I'm a ballerina and I'm not at all offended by it. Natalie's acting was phenomenal, and that's what she's there for. To act, not to dance. This is a movie about mental illness, not ballet. The director never said that she became a ballerina. He said that she portrayed the role convincingly, and that's exactly what she did and was supposed to do in the first place.

In my opinion, the dance is a important part, but her expressions and acting were... my god... you can not improvise that. She's a great actress performing a dancer and she did what she did amazingly. Love her.

Everyone knows it's not possible to become a professional Ballet dancer in a year . She trained to try and look the part , develop muscles , tone the body and learn as much of ballet as possible in that time frame . She trained for upto 8 hrs - swimming a mile , doing ballet , cross training - all on a very strict starvation diet while working on other movies too , everyday for 6 months ! . We're talking bout her dedication and hard work here . Respect .

Natalie's role in this was to ACT like a dancer, not to spend her whole life training and be a dancer, she is an actress. She absolutely committed to this role and deserved all the praise she received. She was incredibly convincing in this movie and she had the upper body of a dancer, which was all that was shown in most of the shots used. She openly has a body double, but it is admirable that she committed in such a way that made her that convincing just in upper body shots. Thats something most dancers have to work their whole life on.

I respect her for putting in the work to convince us though.

I'm sorry but when action movies roll out, no one expects to have the actors do all the jumping and stunting even when they perform simple stunts themselves? The movie focused on the mental illness, not the ballet and she did a good job acting like a ballerina. She even committed to losing weight for a more believable body. As far as I can, she convinced us that she was the ballerina, hence the Oscar.

Am I the only dancer who absolutely adores this movie? Not even because it has ballet woven into it, but because of the story, the fact that Mila Kunis is in it, and of course Natalie's acting. The fact that swan lake is a huge part of it is just an added bonus.

I still don't understand the "controversy" I don't think anyone claimed that Natalie Portman is some prodigy ready to be a principal in a major company. She put in many many hours of training to convincingly portray a dancer, which I think is commendable and you would think dancers would respect an actor for that. Portman won an Oscar for her portrayal of a troubled woman, she didn't win the Prix De Luasanne.

Okay, I don’t think people actually understand why the ballet world is upset, so I’ll explain. Natalie deserves that Oscar (for me at least) as she acted the role amazingly and should have gotten the Oscar purely based on the acting skills. There is no shame in having a dance double and most dancing films have them. However, her and the director acted as if they’d made Natalie into a professional dancer in a year and as if she’d done most of the dancing shots in order to help boost the chances of getting an Oscar. She shouldn’t have had to do that because, as I said, there’s no shame in having a dance double and no one was expecting her to dance most of the film. She then didn’t mention her double in the acceptance speech to further make it seem like she did all the dancing and was taking credit for it. The double was credited as a ‘hand double’ not a dance double at the end of the movie. That is just insulting. No one is asking for this double to get more recognition as other doubles, but to get the same recognition as other doubles because they effectively acted like she didn’t exist. That’s all we are saying. To reiterate, Natalie deserved the Oscar for acting, not dancing. Hope this clears things up.

Guys, Natalie never tried to become a dancer in 6 months. She tried to convincingly look like one, and not harm herself along the way. After 6 months training, she wouldn't even be able to stand en pointe - her feet wouldn't be ready for this. But she would be able to do some little things. Note the amount of upper body shots in the movie. That's because the arms movement is easier to master than the legs (particularly with a choreographer who knows exactly what she can and can't do), so she didn't need a dance double for that. This is what she was training 6 months for. Natalie is an actor, and a really good one. She never tried to become a ballerina, merely to act a ballerina.

