun like other young people, he stays at home and practices his dance moves. Her mother (who gives up her dancing career to raise Nina) makes it a personal goal for her daughter to become a successful dancer, and persistently pushes Nina to work hard. The pressure and total control of Nina's mother forces her to focus only on her dancing career and not have a personal life. Vicky is not put off by Lermontov's cold attitude towards her when she begins attending classes in his company. Continue to make efforts to impress him and get noticed. Her performance at the Mercury Theater in London changes the way Lermontov sees her as a dancer. When she sees him in the crowd, Vicky initially appears a little intimidated. However, he loses himself in the performance and commits completely to the part. This makes Lermontov remember her and allow her to join the company on their tour. He gives her a part in his big production of The Red Shoes in Monte Carlo, hoping that she will dance just like she did in that little theater in London. Nina must also personally impress the director to get the part she wants. At the beginning of the film, director Thomas Leroy enters a rehearsal and while talking about the new production, Swan Lake, taps some dancers on the shoulder. Nina is not intercepted, just as Vicky's name is not called when Lermontov appears to announce the names of the dancers who will tour with the Lermontov Ballet. However, as it turns out with both films, the director actually invites those dancers he doesn't want into the production or on tour, giving others, including Vicky and Nina, a chance. Nina auditions for the part of the Swan Queen and realizes that she won't get the part because her main goalin practice it was the part of the White Swan. She then decides to speak to Thomas personally, enters his office and asks him for the part of the Swan Queen. At first he refuses to give her the part, and when she is about to leave without fighting for the role, Thomas kisses her. Nina is shocked by his behavior and bites him on the lip. This reaction deeply affects Thomas because he now sees the sexy and evil Black Swan inside Nina. Although she doesn't expect it, Nina gets the part of the Swan Queen because she personally impresses the director by biting him. Lermontov entrusts Vicky with the main role in The Red Shoes because, unlike others, he believes in her and is very impressed by her. from his performance at the Mercury Theatre. She doesn't have to fight (literally) for the role like Nina, but she worked hard for it. However, Vicky has a problem while preparing for the role: she struggles to familiarize herself with the music and follow the rhythm. Lermontov has a solution for this. He makes Vicky listen to The Red Shoes music at every meal during the time they work on the production. Her role in The Red Shoes is already slowly taking over her life as she is forced to experience this ballet outside of rehearsals. For a dancer, the meal can be seen as a moment of rest, but for Vicky it is not. Even during his seemingly free time he has to work on his part listening to the ballet's music in order to fully identify with his character. Nina knows the part of the Swan Queen well and is familiar with the music; however, he must embrace his sexuality and maturity to fully fulfill this role. Nina reminds viewers of a child in the body of an adult woman. She appears to be completely innocent, dresses mostly in pink, and lives in a room full of stuffed animals. However, Thomas tells her that to become the Swan Queen, she must embrace her Black Swan side: become sexy and seductive. Thomas gives her an interesting assignment: touching herself in a sexual way. Nina seems to enjoy sexual pleasure even though she doesn't know it very well. Thomas also sexually seduces Nina when he helps her work on his end after firing everyone else. He kisses Nina passionately and touches her as they dance. She wants to feel more of what Thomas shows her and get sexy. Nina's personal life and her role become intertwined when embracing her sexuality becomes key to her role. She slowly loses her mind as she explores her dark side. For Vicky, however, embracing her love and sexuality presents an obstacle to becoming a successful dancer. Lermontov says that no dancer can fully commit to his career if he is in love. That's why he gets angry when he discovers Vicky's affair with Julian, a young composer working for the Lermontov Ballet. Perhaps Vicky and Julian fall in love during the hours they spend together when Vicky has to familiarize herself with the music of The Red Shoes. The ballet is a huge success and Lermontov continues to stage other large productions, casting Vicky in the leading roles. But his belief that love and romantic relationships are an obstacle to true dancing causes him to fire Julian. Vicky is devastated by Lermontov's decision as she struggles to choose between ballet and her love for Julian. She decides to stay with Julian (at first), marries him, and gives up the opportunity to become the extraordinary dancer Lermontov wants her to be. The technical choices and editing sequences of the ballet scenes in both films show how the dancers slowly lose or lose their minds as they fully commit to the role. In both The Red Shoes and Black Swan, the stage is shown from the inside, from the perspective of a dancer. They are present.