VULNERABLY BEAUTIFUL. Dance between elegance and risk

Dokumentarfilm zu einer Studie der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt.

With Vulnerably Beautiful – Dance between Elegance and Risk, the German Dance Film Institute Bremen presents its latest documentary – an impressive portrait of a medical study of professional dance in the field of tension between artistic dedication and physical strain.

The film is accompanied by a comprehensive research project conducted by the Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine at Goethe University Frankfurt under the direction of Prof. Dr Dr Eileen Wanke. Using modern methods of movement analysis (kinematic examination of movement sequences), movement patterns of professional dancers were analysed during training and rehearsals. The focus: the influence of different floors on the body, determined by identical movement sequences with and without pointe shoes on two different types of floor.

The film was shot at the Staatstheater Oldenburg and the Theater Kiel – two theatres with renowned classical companies known for their excellent dance quality.

>The film not only conveys scientific findings, but also personal perspectives. In addition to dancers and Heather Jürgensen, 1st ballet master and deputy ballet director of Ballett Kiel, Prof Dr Dr Eileen Wanke herself has her say in a detailed interview. She explains the background to the study and categorises the results from a medical perspective. In addition, Wolfgang Heuer from Unfallkasse NRW’s stage technology department reports on safety aspects and prevention in stage operations.

Vulnerably beautiful invites you to see dance not only as an art form, but also as a high-performance physical discipline with all its risks and challenges.