I think that what tickles the ballet world off the most is that someone somewhere said they made a ballerina out of her in six months. WE KNOW IT IS NOT POSSIBLE. As you can hear here Aronofsky said "She is very convincing" (at playing a ballerina) he never said she became a ballerina. Also, I don't think Portman even hinted that she had done that she doesn't strike me as disrespectful. Further proof, Mary Hellen Bowers is a ballerina, I like to think she wouldn't stand for such nonsense. If the credit Ms Lane received for a stunt double was less that what she deserved (at doing her job of being a stunt double) then I'm deeply sorry and ashamed for it. As someone who has done ballet (as a hobby though) I can understand your frustration and anger. But, this was a FILM not a BALLET PERFORMANCE, I'm all for giving credit when credit is due, but (im my opinion) by discrediting Nnatalie as a ballerina, which she isn't and never said she was, we are also discrediting her brillant acting skills which make possible for her to act as a ballerina (and one who also has serious mental problems on top of that)

I really congratulate Natalie. She did amazing and her best to dance like a well trained ballerina. I think some people are expecting too much from her, of course she won't be perfect, but at least she tried to do the art justice.

she is an actress not a dancer, so she did a perfect job!

1:36 my god, those back muscles! They're incredible!

The stunt doubles name is in the credits at the end of the movie, just like any other stunt doubles name should be. What do people want, for the real ballerina to get an Oscar too? Get real!

For those that don’t understand why real dancers felt disrespected: it wasn’t about how much she danced, it’s that they tried to say Natalie did MOST of the dancing completely discrediting that a professional ballerina did the work that made her look like a real dancer.

I'm a dancer, and have been dancing for 11 years and I think she did an amazing job. She's beautiful, and being able to catch on that what us dancers can do in just 6 months just amazes me.

The problem was that Black Swan's team called Sarah Lane (the dance double) to not do any interviews until after the Oscar's because it would harm Natalie's image. They wanted to make people believe that "80 percent of the dancing was done by Natalie" if close ups are counted as dancing, yes Natalie did do 80 percent of dancing. Sarah made it clear that Natalie deserved the Oscar and she is not asking for awards, she was just pissed because people denigrated her, and she had every right to be pissed off. Dancing was a huge and essential part of this movie and she deserved more recognition. Instead, Darren Aronofsky wanted Natalie to get all the admiration and this video makes it clear. You can't be a ballerina in 1 year.

I've been dancing for 8 years and am currently in college for it. Not very pedestrian. Ballet dancers are trained to act with their bodies, just like actors are trained to act with their voices. They are two distinctly separate art forms and fluency in both is few and far between. And ballet IS an illusion because we make it look easy, when it's not.

I think this insane training she was ready to go through in just six months really made the movie and her superb performance in her role, as she really got a feel not just for the act of dancing, but for the psychology behind it: how utterly obsessed these people are and how this dedication goes far beyond anything that you alone as a person are. It is a dedication to the art beyond a dedication to yourself and this is what is truly fascinating and truly, truly scary about a dancer's life.

Beatifull woman, And great actor, love how she bring feelings and emotions to the screen

She was STUNNING...in this film.

I do think, when people talked about the amount of dancing Natalie Portman did in the movie, they should've been more honest. The amount she did was still pretty impressive but Sarah Lane deserved way more credit when it came to people talking about the dancing. Although when it came to Natalie Portman winning the awards she got for her performance she didn't have to credit Sarah Lane, she could of but she more than likely didn't think about it. In a moment like that I am sure it's very easy to forget people and that was her moment not Sarah's. She probably just mentioned the people who she was close to during the training and shooting and that wouldn't of necessarily been Sarah Lane. The thing is Natalie Portman won her Oscar and other awards due to her acting and not the amount of dancing she did. People did say that they wouldn't of voted for her if they knew how much she actually did but to me though that is wrong. While Sarah Lane made the dancing performance wonderful to watch she wasn't Natalie Portman who gave a chilling and enrapturing acting performance.

