TuTuMUCH 2010
Distributed by First Run Features, 630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213, New York, NY 10036; 212-243-0600
Produced by Vonnie Von Velmont, Merit Jensen Carr
Directed by Elise Swerhone
DVD , color, 83 min.
Jr. High - General Adult
Dance, Adolescence, Sports
Date Entered: 01/17/2014
Reviewed by Laura Jenemann, George Mason University Libraries, Fairfax, VA“Who will be the next Royal Winnipeg Ballet School student?” asks this documentary. As with documentaries like Hoop Dreams (1994), Koran by Heart (2011), and Louder Than a Bomb (2010), TutuMUCH is an observation of a life-changing competition among exceptional children.
The subjects of this particular competition are the girls between ten and thirteen years old training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s four week-long audition for its professional training program. During the course of the audition and the film, teachers provide hands-on teaching through rigorous back-to-back dance classes in ballet, creative movement and other dance forms. This process allows the teachers to see which girls have the potential to succeed in a training program leading students to careers as professional ballet dancers.
As with other competition-based documentaries, the film focuses on just a few of the girls, their families and the teachers in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. The tougher issues of how much pressure the girls are under and the existence of their lives outside of ballet class are only lightly touched upon. However, the film’s coverage of the expense of dance training is a strength that could lead to a discussion on arts education or a comparison between dancers and other athletes. This nuance, along with an overall upbeat tone and a familiar narrative of an athletic competition, are why TuTuMUCH is recommended for both colleges and universities with performing arts programs as well as public libraries with general interest documentaries.
Awards
- Best Documentary Feature, Chicago International Children’s Film Festival