The “Black Swan” art film performed by the MN Dance Company is a striking fusion of ballet and contemporary dance, paired with the hauntingly powerful song by BTS. The video doesn’t just showcase stunning dance technique; it creates a deeply emotional narrative that reflects the song’s themes of artistic struggle, identity, and transformation. With the dancers portraying the metaphorical journey of the artist, the ballet sequences serve as a perfect vehicle for expressing the internal conflict and vulnerability that is at the heart of the song.
The Role of Ballet in “Black Swan”
Ballet is at the core of this art film, not only for its technical precision but for its ability to communicate emotional depth through movement. The two ballet dancers in the video—one male and one female—move through the space with fluidity, grace, and intensity, portraying the emotional landscape of an artist who is conflicted between the pressures of fame and the personal, sometimes painful, pursuit of self-expression.
Throughout the performance, we see the dancers execute ballet movements such as pirouettes, arabesques, and grand jetés. However, these movements are not just technically impressive; they are emotionally charged, with the dancers’ expressive faces and physicality communicating the vulnerability and internal struggle BTS sings about in the song. The use of ballet here helps bring out the classical beauty and elegance of the artistic journey while simultaneously exploring the darkness that can accompany the pursuit of one’s craft.
The Influence of the Graham Technique
While the dancers primarily perform ballet, there are noticeable influences from the Graham Technique, a modern dance style that emphasizes contraction and release, as well as the emotional expression of the body. The Graham Technique is known for focusing on grounded movement and the use of the torso to express deep emotions, which is evident in several moments in the art film. While ballet’s focus is on height, extension, and control, the Graham-inspired moments bring a rawness and emotional intensity to the performance, especially during sections of the choreography that emphasize falling, reaching, and recovery.
For instance, during some of the more intense moments in the video, the dancers’ bodies seem to contract as if reacting to the weight of the world on their shoulders—emotions that mirror the themes of the song. These moments of tension are released through fluid, sweeping movements, allowing the dancers to express the complexity of their characters’ emotional journeys. This sense of release—so central to the Graham Technique—matches the song’s lyrics, where the artist struggles to free themselves from the pressures of their art and identity.
Building the Emotional Arc of the Performance
The emotional journey of the dancers in “Black Swan” mirrors the song’s narrative, which speaks to the conflict between the beauty of artistic creation and the pain of losing oneself in the process. The choreography reflects this inner struggle by incorporating moments of isolation and closeness. At times, the ballet dancers move together in harmony, reflecting the unity that art can bring. At other times, they are separated, struggling against invisible forces, mirroring the tension between individual identity and external expectations.
The ballet form, known for its structured and controlled movements, is often disrupted by moments of sharp, angular movement and unstable poses, echoing the turmoil and anxiety of an artist trapped between the light and dark sides of their career. This sense of tension between beauty and chaos is at the core of both the song’s lyrics and the choreography, and it’s brilliantly conveyed through the dancers’ ability to seamlessly blend ballet’s classical elegance with contemporary emotional expression.
Symbolism in the Choreography
One of the most striking aspects of the art film is the use of symbolism in the choreography. The ballet dancers frequently seem to be trapped in the performance—their movements flowing as though trying to escape an unseen force, perhaps reflecting the struggle of the artist who feels confined by fame, expectation, or even the act of creation itself. This theme of freedom vs. constraint is beautifully illustrated through the dancers’ physicality, particularly in the contrast between their graceful lifts and moments where their bodies collapse to the ground, symbolizing vulnerability and surrender.
This transformation—from control to release, from form to formlessness—echoes the black swan metaphor in the song, where the figure of the black swan represents both the darker side of artistic expression and the unleashing of one’s inner self. Ballet, in its purity and discipline, is often associated with perfection; here, it is transformed into something more human and raw, reinforcing the complexity of the themes BTS addresses in the song.
Conclusion: The Power of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in “Black Swan”
The BTS “Black Swan” art film performed by the MN Dance Company is an emotionally charged interpretation of both the song and the broader struggle of the artist. By blending ballet’s beauty with the raw expression of contemporary dance (influenced by the Graham Technique), the performance creates a visually and emotionally rich experience. The dancers not only showcase technical brilliance but convey the internal emotional world of the artist through their expressive movement, creating a powerful narrative of artistic conflict, transformation, and self-liberation.
For performing arts students, the video is a reminder of how different dance forms can work together to tell a story, using movement not just to showcase skill, but to evoke deep, complex emotions that resonate with the audience on a personal level. It’s a testament to the power of fusion, where ballet and modern techniques combine to give a voice to the struggles artists face in their pursuit of truth, self-expression, and freedom.