If you noticed in the training with the Ballet teacher, and them obviously using the shots without her dance double, she is not en pointe. The closest she gets is where she is obviously holding onto a wall, and from what I understand, the ballet bar is used for when people first learn how to be en pointe. check this video out again and really look. Sarah should've been acknowledged atleast, but whether or not that was a deliberate slight only Portman knows. I can imagine being on stage getting a major award you may just start rambling and skip (or include) people that later on you go "dammit, I wish I had said this...or not said this".

Stop hating on her, she took up ballet classes when she was young. She was a dancer before going to acting. Get your facts straight first before hating.

Hmmmm. I don't often say stuff like this, but, why should her stunt double get more recognition than other stunt doubles do? Because this is serious work and there is an illusion that Portman did it herself? That was the point, and to pull people into it. Because it is degrading to compare regular stunt people to stunt dancers? Is that really what you all mean cause both classes put their bodies at risk. So, yeah, she is a stunt double. And a good one. Would be nice to be recognized as more, but that was her job. I think we all need to calm down and realize that.

I don't understand why ballerinas/dancers feel like this movie is a chance to poke and prod at every possible fault of Portman. This movie was not a movie about dance, it was a suspense/drama film. Sarah Lane KNEW that she would get little to no credit when she signed the papers to work on this film, that's how it works for stunt doubles. Sarah should have been honored to be a stunt double, but instead she wined and complained with the common "nobody understands how hard my sport is" just like every other person does when they think someone makes their sport look easy. As both a skater and a dancer, I totally disagree with the way that Sarah Lane handled this situation and I think it made her look insanely immature. What do people expect from Natalie? To run around screaming to the whole world that she had a stunt double? No other stunt double in any movie gets extreme recognition for their work, that's just the way it is. The whole point of a stunt double is to make it look like the actress is actually performing the work that the stunt double is. The only reason Lane did what she did is because she wanted to draw attention to herself and get fame.

I don't think she pretended to be a ballet dancer anywhere in this video. She didn't take credit for it all and she spoke the truth about how grueling a ballerina's practice is. Although her stunt double has performed most of the dances, Natalie has nailed the motions, the expressions and most of all, has convinced the audience that she really is a ballerina. That is talent.

You guys should recognize that Portman did do a lot of training and weight loss for the role; therefore, she shouldn't give all the credit away. Moreover, the award is for acting, not dancing. And lastly, it's not like every actor goes up there and credits their stunt doubles. Portman deserves the credit, and personally, I think Lane is making it into a bigger issue than it should be.

Sarah Lane signed a contract with the producers of Black Swan. Natalie was simply an actor on the film, she had nothing to do with Sarah's business. It was Sarah's responsibility to secure what she wanted in terms of recognition/credit when she signed her contract.

I love that she REALLY TRAINED for this role. That's commitment to your craft.

Having been a ballerina for years (many years ago) Sarah Lane absolutely deserves far more credit than she was given. There’s no way on earth that anyone could transform their body, develop the skill, endurance, flexibility, and just the overall know-how that Nina was portrayed to possess in the 18 or so months of training that Natalie had. Don’t get me wrong, I adore her and she’s one of my favorite actresses, but I started at 7 years old and worked my butt off for years; you literally have no life outside of ballet. I believe that Sarah Lane had been dancing for 22 years when she was the body double who did 95% of the dancing. Although the use of the many mirrors in the film serve a metaphorical purpose, they also lend to tricking the viewers eye. Also, not once have I seen a production of Swan Lake with the heavy makeup; yet another trick. Consider the difference between the black swans and the white swans eye makeup; practically impossible when you consider that both parts are danced by the same ballerina. Costume changes are rapid, you have at least 2 other people getting you in and out of costume, there is no time for such unrealistic, repeated makeup changes. The heavy makeup was actually a good idea on the part of the makeup artists for the film, at a distance, unless you’re looking for it, you likely won’t notice that so many of the very difficult parts are done by Sarah. Yes, Natalie was able to transform her body to resemble that of many ballerinas, although a lot of ballerinas tend to have a bit more muscle in their legs. Had she actually performed the all the fouettés, she probably would have developed more muscular legs. Okay, I’m getting a bit nitpicky, sorry. I would be extremely pissed off had I been in Sarah Lane’s position. I think the biggest insult was that we, the audience, are expected to believe that an actress learned in 18 months what takes a real ballerina 22 years to learn. Read the credits, Sarah Lane is listed twice, once as “Lady in the Lane,” (wtf is that supposed to mean) and once again under “Stunts.”

As a ballet dancer, I absolutely love this movie because I recognize that Portman was just playing a part and was not actually suppose to convince the world that she magically became a ballerina in 6 months. Her dance double is mentioned (though I think was not given enough credit) so there really is no problem because she isn’t insulting the dance world. Natalie was there for the upper body shots and the dance double was for the rest, there’s nothing wrong with that

You know, Portman isn't a stupid woman. Chances are she knew full well the backslash that would happen. My guess is that if she'd had her choice she'd have trotted around this ballerina everywhere she went to prevent it. In the end its the director and especially the producers that get final say in the promotion of the movie, not the actors. So if you're going to throw shade at least throw it in the right direction.

Guys she didn't get an oscar for dancing, it was about her stunning acting transforming into the evil twin. The dancing was something extra that we all knew was not fully performed by her, just as action actors have stunt doubles so did her. She deserved the recognition

All the ballet girls complaining are so annoying, they did credit the dancer. They never made it seem like it was natalie doing all the dancing, you could watch the bts and see for your own self that they show the double dancing and then how they replaced her face with natalie's, they always talked about the double. But anyway natalie did a great job, she did trained really hard for that role.

Lane said that she started speaking up because the directors were implying that Portman did all of the dancing to the Oscar voters.

Thank God my mother wasn't alive to see this film!! She was one of (if not) the best Cecchetti teachers in Australia. She would have laughed her arse off, then said something brilliantly sarcastic! (maybe I wish now she HAD seen it) R.I.P Mum, Cecchetti will never be the same in this country.

I've been learning ballet since 5(now I'm 13) but I agree with some of you, Natalie won the Oscar because her acting was amazing, not because of the dance part, plus she paid hard work.

The real dancer that did some of Natalie's moves was like, "This bitch ain't do all of those moves. No one can perfect what I've been doing for 22 years in a year and a half!" lol.

Come on, people. Sarah Lane got the EXACT same credit any other stunt double gets in any other movie. Watch any action movie behind the scenes, like Avengers, for example. Do they show the stunt doubles doing all of the action sequnces? No, they usually show the actors and what scenes they could do they didn't require a double. The actors hardly ever mention them in their interviews, yet no one is throwing up a fit like this. Sarah Lane was a STUNT DOUBLE, not an actor. Natalie Portman obviously had to do some of the scenes and do ballet to become more immersed in her character. Chill out. If Sarah Lane wanted more recognition for her, she could have fought for it. But this is how all stunt doubles are treated (rather unfortunately), so don't get upset and blame it all on poor Natalie Portman.

I like to compare the whole stunt double controversy in Black Swan to Chloe Grace Moretz playing cello in If I Stay. To reach to level of dancing and playing that Nina and Mia achieve, it requires a bare minimum of 6-7 years of training, and that is only if the person is incredibly talented. As a violinist, not a dancer, I can say it would simply be impossible for Chloe to play Saint Saens A Minor in the film, so of course none of the cast or crew tried to claim that Chloe's face wasn't superimposed onto the body of another girl during all the cello scenes. Likewise, it is insulting and degrading for the cast and crew of Black Swan to claim that Natalie Portman could dance as well as a professional dancer after six months of training.

I recognized that it's never too late for ballet. I thought I'm too old for ballet and I'm a teenager!

fun fact: the music is from Suspiria, another ballet-based horror film

natalie is an actress, it was part of the character/role to seem like a dancer. so she studied her character and dance lessons was part of this process,that's the fact. she took the award for her acting. it is normal for the film to have an actual dancer for back up, in the same way that in action movies of the previous decades the actors did not participate at the dangerous scenes.

Natalie Portman isn't taking credit for being a professional ballet dancer. Her job is as an actor as as such she did what she needed to do to prepare herself for giving a believable performance. In this, she was truly amazing and dedicated to performing as a woman going through a mental process. This movie is a physiological thriller that features ballet, not a movie on ballet. Yes, Natalie had a ballet double and you can see in this video she dances in ballet flats, but her job is in facial expression, use of voice and physicality, not whether she can dance the swan parts fully and en pointe. The method acting she devoted 2 years too is truly admirable, and is not uncommon, many actors do similar things to try to understand their character. Natalie worked hard to tone and learn technique just as how Christian Bale lost 1/3 of his body weight to under his character in The Machinist and how many actors have to work out intensively to tone for action movies. So we're all a little jealous that Natalie gets to do ballet instead, but what's the real difference? She is an actor, and if you're going to judge then judge her for that. She doesn't claim to be a professional dancer at any point and I truly admire her for taking on such a challenging role. Sarah Lane is a beautiful dancer, and deserves credit for it, but the main point here is that this movie isn't about ballet, it's about the protagonist's journey through a physiological state in trying to achieve perfection in which Natalie was, in my opinion, perfect.

I do. I train 3 times a week at the national ballet of Canada. All I am saying is its nice if people can be happy for others. I was saying that why not "appreciate" Natalie p'S hard work for this movie. She is by means not a professional, but we saw that she trained and put her time in meaning that was hard work. We all know how difficult class can be especially the dedication...the blood , sweat and tears..IF she trained for half a year in ballet for this role...she was dedicated and felt it.

She was mesmerizing in Black swan. Her short part in Cold mountain was riveting. Her mountain dialect was spot on.

I loved how they used Suspiria's soundtrack on this!

lol I'm just here because I'm doing Mary Helen's workout series and wanted to see if she really trained Natalie...

In case you guys didn´t know, she acted from the waist up, legs are shots from ABT dancer Sarah Lana, and this movie doesn´t have heavy dancing anyway.

the ballerina who was her double wasnt really upset about not getting the attention, she was miffed about how natalie was portrayed as an actor who picked up ballet in a matter of months. she thought that it gave people the idea that learning ballet was easy and anyone could do it. it wasnt personal, she just loves ballet and didnt want people second guessing the dedication it takes to dance with such skill

I agree that the ballet stunt double deserves credit, just like any other stunt double... However, you don’t see controversy like this with stunt doubles in an action movie. We don’t expect the avengers’ actors to be doing all their own stunts, nor do we hear them thanking their stunt doubles by name every chance they get. Yes, ballet is a major part of this movie, but as are all of the action sequences in an action film. And Natalie clearly did so much to prepare mentally and physically for this role, she deserves recognition for the work she put into this movie as an actor.

wait, wait, this soundtrack...suspiria, suspiria theme. WOW

I congratulate both Natalie and Sarah for amazing classic performances. Wonderful award-winning production across the entire professional board. 📽☕🇺🇸👼

I loved the movie..I didn't know she had to go through all of this..I always found her and Kerri Washington to look alike but different shades lol..even their facial expressions and the way they speak

I'm surprised anyone recognized the Suspiria theme song lol

I think the reason people are getting offended is because he was given zero credit, while usually in movies with doubles, they are given credit for it. Natalie portman completely forgot to mention her double when giving her speech at the oscars, Im a dancer, and i just think she should have given more credit to her double, because ballet was the part that made the movie extra special. It had good acting, good special effects, an ballet mad wit even better. So, the dance double did a LOT for the movie. Without her it wouldn't be the same.

Actors having to learn something to a high standard in such a short amount of time to be able to look convincing doing it on screen is incredibly impressive.

Natalie is one of a kind. She does such a job here, you knew she was going to take home the Oscar and every other possible award for movie performance in existence once you saw her in this one. She was so devoted, so determined to reach her goal. But hey... she had a body double a lot of the time---Lord Knows you can tell. To undergo ballet at a professional level--the definition of demanding. Natalie did the full principal ballerina training, but only for a few months. --A Fan, Dane Youssef

She got an award for being an incredible actress playing a disturbed teen girl incredibly well. Not for dancing. This was a psychological thriller, not a dance movie.

The tiny bit of dancing she did ,you could tell it someone who hadn’t danced but the acting bits where great.Her double was as brilliant in her dancing as Portman was in her acting both made that part.Natalie got someone’s hubby out of it for herself too 😂

Thanks KZfaq for the recommendation in 2021. Love Natalie and 'Black Swan'. Amazing actress.

Her hard-work for this movie really paid off.

am i the only one who recognized the "Suspiria" background? That's a horror movie btw, also based on ballet

Its a girl named Sarah Lane who did the majority of the dancing in this film, not Natalie. I find it hard to believe that she (Natalie) could dance like that after only training for a year, let alone dance like that in pointe shoes. I've danced since I was four and I only got pointe shoes 2-3 years ago, and its very challenging to dance in them. Give Sarah the credit.

she actually danced when she was a kid guys... thats the reason why for her wasnt starting from scratch, she just went back on track

Thank you body double dancer that did the real work.

I love how the use the music from Suspiria for this lol

As a ballerina I don’t understand why people are so offended? She isn’t a full on dancer, but she sure put a lot of work into this. And her acting was just ✨mwa ✨.

A huge Natalie Portman fan since first spotting her in the movie 'The Professional' late ninety's? I enjoyed this movie ...AMAZING actress performing as a dancer. 👍🏽 SearchlightPictures Thank you xo

The dancers are not blaming Natalie! Please check Sarah Lane’s interview. Sarah is very respectful and she says Natalie deserves the Oscar, Sarah just wants society to understand how hard Ballet is.

I cannot believe she didn't do ballet before!

Portman portrayed her role as a ballet artist so damn well in this film because some of you sound completely nuts. We get that ballet requires years and years of training and that no one could possibly become major talented in 6 months - but don't discredit the hard work that she and the whole team put into this production. Quit the whining because if anything, y'all should recognize that this movie actually portrayed how hard and demanding the sport of ballet is. Credit where credit is due: Portman (an ACTRESS) acted the role of a troubled ballerina so well she received an Oscar.

She is highly inspiring to people who desire success in their business.

this movie is absolutely incredible, just beyond fascinating i love natalie portman seeing her act and dance at the same time in such an amazing movie makes me love her even more

Not possible to become a ballerina in a year but she did do a lovely job:)

0:58 the guy who dancing with her is her husband

I just want to clarify, your metatarsal are the bones in your feet. You don't "grow' new muscles, you grow current muscles which become stronger.

Natalie is my favorite female actress as far as her skill goes. The thing about actors is that they have the ability to learn quickly to become something. Thats why they are good. Natalie is obviously capable of Learning that does not involve the barriers of Time. I know personally what this is about. And its possible.

Lane danced en pointe. Any scenes where you see the foot work, that is Lane dancing. It takes anywhere from 3 to 7 years to learn and strengthen enough to dance en pointe. One year of training intensely will not get you there. While Natalie did do most of the head shots, she did not dance en pointe. No I'm not upset, just pointing out the facts. I know several people who really did think that was her doing all the pointe work. Beautiful work from both women though. Natalie did indeed do a very convincing job being a ballerina, which was what she was training to do because even the upper body of a ballerina takes training. She never said she trained en pointe. The first few years of ballet aren't done en pointe, but you still train. She is one of my favorite actresses!

This is my 9th year dancing (I took a 2 year break). And the double didn't get enough credit, trust me, if I could get that good in 6 months, that would be great

I am surprised that the actuall dance scenes were not danced by nataly.Thanks God I find out this now because she inspired me to start studing despite I´m not a kid I´m 27. I´m dancing fot two years now and I´cant go pointe shoes yet, but a year from now I think will get them. The movie is great.

She is beautiful and put a ton of work into it. Why do people have to be so angry and hateful and rude. It doesn't hurt to appreciate something and be happy for people who worked hard.

I think the controversy mainly stems from the fact that the film claimed Natalie learned in months what real ballerinas spend their whole lives training to achieve

As a stunt double you know you don't get as much recognition as the actress does, it's probably in your contract, you know from experience. Don't come crying afterwards

The suspiria music at the beginning is just perfect, this movie IS perfection

but she totally has a beauty and the body of a ballerina! and the amazing acting of this film? she deserves 100% credit!!!

I love how her body looks like a ballerina's (at least for the untrained eye, like mine).

Valeu a pena todo o esforço, Natalie. Menina, você fez um trabalho lindo. "It was perfect" :´)

you cannot please every1 even how much you pour out your best. what i appreciate and love about natalie portman is her PERSEVERANCE and DEDICATION in her work, even how they try to put her down or the cruel and rude ways they pour into her she just keeps going and never give inn to those nasty and negative talks about her. all i am saying is that she's a FIGHTER and GREAT ACTRESS.

I think it still amazing that she didnt do any ballet training before the movie and she has this presence, a way of moving, that would make me never doubt it

Sad thing is that Natalie got all the credit for the work that she didn't even do. it is impossible to dance like a professional ballerina with just 2 years of training. I've been doing ballet since for 9 years and i am still not en pointe. They really should delete this and stop saying it was natalie when every clip of dancing is really her dance double who i personally think should get all the credit for the dancing and a mention in the credits. I would hate to have someone else take credit for all of my dancing as it's harder than it looks and no one can become a ballerina within 2 years of training.

What upset people (including her dance double) was that she never thanked or even acknowledged that she had a dance double (in her acceptance speech). I love Natalie Portman, and she worked really hard at this role, but come on, give credit where credit is due. To a lay person who does not know the ins and outs of ballet, she looked like she did all the work. Really difficult moves like fouettes on pointe cannot be learned in two years. To a person who does in fact know ballet, I think we all knew it wasn't her doing those steps. Watch the interview with her dance double - everyone told her to keep quiet until the Oscars.

Her ballet dance trainer the one speaking is absolutely stunning as well

This is a masterpiece of a film, and though it may not include perfect ballet, it certainly puts ballet in a new light, makes it available and interesting in a fresh way.

Wendy Verdades Saying this part should have gone to a "dancer who can act", is like saying, since there's lots of acting in Giselle, they should head down to the Actor's Studio and find an actor who's done a few years of ballet and "movement for the actor", classes to do it. Makes no sense right? Look this isn't a dance musical like An American in Paris, or a movie where the whole point is the dance with a bit of movie in between like, The Red Shoes, The Turning Point, or Center Stage. It is, in its entirety, about the main character, who is a ballerina, going insane. The movie is meticulous in how it shows in detail how her mind unravels. This take very very serious acting skills, which is WHY Portman won the award in the first place. Not the dancing.

i think it's pretty obvious that Natalie didn't do any of the intricate moves. You can tell the difference in their forms ( Natalie's legs are a little shorter and stockier. Sara's are thinner....more like a ballet dancer's legs. No one in their right mind can watch this scene with Natalie twirling around on her tipy toes like a 7 year old and compare that to the movements of the actual ballerina.

You did a wonderful job Natalie!!!

The reason why ballet community is angry was because they hid the truth about the double and even told her not to speak about it. They acted as if Natalie was the one doing all the dances, while giving no credits to the actual dancer